UMass Boston

Faculty Resources and Planning a Course Abroad

Getting Started on a new faculty-led program:

Faculty submits a Faculty-Led Program Proposal typically more than 12 months in advance of the program start date in order to have all details finalized leaving ample room for student recruitment. Your initial application will require a proposal narrative and an estimated budget sheet that has been signed and approved by the Chair of your department and Dean. A complete application will include a detailed program narrative, an approved course syllabus, and a confirmed budget sheet. An approved proposal is reviewed by the Office of Global Programs for final recommendations and will require approval by UMass Boston Risk Management and Export Control. Contracts with the providers or other organizations who provide services for faculty-led programs must be reviewed by UMass Office of General Counsel (OGC) and approved by UMass Office of the President Unified Procurement Services Team (UPST).

For any questions, please email brittany.dhooge@umb.edu.

The Process:

  1. Please download the UMass Boston Guidelines for Faculty-Led Programs to view the steps, timeline, and proposal requirements.
  2. Your first step should be to meet with the Office of Global Programs to discuss your goals, ideal location, and possible program partners. OGP can help you identify reputable providers who can coordinate on-site logistics and prepare preliminary cost quotes. Proposals from providers can take 1-2 months to prepare, so please plan accordingly.
  3. Once your proposal is ready, send your Proposal Narrative & Preliminary Budget Sheet along with the proposal you received from your identified provider/partner abroad to brittany.dhooge@umb.edu. Please note your proposal narrative must be approved & signed by your Department Chair and College Dean.

Deadlines for Proposal Submissions:

  • Winter or Spring-Break Programs (January 2027 or March 2027)
    • New Program Deadline: Jan 15, 2026
    • Repeat Program Deadline: Aug 31, 2026
  • Summer Programs (May-August 2027)
    • New Program Deadline: May 15, 2026
    • Repeat Program Deadline: Oct 31, 2026

Please note, all international programs for students must be approved by the Office of Global Programs. Deadlines cannot be extended. Your program proposal is reviewed by OGP, Risk Management, and Export Control and forwarded for final Provost approval. It may take several weeks for approval and follow-up.

Timeline for New Programs

14-13 months to program start
  • Submission of proposal narrative, budget sheet & provider/partner proposal to the Office of Global Programs by the faculty. Your proposal narrative must be approved by your Department & College Dean before submitting it to the Office of Global Programs.
  • Review of proposal by the Office of Global Programs and the ITRASE Committee
  • Provider/vendors identified & confirmed by faculty with quotes and selection of provider in collaboration with OGP
  • Review by Risk Management, Export Control, and final approval by the Office of Global Programs.
12 months to program start
  • Faculty sends syllabus for approval through the department & college. Courses seeking Gen Ed distribution sent for approval by faculty.
  • Agreement and/or vendor creation between UMB and provider/partner university submitted to OGP for review and approval by UPST
10 months to program start
  • Course(s) approved and added to course listings
  • Detailed itinerary created
  • Marketing materials printed, website brochure page put up, applications open for students, faculty and OGP recruitment
9 months to program start
  • Faculty-Leader meetings with OGP for preparation
  • Agreement signed and formalized with partner provider abroad.
3-6 months to program start
  • Faculty sends OGP interested students, OGP starts applications for students
  • Completed applications sent to faculty for review on rolling basis
  • Application deadline for students with $500 non-refundable (unless program is cancelled) deposit and are registered into the course in WISER by faculty-leader
2-3 months to program start
  • Final roster created of approved students
  • Students sign the agreement with third part (with schedule of payments and refunds)
  • Final payment deadline for program to third part typically 60-90 days out
  • Payment made to vendor for logistics/group flights (if applicable)
1 month to program start
  • Pre-departure orientation and program specific orientation

Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) Virtual Mobilities

Internationalize your courses by adding a virtual COIL exchange with a partner university. Students from UMass Boston in your course are given tools and space to engage in meaningful and purposeful interaction with students from a partner institution abroad. Students engage in cross-cultural learning while building connections and new relationships with people, knowledge systems, and perspectives across borders.

These Collaborations:

  • Take place 100% online, while students take face-to-face (or remote) classes at their respective universities
  • Are very flexible in content and duration- from as little as a 1-week joint project to a full-semester joint course in partnership with a faculty at a partner institution
  • Are able to be integrated into Canvas and accessible technological platforms at UMass Boston
  • Can create a micro-credential Digital Badge that students can earn from participating to use on their social media, LinkedIn, resume, etc.

Example of a UMass Boston COIL: Spring 2025: PHIL 207G Meaning of Life

  • University Partner: Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico (UNAM):
  • COIL: Existential Philosophy and Mexican Philosophy

UMass Boston Professor Hilmar Schmiedl-Neurburg, PhD integrated a COIL within his Spring 2025 course PHIL 207G: The Meaning of Life. The 4-week COIL component, “Existential Philosophy and Mexican Philosophy” was co-taught with UNAM Professor Laura A. Soto Rangel, PhD in her course with students at UNAM. 5 synchronous, hybrid sessions took place through zoom into the classroom at UMass Boston, which included small group work discussions of paired UNAM and UMass Boston students. Using Canvas, asynchronous components of the COIL were added with guided reading, and recordings, and in collaboration with their assigned partners, wrote a joint essay together with 2 students from UMass Boston and 2 students from UNAM in groups.

Students who signed up for the spring course also received a micro-credential digital badge that they can add to LinkedIn, their resumes, and other platforms from both UMass Boston and from UNAM.

How to set up a COIL in your course?

  • Start by identifying which course you teach that a COIL might work well & benefit from.
  • Get in touch with us (brittany.dhooge@umb.edu) to identify a partner university that may have a faculty partner to collaborate
  • Once a partner university and partner faculty is identified, work with them to develop your COIL component in your course
  • Add the COIL component plan into the syllabus and in the description for students to see this opportunity in your class when they sign up for classes
  • Work with the Digital Badge team to create your course micro-credential
  • Timing: Your COIL should be created and added to your course before student enrollment begins for that term. That way the COIL can be added in the description of your course when students sign-up for that course.

Examples of Partner Universities with COIL opportunities: