Faculty-Led ProgramOverview & Application Process

OFFICE OF INTERNATIONAL STUDIES & PROGRAMS

TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY-KINGSVILLE

About Us The Office of International Studies & Programs (OISP) is responsible for the administration of study abroad programming at Texas A&M University-Kingsville which includes, but not limited, to the following responsibilities: Advising and registering individuals to their selected faculty-led program.

Overseeing the administrative requirements of individuals attending a program to ensure completion prior departure. Some of these requirements include the submission of all travel documentation, completion of required online trainings and attendance to the pre-departure workshop.

Managing program accounts and overseeing payment plans to ensure all monies are received and in-place to support the faculty-led program.

Assisting Faculty Leaders with all aspects of offering a faculty-led program which includes program development and implementation.

Faculty-Led Program Overview

Faculty-Led Program OverviewWhat is a faculty-led program?

A short-term study abroad option with an out-of-state or out-of-country component that is typically between 1 – 4 weeks long.

Built into an approved academic course offered through the Faculty’s department/college and designed to support the learning objectives of the academic content.

Follows the academic calendar of the university and held in either the fall, spring, summer semester or in either the winter or spring intersessions.

Formats (timeframe, location, course delivery) are developed by the Faculty Leader to align with the academic goals of the course and vary from program to program.

Faculty-Led Program Overview What are the financial obligations of attending a faculty-led program?

Faculty-led programs are developed to be wholly self-supporting and are structured in such a

way to be able to support these efforts.

The financial obligations of attending a faculty-led program are not just exclusive to the

expenses of services provided during the program, but also include additional commitments

through the program application process and academic course registration.

These commitments include the Study Abroad Fee, the Faculty-Led Program Cost and the

Tuition & Fees of the academic course. A further description of each of these obligations are

provided in this section.

Faculty-Led Program OverviewStudy Abroad Fee

This non-refundable fee is applicable to anyone applying to a study abroad program with the Office of International Studies & Programs.

It is not included into any particular program, as it is a separate cost that supports the administrative expenses related to study abroad programming at Texas A&M University-Kingsville.

The fee is paid once a student’s program application in Via-TRM has been submitted and allows the application to move into the review stage.

Should an application be declined or if the faculty-led program is cancelled by the university due to low enrollment, or any other extenuating circumstances, then the Study Abroad Fee will be refunded.

If an individual elects to withdrawal their approved application from a confirmed program, the Study Abroad Fee remains non-refundable. Exceptions may be considered by the university for withdrawals due to medical and/or emergency situations through an appeals process.

Faculty-Led Program OverviewFaculty-Led Program Cost

OISP and Faculty Leaders work together to develop cost effective program budgets that still meet a high-impact level of experience to best benefit our students.

These efforts create the program cost which is the individual charge for all the services included within a faculty-led program.

These expenses typically include all travel-related and program-related charges such as airfare, transportation, lodging, meals (if applicable), and excursions.

Students who are accepted to faculty-led programs are only assessed one total charge that is inclusive of all the determined services provided by the program.

The program cost is paid directly to the university and the payment for the services will be secured by either the faculty-leader or OISP on behalf of the students.

Faculty-Led Program OverviewTuition & Fees

Tuition & fees are assessed to the credit bearing course linked to the faculty-led program. This is a separate charge and costs are dependent on the student’s assigned JPAK.

Business Services oversees the charges of tuition & fees associated with academic courses and payments for those charges are paid directly to that office or online via MoneyConnect.

Faculty-Led Program OverviewFaculty-Led Program Financial Review Handout

Students will be required to review the “Faculty-Led Program Financial Review” handout as part of the application process for faculty-led programs.

The handout will provide further details regarding the Study Abroad Fee, the program cost along with tuition & fees.

It will also give additional information regarding program payment plan options, how financial aid can support faculty-led programming and the study abroad scholarship available to qualifying students.

Faculty-Led Program Overview What are the other requirements needed for attending a faculty-led program?

Once a student’s application has been accepted for their selected faculty-led program and the student has confirmed their attendance in Via-TRM, the following requirements will be assessable to be completed:

Required Forms – submit all required documentation related to faculty-led programing. Forms will automatically be assigned to a student’s profile in Via-TRM with the appropriate deadline dates.

Online Trainings – complete two online training certificates related to study abroad programming. Information will be

automatically assigned to a student’s profile in Via-TRM with directions on how to upload the training certificates for submission.

Pre-Departure Workshop – complete the pre-departure workshop with the OISP to review university policies regarding studying abroad, risk management and safety overview, and federal regulations related to international travel and programing.

Passport Submission – submit a scanned copy of your active government passport. Information will automatically be assigned to a student’s profile in Via-TRM with directions on how to upload the scanned image.

Faculty-Led ProgramApplication Process

Application Process To apply for a faculty-led program through OISP, students will need to access the online platform, Via-TRM, to initiate the application process. The Via-TRM platform is an online content management system specifically to support the management of study abroad programming for Texas A&M University-Kingsville.

Students will create an online profile in the system that will allow the to view OISP’s program catalog, apply for any programs of interest, complete all program requirements once their application has been approved and serve as a communications portal to the faculty and OISP staff.

Creating a profile takes no longer than 5 minutes and students will have immediate access to all study abroad programming content.

Application Process Students interested in submitting an application to a selected faculty-led program, can do so by clicking the “Apply Now” button on the program catalog page:

Application Process To start an application, students will review any eligibility requirements to be able to apply for the program and select the program term that they are applying to attend:

Application Process The top of the page, the application header will list the program name, the program term selected, the application due date and the current status of the application:

Application ProcessBeneath the application header, the purpose of the application along with any other important information needed to complete the form will be listed for review:

Application Process The application will also require all fields in the following sections to be completed prior to submitting the application for review:

◦ Student Information: fields include name, contact information and selection of how you heard about the program.

◦ Student Questionnaire: fields include written responses for questions regarding your interest in study abroad programming, what made you apply for the program and to list any previous international traveling experience.

◦ Student Financial Commitment Review: fields include “yes/no” responses along with actions items regarding your understanding of the financial responsibility for attending a faculty-led program and the application process.

◦ Application Certification: fields include “yes/no” responses and a digital signature to confirm accuracy of reported information and acknowledgment of submitting the application.

Application Process Once submitted, students will receive the below notification from the system:

It is also important to note, that while the application is going through the review process, students will receive updates via email from message@via-trm.com directly to the email account used to create their profile.

Application Process After completing the review process, students will receive this message to the linked email account on their Via-TRM profile to initiate the final step:

Application Process After clicking the link, students will be connect to their Via-TRM profile and to their application:

Students will be required to click the “COMMIT” button to confirm their attendance into the program and to complete the application process.

Application Process Once confirmed, students will receive the below notification from the system:

This will complete the application process for the faculty-led program and students will now have access to complete the necessary requirements to attend the program.

For More Information

Phone: 361-593-3558

Email: studyabroad@tamuk.edu

*In-Person: Cousins Hall, RM 113A

*For the health and safety of our campus, OISP will continue virtual operations for the Fall 2020 semester. Please visit our website www.tamuk.edu/studyabroad for further information on how to best contact our office during this time.