Most resources and guidance for instructor-led education abroad programs are housed in the "Global Classroom Program Resources" organization page in Blackboard.  Please enter your USC email to be added to the Blackboard organization. 

If you're leading a program this year, there is no need to input your email address as our office will add you to the organization.

Meet with your academic department and the Education Abroad Office to discuss your program ideas and objectives.   Consult with travel service providers and international partners to outline itinerary, costs and logistics.  If you're offering a for-credit program, develop program academic component and syllabus, including contact hours, course title, and course number.  

Submit your program proposal via the online submission process by the stated deadline, with departmental approval signatures, to the Education Abroad Office for review by the campus-wide International Programs Approval Committee.  

The proposal will ask questions about your program budget, destination health/safety outlook, learning outcomes, foreign language support, and leader expertise, among other programmatic details. You can start a proposal and return to work on it later.  Please note that the proposal will require the following elements:

• For credit-bearing programs, completed syllabus accounting for the necessary contact hours, and demonstrating academic rigor, challenging readings, and detailed assignments
• Detailed day-to-day itinerary for your program
• Signed and uploaded faculty leader program agreement, including departmental approval signature 
• Electronic insurance enrollment form

Faculty who are leading repeat programs seeking re-approval may log-in and create a copy of their previous proposal submission. Please make any necessary changes and resubmit the new (copied) proposal for review. 

Working with your department's business manager, finalize the final budget and set a program fee to be collected from students.  Establish payment and withdrawal policies and obtain a D account number from your home department. 

Confirm the final program itinerary, accommodation, transportation, meals, and other logistics.  Most programs work with a logistics provider -- you will need to work with the provider to establish a contract outlining the details of the program arrangements and responsibilities. Once you have reviewed the contract, forward it to the Education Abroad Office for approval and USC signature routing. 

Develop marketing materials for the program and take part in recruitment events such as the Education Abroad Fair. Establish internal application procedures and deadlines, and instruct students to also complete the Education Abroad Office application. Once contract is signed and departmental D account is established, begin collecting student deposits. 

Complete mandatory Incident Management training with the Education Abroad Office. Hold pre-departure sessions for your students to discuss health, safety, cultural differences, and logistics. Make payments to logistics providers according to payment deadlines. Collaborate with EducationAbroad to ensure that all students have completed university travel registration. Submit your own Contact Information Abroad Form to Education Abroad Office for notification in case of emergencies. Submit Program Leader Expense Form for documentation of expense reimbursement to the Office of the Provost.