Office for Education Abroad :: Domestic Study Away

The Office for Education Abroad is charged with facilitating U.S.-based off-campus academic programming, known as Domestic Study Away (DSA) for all MSU colleges. Consolidating domestic academic travel into one central office ensures consistent service and support to MSU students, faculty, and staff, including services related to health, safety, and security of our Spartan travelers through the Office for Global Health, Safety and Security.

Definition of Domestic Study Away

Any program or internship sponsored by Michigan State University that is off-campus, credit-bearing, or includes co-curricular learning activities, led by MSU faculty or staff, based within the U.S. and U.S. territories and includes at least one overnight stay for which housing is provided or coordinated by the program, will be facilitated by the Office for Education Abroad.

This means if your program is....

√ Off-campus, based within the U.S. and U.S. territories,
√ Credit-bearing or co-curricular (as defined by the college),
√ Led by MSU faculty or staff, and
√ Includes at least one overnight stay for which housing is provided or coordinated by the program

...it is REQUIRED to be facilitated by the Office for Education Abroad.

If the program does not meet all of these criteria, it is NOT required to be facilitated by Education Abroad and you do not need to fill in the form.

If the program does not meet all the criteria, but your college chooses to opt-in to having it facilitated by Education Abroad, noting the cost recovery (detailed below) would apply, you will need to fill out the form.

Service Packages and Cost Recovery

MSU colleges, departments, and/or support units offering a Domestic Study Away program must subscribe to either the “Basic” or “Comprehensive” service package for their entire portfolio of DSA programs and will be invoiced accordingly.

Basic Package

$130 per participant
Student applications managed in a centralized platform (Education Abroad’s Via Global), allowing for location tracking, alert generation and general student support
Registration of participants in centralized system for location, alerts, and support purposes
Health and safety training for program leadership
Access to budget template for college use
Verification of proof of medical insurance for all participating faculty, staff, and students
Risk and Security Assessment Committee vetting of potentially high-risk programs
Support for student conduct, Relationship Violence and Sexual Misconduct training, and Clery Act-related incidents and reporting

Comprehensive Package

$650 per participant
All services included in Basic Package, plus:

Negotiation and execution of agreements with providers of domestic study away and domestic internship programs in consultation with program directors and sponsoring colleges
Assistance in verifying program quality control factors
Full range of financial support services, to include:

developing a program budget and setting a program fee in consultation with program directors and the sponsoring college
billing of the program fee to each student's MSU account
managing student withdrawal penalties
paying program invoices as requested
reconciling the budget post-program and reimbursing program director expenses

Support to check student enrollment, student conduct records, and good academic standing
Facilitation of correspondence reminding students of the importance of submitting health forms to the MSU Travel Clinic
Student advising on Domestic Study Away options, including internships (virtual and in-person)
Pre-departure orientation assistance
Resources for returned students
General marketing and recruitment assistance, including the promotion of information meetings
Tailored program leader training
Assistance with preparation of information for Risk and Security Assessment Committee vetting of potentially high-risk programs
Workshops, events, and access to a Domestic Study Away community of practice

NOTE: Michigan State University chose to utilize the cost recovery model (specifically intended not to be a fee or program surcharge to students) for DSA for MSU colleges to compensate the Office for Education Abroad for providing these services as required by the university. The determination for how to provide that cost recovery is at the discretion of the individual colleges, departments, and/or support units.

Package Selection

If your college has not selected a package, or wishes to change their package, please submit the form below.

Submitting your DSA Program

Have an upcoming Domestic Study Away program?

Please complete the DSA Program Submission Form to provide us with the information we need to create the program in Via Global and facilitate student registration.

Minimally, the form requires:

College sponsor
Contact
Program title
Term offered (with dates)
Location
Program description for the Via Global page
Indication if the program is open to non-MSU students

Additional information such as transportation, housing and participant roster may also be entered.

Once submitted, the Office for Education Abroad will follow up with the Program Contact(s) listed on the form with next steps.

Important Considerations

Program Directors are required to submit a Contingency Plan to the Office for Global Health, Safety, and Security and complete any required training and additional requirements.
If traveling outside of Michigan, Program Directors are also responsible for completing reports related to State Authorization with the MSU Office of Accreditation, Curriculum, and Compliance (AACC); See the Reporting and Instructions: Out-of-State Student Learning Experience Placement on the State Authorization & Distance Learning webpage.
The Office for Education Abroad does not provide or facilitate insurance coverage for DSAs. Participants, including Program Directors and Co-directors are expected to have and, if needed, be prepared to utilize their own plan.

Timeline

Basic Package

DSA Program Submission form due 8 weeks prior to departure
Contingency Plan due 6 weeks prior to departure (submitted directly to the Office for Global Health, Safety and Security)

Comprehensive Package

NEW PROGRAMS: For new programs, applicants should contact the Office for Education Abroad 12 months prior to departure to ensure the full range of services can be accommodated.
REPEAT PROGRAMS: For existing/repeat DSA programs, applicants should contact the Office for Education Abroad 6 months prior to departure to begin facilitation of services.

Participant Roster

Once you have a list of accepted/committed participants, please send a roster to the Erin Kunert including the students first and last name and their email address.

If you are using Via Global to manage your application process, you do not need to provide a roster.

Resources

Travel
If you are looking for assistance booking travel, StudentUniverse is the preferred travel agency for student travel at Michigan State University. They provide discounted flights, hotels, and tours, and offer 24/7 emergency support, working closely with MSU’s Office for Global Health, Safety and Security.

Note: If program details change from the initial DSA Program Submission, please be sure to update the full DSA Submission form and roster of accepted student participants.

Questions or concerns can be directed to Erin Kunert, Global Learning Coordinator.

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