Semester At Sea®
Campus & Campus Life

Note: The following information comes from Semester At Sea's "A Voyage Of Discovery" brochure.

Semester at Sea is conducted aboard the American-built S.S. UNIVERSE EXPLORER, a fully air-conditioned and stabilized ocean liner, which has been equipped as a floating university. The vessel is of Liberian Registry and holds American Bureau of Shipping and U.S. Coast Guard certification. The S.S. Universe is the heart of Semester at Sea, and it quickly becomes "home" to students, faculty and staff. This shipboard campus includes classrooms, study lounges, a library and a theatre. Other facilities include a cafeteria-styte dining room, a student union, bookstore, snack bar, swimming pool, sports and sun decks, darkrooms, and health clinic.

The library, managed by the University of Pittsburgh's Hillman Library, is a core library that is structured to support the itinerary and international theme of the voyage.

Instructional resources, including a closed circuit television system, support the academic program. A computer lab offers personal computers and software to students and faculty.

Student cabins are available in doubles or triples, either with or without a porthole. Linens and blankets are provided and laundry facilities are available. Three meals a day are served throughout the semester, at sea and in port. The ship continues to be the students' dormitory as they experience each country visited.

The Student Body

The student body aboard Semester at Sea is composed of approximately 500 individuals drawn from colleges and universities throughout the U.S., as well as a number of foreign institutions, and from a diverse range of academic programs. This broad geographic and academic base makes each voyage a unique learning and living environment.

The Institute is continually working to increase the participation of international students and faculty. Included among the wide range of international students who have participated, students from Argentina, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Mexico, Norway, Russia, South Africa and Taiwan have all recently contributed to the international component of the student body.

The environment on board not only lends itself to a closely knit student body but also enables you and your faculty to develop strong academic and personal relationships. On this campus you share meals, occupy similar living facilities and join together in leisure time activities, resulting in the development of relationships that are not possible on the typical campus. Students who have been with the program attest to the tremendous rapport they were able to establish with each other and with members of the faculty and staff. This is one of the strongest assets of Semester at Sea. Therefore, Semester at Sea seeks both students and faculty who can take full advantage of such interaction by carrying the educational dialogue beyond the classroom.

Campus Life

Learning opportunities aboard Semester at Sea are not limited to course work and in-port activities. You will be confronted with a unique living experience which is a microcosmic reflection of society as a whole. Learning to function within this self-contained environment, which can be both casual and intense, requires a high degree of tolerance and flexibility. Past experience has shown that students undergo a deepening and broadening of personality and a development of maturity often resultin in a markedly changed individual.

Opportunities for growth and development of self-confidence are myriad, and you will be challenged to seize and make the most of them. Due to the close nature of the campus and its international character, reasonable standards of conduct designed to respect the rights of both the individual and the community have been established. These standards are explained in the handbook which will be provided to you upon acceptance to the program. While the environment aboard ship is extraordinary, it does bear many resemblances to other campuses. The following listing will provide some idea of the activities and services available each semester.

Student Organizations

Among the active clubs and organizations are Students of Service (SOS), Ambassadors, Shipboard News (television production), Drama Club and yearbook staff. Other groups form around special activities each semester and depending upon student and faculty interests, might include language enthusiasts, chess players, ecology activists, backpackers, and photographers.

Physical Activities

Physical activities available include swimming, aerobics, dance, weight lifting, volleyball, jogging, basketball and table tennis. Intramural sports tournaments are a part of shipboard recreation and, on occasion, team competition is arranged with universities visited in port.

Social Activities

Popular activities include dances, talent shows, musical programs, art shows, and fund-raising events organized for worthwhile international projects.

Religious Life

Appropriate religious services and celebrations, involving faculty and students, are offered while at sea. Opportunities abound for those interested in experiencing their religion as practiced in each country visited, and to experience a variety of the world's religions.

Student Personnel Services

The Student Life Staff is comprised of professionals experienced in student life administration. This staff orchestrates programs and events on-board designed to help students grow intellectually, socially and internationally.

Health Services

The ship is equipped with a clinic staffed by a qualified physician and two certified resident nurses to serve the health needs of the community. Medical personnel are on duty 24 hours each day at sea.

Extracurricular Academic Programs

Shipboard activities include faculty and student symposia organized on specific themes or geographic areas, drama productions and an international film series. Each evening at sea Community College offers a leisure learning forum where interested students, faculty and staff present ideas for discussion or share experiences. Topics may have international themes or simply involve issues of interest to the participants. Additional specialized activities center around various disciplines, such as art, history, literature, or science, as students take discussions and projects beyond the time and space confines of the classroom.

Other Information About Semester At Sea:

• Insititute For Shipboard Education's Mission Statement
• Semester At Sea Academic Program
• Semester At Sea International Field Experience

Contacting Semester At Sea

The official Semester At Sea Home Page.

Semester At Sea

University of Pittsburgh
811 William Pitt Union
Pittsburgh, PA 15260

Phone: 800-854-0195
FAX: 412-648-2298
E-Mail: shipboard@sas.ise.pitt.edu

"Semester at Sea" is a registered mark of the Institute for Shipboard Education

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©1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000 Karin Rex
Updated July, 2000 (Origination date October, 1995)  /  Karin Rex, ComputerEase