Teach Abroad
Leading a group of students abroad is a professionally rewarding experience. Hundreds of University of Minnesota faculty and staff have taught undergraduate and graduate students in an international setting, with students and program leaders alike finding the experience to be a highlight of their academic and professional careers.
The Learning Abroad Center is here to help you develop one of these unique learning opportunities.
Call for Proposals
The submission portal for Create Your Own, Freshman Seminar Abroad, Global Seminar, and Summer Teach Abroad Opportunities proposals for academic year 2025–2026 is open. The proposal submission deadline is February 1, 2025 for 2025–2026 programs. A call for proposals will go out in early November 2024, and the portal will open at that time.
Review our Teach Abroad web pages, leader resources, and the Leader Portal Canvas site for additional information.
Proposal Considerations
We are particularly interested in programs taught in locations outside Western Europe and that appeal to traditionally underrepresented students. We encourage faculty and staff to thoughtfully consider how your own identity and positionality, both as an instructor and as an individual, contributes to your experience teaching undergraduates and your ability to lead diverse student groups.
Additionally, the LAC has pledged to focus on sustainability in our programs. When developing your program, we ask you to think about how your courses do or will discuss one or more of the the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Explore the Learning Abroad Center's 2024–2025 LAC Seminar Suite for programs that have been selected and will run this Academic Year.
Contact the LAC Instructor-led Program Team at [email protected] with questions about the Proposal & Review process.
Instructor-Led Program Models
Learning Abroad Center Seminar Series
- Do you want to take first-year students abroad?
- Do you want to combine on-campus instruction with learning abroad?
- Do you prefer to have the highest level of Learning Abroad Center support with regard to program development, administration, and implementation?
- Do you want to take students abroad for a shorter period of time?
- Would mentoring and feedback from other leaders be useful?
- Could your program be designed for and open to students from a variety of academic backgrounds?
- Do you prefer to have the highest level of Learning Abroad Center support with regard to program development, administration, and implementation?
- Do you want to teach a course entirely abroad?
- Would mentoring and feedback from other leaders be useful?
- Do you prefer to have the highest level of Learning Abroad Center support with regard to program development, administration, and implementation?
- Do you want flexibility with regard to program length, number of credits, and academic focus?
- Do you want to teach an embedded course or a course taught entirely abroad?
- Would mentoring and feedback from other leaders be useful?
Summer Teach Abroad Opportunities
- Would you like to teach on a Learning Abroad Center summer program?
- Does your proposed course, and expertise, complement the other courses offered on the program's curricula?
- Do you want a longer teaching opportunity of up to eight weeks?
- Would you like to teach on a program where local faculty teach the complementary courses?
Location
Program locations for LAC Seminar models are finalized in consultation with the Learning Abroad Center. Factors taken into consideration are availability of partners that can provide strong on-site support, appeal to students, relevance to program topic, distance, safety, and cost.
For spring break, locations in Europe and Latin America are possible due to travel time and flight cost. For winter break, May session, and summer, travel to Asia, Africa, and Oceania is also possible.
Customized Programs
- Would you like to develop deeper connections with existing Learning Abroad Center programs and take advantage of the on-site staff's knowledge and expertise?
- Do you prefer to have a higher level of support from the Learning Abroad Center with your program's development, administration, and implementation?
- Do you prefer to design a discipline-specific program for a particular population of students?
Global Campus Partner Programs
- Do you prefer to design a discipline-specific program for a particular population of students?
- Does your program have specific academic prerequisites that students must meet?
- Do you have a specific location in mind?
- Do you prefer, and are you able, to assume full ownership of program development, finances, administration, and implementation?
Program Model Comparison Chart (PDF)
Leader Portal
For more information about instructor-led programs, program development resources, and to connect with other leaders, refer to the Leader Portal Canvas site. If you need to enroll in the Canvas site, follow these steps:
- Visit the UofM Training Hub
- Select the "Course Catalog"button
- Keyword: LAC100 and/or Department offering training: Learning Abroad Center
- Select: Education Abroad Program Leader Resources
- Click green button: +Enroll in Course