Semester at Sea

Semester at Sea (SAS) is a study abroad program founded in 1963, now managed by the Institute for Shipboard Education in Fort Collins, CO. Colorado State University is the current academic sponsor for the program while the program itself is run on a cruise ship. Throughout the history of the program, nearly 55,000 undergraduate students from more than 1,500 colleges and universities have participated in Semester at Sea.

During the spring and fall semesters, the approximately 100-day program circumnavigates the globe, with up to 720 undergraduates traveling from North America heading either east across the Atlantic or west across the Pacific, visiting from 8 to 11 countries in Asia, Africa, Europe and South America, before ending the voyage in another North American port. The program previously had voyages that would sail through the Mediterranean and the Suez Canal, but due to piracy concerns in the Gulf of Aden, voyages now typically travel around Africa.

For many years, ISE hosted a shorter 65-day Semester at Sea program in the summer that concentrated on one general region of the world. In May 2011, Semester at Sea introduced a new short-term or Maymester voyage with a curriculum focused on the UN Millennium Development Goals. These voyages lasted 26 days and offered students the opportunity to earn 4–5 transferable credits. However, following the Maymester 2012 voyage, Semester at Sea made the decision to cancel Short-Term voyages indefinitely due to low enrollment. Additionally, a two-week "Enrichment Voyage" program is held for continuing education participants during December and January. Itineraries for these voyages focus on Central America and South America, often transiting the Panama Canal or traveling up the Amazon River. ISE currently offers only Fall and Winter voyages.

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