Linfield's study abroad programs fall into three categories:

• the semester abroad program, designed to provide students with a significant study abroad experience while allowing them to meet some Linfield Curriculum requirements,
• special programs abroad during January Term or the summer session, and
• study at foreign universities for language majors.

The Semester Abroad Program

The main semester abroad programs comprise five-month terms of study in selected centers overseas. They are administered directly by the university, normally staffed by international faculty, and offer courses that satisfy at least two Linfield Curriculum requirements in each location. Programs are open to sophomores, juniors, and seniors. Current overseas sites are listed in the university catalog. Program locations may also be moved from time to time, in response to political, monetary and/or curricular developments. Each program will enroll approximately 15 students.

Placement in semester-abroad programs not administered by the university is also available, with sites identified in the university catalog.

January and Summer Off-Campus Offerings

The university will continue to encourage its regular faculty to propose January Term and summer offerings off-campus. A limited number of these programs will be approved each year, consistent with offerings of the university, the January Term program, and the semester abroad programs. The relevant Curriculum Committee will review these proposals, and the appropriate faculty body must approve any new courses. The relevant dean will give final approval.

Policies relating to January and summer offerings abroad are as follows:

• Criteria for Course Development
  • Learning objectives and student outcomes should be specifically tied to the international experience; what will students gain from this course that would not be possible if the course was taught on campus.
  • Justification for location of course
  • Preliminary itinerary: what, where, for how long?
  • Possible dates, with justification for a specific time.
  • Connection to the Core Themes
    • Integrated learning, global and multicultural awareness, experiential learning.
    • Emphasis on self-reflective assignments connecting course to Core Themes.
  • Proposal for a scouting trip (if needed), including budget and itinerary.

• Criteria for Course Scheduling
  • Budget: balance course costs with available funds.
  • Faculty: how much experience does the faculty have with January term:
    • Balance of experienced faculty and new participants
    • How recently has the faculty been involved in January term off-campus.
  • Location: global diversity in course destinations.
  • Curriculum: balance courses across the curriculum with offerings from diverse programs (are students from all majors equally likely to participate?).
  • Departmental input: how do courses coordinate with other departmental offerings, short and long term?

• Curricular and Site Requirements
  • A full syllabus must be provided. In addition to the usual information (i.e., reading and course requirements, meeting times and hours/week, lecture topics, etc.), the syllabus must include field trips and/or changes of site.
  • The program sites must be identified and some confirmation in writing presented that classroom space, accommodations, and where pertinent special facilities are available to Linfield students, with approximate costs attached. A contact person at the site should be named.
  • All courses must be evaluated using the standard university system.
  • Any variability in credit, expectation, or workload for special students must be approved in advance.

• Number of Committed Students
  • Proposals for summer programs abroad must be accompanied by a sign-up sheet of interested students. Students' names, addresses, and telephone numbers should be listed. A core of 15 students, before the formal promotion of a program, will in most cases indicate sufficient interest to warrant the detailed planning necessary. A non-refundable deposit will be required at the time of application.
  • Similar policies apply to January Term courses.

• Staffing requirements
  • When the faculty member will teach as part of regular load, no faculty salary and benefits will be built into the cost of the program. Faculty will not receive extra compensation, but will receive transportation and where appropriate, room and board.
  • When the faculty member teaches on an overload basis, compensation will be on the standard basis for such teaching (e.g., adjunct rates). Transportation will be provided.

• Budgetary Requirements
  • A program budget and fee, including tuition in the case of summer courses, will be established for each course. The program fee must provide for the following expenses that have not been budgeted on an annual basis:
    • Faculty cost.
    • Transportation, which would include round trip transportation to and from the site as well as local transportation abroad.
    • Room and board (if applicable).
    • Rental fees for classroom space and special facilities.
    • Advertising and promotional costs beyond those budgeted by the
    • departments.
    • In the case of summer courses, an overhead fee calculated on salary and non-budget costs.
    • The minimum number of students required to participate in any summer program abroad in order to cover the total program budget must be carefully calculated.
    • Faculty must file expense reports upon return from programs abroad.

• Role of the International Programs Office
  • The International Programs Office works out detailed arrangements once the January or summer program abroad has been approved. Faculty members wishing to propose January and summer courses abroad must submit full proposals with pertinent data, as outlined above, along with the written endorsement of their department chair. Proposals will be reviewed by the relevant Curriculum Committee.
  • All announcements and promotional materials are to be distributed by the International Programs Office. Faculty members are not to promote their own programs in competition with other programs. The International Programs Office serves as the “sponsoring academic department” for summer off-campus courses under the university’s overall travel tour policies. It does so, of course, in full partnership with the teaching departments of the university.

• Other policies
  • Faculty are expected to be aware of detailed logistical policies published by the IPO on Linfield’s website.

Language Majors Abroad

The university requires language majors to spend an academic year at a foreign institution. The Office of International Programs stands ready to assist students in identifying appropriate institutions where this requirement might be fulfilled. Consultation with the Department of Global Languages and Cultural Studies is required. Fees for these programs are set by other institutions and must be paid by the student directly. Linfield may also operate its own programs abroad, in which case the student pays tuition to, and may receive financial aid from, Linfield.

Students studying abroad may also remain registered at Linfield, in which case they pay regular Linfield tuition and Linfield pays the tuition of the host institution up to an amount equal to 80 percent of Linfield tuition.