Faculty-led Short-Term Abroad Programs
Short-Term Abroad Programs (STAP) are courses that expand learning beyond the classroom on GW campuses. For a semester-long course, in addition to going to the regular lectures, students also have the opportunity to travel as a class to an international destination(s) preselected as part of the curriculum. The collective international experiences present a unique way to enhance and innovate the learning of knowledge and gaining of cross-cultural and global perspectives.
Additionally, STAP courses can be a great alternative to traditional semester- or year-long study abroad programs, as STAPs are generally more affordable and require a shorter time commitment. Students are invited to review current offerings and application information below or reach out to ccasglobal
gwu [dot] edu (ccasglobal[at]gwu[dot]edu) for more information.
- Program Applications & Course Registration
Enrolling in an STAP course requires that students submit an application through the GW Passport platform in order to be admitted. Please note that students cannot register themselves for an STAP course on GWeb, and you will instead be registered by CCAS Global staff after completing all required materials and submitting your program deposit.
For Spring 2027, please review the following key dates:
- Programs open for application: Week of August 24th, 2026
- Application Deadline: October 18th, 2026
- Deposit & Commitment Deadline November 1st, 2026
Students are encouraged to apply early. If a program reaches its enrollment capacity before the deadline, your application may be placed on a waitlist.
- Program Costs
Each STAP course has an associated Course Fee to support their unique programming abroad, and fees are applied to the student eBill for the semester in which you are enrolled in the course. Upon acceptance, students will be prompted to pay a $350 program deposit by the Deposit & Commitment Deadline to secure their seat in the course.
Please note that deposits are not an additional cost of participation, and are refundable before the Deposit & Commitment Deadline. For registered students, the deposit serves as a credit to your Student Account eBill and offsets a portion of the Course Fee on the student eBill. Follow links below for program-specific cost information.
- Financial Support
Spring 2027:
Thanks to generous support from a CCAS alumna donor, CCAS Global is able to provide $1,200 in travel support funds for students enrolled in an STAP course for Spring 2027! Students must remain registered in the course for the duration of the semester they enroll and participate in the travel program in order to maintain eligibility.
Need-based Aid:
CCAS Global also provides a limited number of need-based scholarships for students enrolled in an STAP class. The scholarship prioritizes applicants with demonstrated financial need and requires that you maintain a FAFSA on file with GW. CCAS Global will work with the GW Office of Student Financial Assistance to determine each student applicant’s specific financial eligibility.
Upcoming CCAS Global Events
Spring 2027
- Belgium | Migrants in the CIty (GEOG 3195)
Location Abroad: Brussels, Belgium
Dates Abroad: 3/4/27 - 3/12/27
Credits: 3.0
Prerequisites: Completion of GEOG 1001 (Introduction to Human Geography) or other human geography course.
Program Leader: Prof. Elizabeth Chacko
Course Description: This course will introduce students to the “superdiverse” city of Brussels. The city of Brussels offers students direct access to policymakers and scholars of immigration, community organizations, and migrant communities, allowing them to examine how migration shapes urban life, social integration, housing, labor markets, and public policy in a contemporary European context. Students will have a chance to experience firsthand some of the immigration-related issues in Brussels that they will have read about prior to the visit through workshops, talks, visits to museums and field research in the city.
- Costa Rica | Vertical Vida: Storytelling Costa Rica's Culture & Conservation (SMPA 3193)
Location Abroad: Caribbean Coast, Costa Rica
Dates Abroad: 3/6/27 - 3/13/27
Credits: 4.0
Program Leader: Prof. Imani Cheers
Course Description: This SMPA documentary-production course trains students to research, report, and produce short-form, research-driven documentaries on the linked themes of climate change, ocean and marine conservation, coastal erosion, and the cultural heritage of Costa Rica’s Caribbean coast. By reporting on climate change, marine conservation, and coastal erosion at the sites where these forces are visible and lived, students confront the ethical and logistical realities of cross-cultural storytelling firsthand, build intercultural competence alongside production skill, and return with a completed film that is both a portfolio piece and evidence of what they can do when the stakes are real.
- India | Socio-Environmental Change in the Himalayas (GEOG 3195/6293)
Location Abroad: New Delhi & Uttarakhand State, India
Dates Abroad: 3/4/27 - 3/14/27
Credits: 3.0
Program Leader: Prof. Aman Luthra
Course Description: The Himalayas—‘the Roof of the World’—play an extremely important role in the regulation of global climate systems. Further, in the Indian subcontinent, where most of the population is highly dependent on rainfed agriculture, the monsoon and the fluvial systems that delivers much needed water for crop cultivation, is crucially dependent on the Himalayas. The mountains themselves are home to many different cultural groups and diverse flora and fauna that are being threatened by climate change. This course will introduce students to some of socio-environmental challenges facing the region through a weeklong study abroad component in the foothills of the Himalayas where students will have a chance to experience firsthand some of the issues that they will have read about prior to the visit.
- Mexico | International Collaboration in Speech-Language Pathology (SLHS 6291)
Location Abroad: Queretaro, Mexico
Dates Abroad: 2/27/27 - 3/7/27
Credits: 2.0
Prerequisites: This course is program-specific and designed to address the learning needs of second-year graduate students in the SLHS department. Applicants from other related departments (such as physical therapy students, occupational therapy students or public health students) may be considered.
Program Leader(s): Dr. Cynthia Core & Prof. Erin Anne Cardman
Course Description: This course will introduce students to the skills necessary for practice as a culturally competent clinician, while participating in international collaborations in speech-language pathology. In collaboration with existing partners at the Universidad Autónoma de Querétaro, students will have the opportunity to meet with local professionals; visit numerous service delivery sites, observe, and collaborate with health and education service providers, and experience and evaluate the scope of practice in Speech-Language Pathology in Mexico. Students will also participate in one of two language courses (beginner intermediate or advanced) to learn Spanish terminology specific to SLP. In addition to the professional site visits and collaborations, students will participate in several rich cultural events and encounters.
- U.K. & France | The Price of Freedom: Normandy 1944 (HIST 3044W)
Location Abroad: London, U.K.; Normandy & Paris, France
Dates Abroad: 3/4/27 - 3/14/27
Credits: 4.0
Prerequisites: None, priority may be given to History majors; students are expected to have strong familiarity with 20th century and WWII histories.
Program Leader: Prof. Eric Arnesen
Course Description: The Allied invasion of occupied Normandy, France in June 1944 constituted a decisive turning point in the Second World War. Unprecedented levels of planning and international cooperation, along with the considerable sacrifices of countless numbers of soldiers, made an uncertain success possible. At stake, many rightly believed, were the freedoms of the Allied nations and the fate of the non-fascist world. This course will use the “Great Crusade” to explore two interrelated issues. The first is Operation Overlord itself – how the Allies planned and executed the greatest amphibious operation in history. Please note: The course is not strictly one centered on military history, although that is clearly one of its subjects. The second and equally dominant issue is the concept of “the price of freedom” that many, if not all, officers and soldiers fought for in Normandy in particular and in Europe in general. What, precisely, did freedom mean?
Among the subjects to be explored are the origins and character of World War II in Europe; the wartime French experience; the challenges of opening an Allied “second front” in Europe; the planning process of the invasion; the D-Day invasion itself; the “collateral damage” inflicted on civilian populations; race and the U.S. military; the American home front experience; and the “meanings of freedom” advanced by different sectors of the American population, among other things.
Past Programs
Program links may be removed from this page after conclusion of the application process. If you are looking for information on a current or past program, please follow the link below to be redirected. You can revisit program costs and itinerary information below or by searching for your program on GW Passport.