Semester-length Academic Programs

Semester-length Academic Programs

GED runs a range of semester-length academic programs on behalf of various American Liberal Arts Colleges. All programs are developed in close collaboration with client institutions to determine program theme, the number, content and format of individual courses making up the program, program locations, the timing and duration of the program and the number of participants. Once developed, many of these programs repeat on an annual basis.

Previous program themes have included Australasian and Pacific Art, Environmental Studies, Coastal Biogeoscience, Australian Studies and New Zealand Studies.

Most semester-length programs consist of two to four courses, with the number usually determined by the client institution according to its own internal requirements for a full semester’s study load. Course content is also subject to approval by the institution’s relevant academic committees so that students can be awarded credit towards their undergraduate degrees for off-campus studies.

Past courses have included Natural History of Australia, Marine Biology, Terrestrial Ecology, Australian Area Studies, Indigenous Australian Studies, Contemporary Australia, Cultural Anthropology, Environmental Policy, Biogeography of New Zealand, Maori Studies, Contemporary New Zealand and Environmental Physiology. These courses have been delivered in a range of formats, for example, as a combination of classroom-based activities, laboratory studies, site visits, field-based studies (including shipboard field studies in marine environments), excursions and other educational tours.

Programs typically involve studying at multiple locations, with study sites selected to achieve best fit with the program content and to offer participants a broader range of experiences. Recent programs have been conducted in the Cook Islands, on both the North and South Islands of New Zealand and in various states of Australia.

All programs are timed to fit the academic calendars of our client institutions and do not need to correspond to Australian or New Zealand semester schedules. Semester-length programs typically vary between 10 and 15 weeks in length.

Group size is determined by the client. In the past, we have run programs for groups of up to 60 students, but recommend 24-26 as an ideal group size, particularly for multi-site programs. Student groups are usually accompanied by a program leader from the client institution, who may be a faculty member or a member of the administrative staff.