Information for Faculty

 Off-Campus Study Advising and Application Process

We believe students should plan off-campus study in active collaboration with faculty advisors, our office, and other trusted people our their lives. Our office relies on faculty advisors to help students plan their majors, while finding ways to thoughtfully and purposefully integrate study-away plans with Bowdoin-based academics. Please see our Guiding Principles section for more of our philosophy around advising and program selection

Our process requires submission of the “Registration of Intent” due November 1st and the two-part “OCS Application”--an online portion students complete independently, and a paper course exercise sheet with faculty sign-off--due February 22nd and 24th respectively (find all our forms here). Please take this opportunity to talk with your students about departmental offerings, major/minor requirements, and timing. (For more information about the student application process, please review the “How Do I Study Off Campus?" section of our website. Please note: the OCS application period coincides with the major declaration process.)

Choosing a program:

Bowdoin students may choose from over one hundred approved program/university options, though occasionally students will petition for an opportunity off the list. When it comes to program/university selection we are happy to review the Options List with students in one-on-one meetings, giving them a variety of recommendations to research and run past trusted faculty mentors. We encourage you to reach out to us if you have a question about a program/university brought to you by a student, or to ask us why we are recommending it to your student. Likewise, we are happy to listen to your recommendations about other trusted programs/universities in your field; while there tends to be limited opportunities to revise our approved options list we will certainly take your feedback into consideration!

Letters of recommendation:

Many program/university application processes require a faculty recommendation form or letter. We ask students to request these letters/forms from faculty members in a timely manner to allow plenty of time to write and submit and to provide faculty members with information about the program and their interest in the respective program or any relevant personal essays. Every institution’s process and timing is different, but most are rolling-admissions and only review and provide admissions decisions once an application is complete. Therefore, prompt completion of recommendations is greatly appreciated! 

Generally speaking, the application process is not as competitive for study abroad opportunities (programs or universities) compared to fellowship and scholarship applications. Therefore, while these letters are greatly appreciated and useful to programs and universities, we do not anticipate that faculty will put the same effort into these letters as compared to other student opportunities, such as national fellowships and scholarships.  Letters of recommendation should be on letterhead and they should answer the following questions: a) in what capacity do you know the applicant; b) how did the applicant perform in that capacity; c) do you support the student's application to the program/university (e.g. do you think the applicant will be able to adjust to a new academic setting and will it contribute to their academic studies). We do our best to understand each institution’s admissions process, so if you have any questions please let us know. 

Credit While Off-Campus

Regarding academic credit while abroad: please become familiar with OCS’s policies about credit transfer. There is a section on the paper application (Course Exercise and Sign-off) to give general approval for the student's study away plans, and on the far-right side of the course exercise is a section to indicate pre-approval for major/minor credit. The classes listed on this form may be subject to change once the student arrives and goes to register at the host institution. OCS requires students inform us of their proposed-final class schedule. We tell them to run by their faculty advisor any changes to classes taken away intended for major/minor credit because we only review their courses for general credit. We do not currently send faculty copies of the course notification form because of the sheer volume; however, copies can be requested by sending us an email. The OCS Application now allows for faculty pre-approval of course equivalency.

Danish Institute of Study (DIS):

Bowdoin faculty may apply to be a Visiting Faculty Member at DIS in Copenhagen. Faculty apply to teach an upper division 2-credit course for one semester. Proposed courses complement the existing DIS Copenhagen curriculum and make use of local and regional resources. Proposals should be submitted at least 18 months in advance. DIS provides compensation equivalent to a Danish faculty salary, airfare, partial housing stipend and local support.

Advanced Studies in England (ASE, Bath):

ASE accepts faculty proposals to teach on their summer programs. Applications are due about 12 months in advance. In return for teaching one class of 90 minutes each day, Monday through Thursday for five weeks, ASE offers those US faculty chosen: accommodation for five weeks (faculty member and family members), airfare for one person, a modest stipend (currently £1200 sterling) and two local course-related study-trips.

Institute for International Education of Students (IES):

Bowdoin faculty may apply for teaching grants at these IES sites: Barcelona, Dublin, Rome, Berlin, European Union (Freiburg), Milan, Vienna, Buenos Aires, London and Paris. Nomination deadlines (from Bowdoin's OCS office) are October 15th to teach in the summer and December 1st to teach in the following academic year. IES provides airfare, a teaching stipend of $4,000 for a 3-credit course and a housing allowance of $4,000 for a semester and $2,000 for a summer.

Bowdoin-Sciences Po Lyon (France) Exchange:

Twelve visiting faculty members are invited on an annual basis to SP Lyon from among its partners to teach a course. A stipend of roughly 5,000 Euros for 120 hours of teaching can be taught; courses may be taught in a one-month or two-month block or for a regular three-month period. Interested faculty submit an on-line proposal.

Institute for International Education of Students (IES):

Bowdoin faculty may apply for research fellowships at any IES study center (more than 40 world-wide). These fellowships allow faculty to stay for up to one month and on-site resident staff assist with introductions for research and introduce faculty members to local colleagues on-site. A housing stipend  is provided by IES. Deadlines are typically December 1^st for summer and March 15^th. 

Faculty who are abroad during a sabbatical or for another reason, such as an academic conference, may take the opportunity to visit a study abroad program or a university. Please contact our office to inquire about possible financial support. It is most useful when faculty members complete an site visit report and submit it to our office, so that we can learn from your observations and share with colleagues in your department. Please keep in mind that IES also has funds available to support faculty visits ($250).