Program Proposal Process

Additional information about the required documents

It is highly recommended that Faculty Directors complete the required forms in the following order:

• 1) Education Abroad Program Proposal and Approval Form

  Before submitting a program proposal, the faculty director must discuss all aspects of the program plan with the Department Chair and/or Dean.

  In these unique circumstances, the faculty director should also discuss contingency plans with their Chair, Dean, and Area Budget Manager. Payments should not be made to vendors until there is certainty that programs will be able to travel.

  The faculty director must complete the Education Abroad Proposal in the Faculty-Led Program Proposal Siteand seek the approval signatures and initials for his/her study abroad proposal from the academic chairperson, the Dean, and the Budget Area Manager, to ensure that there will be departmental support for the development and implementation of the program. 

   

• 2) Course syllabus

  A syllabus must be submitted for every course to be offered on the study abroad program. If the course does not already exist in the catalog, the program director must submit the proper paperwork to the University Curriculum Committee.

• 3) Vendor and payment information sheet

  The vendor and payment information sheet will assist the OEA and your departmental contacts in identifying the expenses that are scheduled to take place throughout the year in preparation for the program. The faculty director is responsible for this form which MUST be completed BEFORE the Budget Worksheet as these figures are to be included into this sheet. Please note that the amount on the vendor form must not equal the final program costs. Faculty are asked to communicate often with the vendors and to provide as many details as possible to the department and/or the Controller’s office to help facilitate the payment process in a timely and expeditious manner.

  Because of the unique challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic, faculty directors should be very clear with vendors about not making payments until there is certainty that FIU will allow travel. Faculty Directors should also get clear information from vendors about program cancellations and refunds/credits.

• 4) Budget worksheet

  In order to develop a viable budget, it is necessary to obtain realistic prices for all budget components. All study abroad programs follow a self-supporting model.

  For 2024-2025, the instructional fee is $205.57 per credit fee for undergraduates and $455.64 for graduates. In-state and out-of state students will pay the same instructional fee per credit. Instructional fees are always equivalent to the academic year’s tuition.

  The student instructional fees will go directly towards the Faculty Director’s salary. If the total amount of instructional fees is less than the total faculty salary, a per student administrative fee will be added to the overall program budget to compensate for the difference. If the total amount of instructional fees is more than the total faculty salary, the excess funds will be used to offset the total program costs for the students.

  The budget form is set up to include all of the items which are part of the program costs. These items tend to include overseas expenses of the program for the students, such as lodging, some meals, local transportation, admission tickets and local transportation. Faculty expenses including international airfare, lodging, and a per diem should be included as well. An auxiliary fee of 7% of all program expenses is assessed by the university for all auxiliary accounts. This fee is already included as a line item in the budget. An 8% contingency fee has also been included to offset the cost of any emergencies abroad, unanticipated program expenses, or currency fluctuations. If the currency of the host country (ies) tends to fluctuate widely, this should be taken into account when preparing the program budget. The total program price is divided by the number of students anticipated. This number of students becomes the program’s required break-even enrollment. For programs that have run for several years, the previous year’s enrollment should be used to project future enrollment unless unusual circumstances the previous year or the current year deem otherwise.

  NOTE: The mandatory education abroad insurance is incorporated into the education abroad budget templates for the programs. The education abroad fee of $195 is in addition to the program fee.

  Instructions for completing the budget form: Start with the "Salary and Fees Worksheet" Tab and then move to the "Final Budget" Tab

  Salary & Fees Worksheet Tab:

  • All line items in the worksheet have a fixed/locked formula
  • The cells that are highlighted in yellow are those in which you are being asked to enter information
  • Part I (1) will help you determine your salary for your courses, there are various options. 
    • 9 month Faculty (this should be used for the Fall and Spring)
    • 9 month Faculty Summer (this should be discussed with your Dean and Budget Manager to discuss  and determine the flat rate for the summer courses)
    • Adjunct Contract or Faculty Overload 
    • 12 month Faculty (this should be discussed with your Dean and Budget Manager to discuss and determine the overload stipend) 
  • If you are teaching an undergraduate course, please enter information in Part II (a)
  • If you are teaching a graduate course, please enter information in Part II (d)
  • The salary worksheet will provide you with information that will populate in the final budget spreadsheet

  Final Budget Tab: 

  • All line items in the budget form have a fixed/locked formula
  • The cells that are highlighted in yellow are those in which you are being asked to enter information
  • Please enter amounts in US ($) dollars only
  • Instructional and Administrative fees for the faculty salary are calculated automatically and those cells are populated directly from the Salary Worksheet.
• 5) Program itinerary

  The faculty director is required to submit a tentative program itinerary for the proposed program. The itinerary should include a day-by-day schedule of classroom instruction as well as program excursions. The final itinerary has to be submitted to OEA one month prior to departure.

• 6) Program payment schedule

  For all FIU study abroad programs, program fees and study abroad fees will be posted to the students' financial accounts in Panthersoft. Faculty directors will work with the Office of Education Abroad to determine a payment schedule for their program based on vendor payment deadlines and the total program fee.