Student Publications
University of Houston
151C Communications Bldg
Houston, TX 77204-4015
713.743.5350

©1991-2007
Student Publications,
All rights reserved.

Last modified:

Contact:
ktruitt@uh.edu

News

Scholarships will let students set sail

Program allows cruisers to complete up to nine credit hours, 
visit Hawaii, Korea, Japan

by MATT COOPER
The Daily Cougar 

The Semester at Sea program, which offers classes to students traveling around the world via cruise ship, is offering five new $5,000 summer scholarships to UH students. 

The deadline to apply for the scholarships is April 1. 

"I heartily recommend that students look into this and see if it's not something they might be interested in pursuing," UH associate professor of English David Judkins said. 

He said that the scholarships cover about half of the costs of the voyage, which usually costs students about $10,000. The scholarships are open to students of all majors. 

"The benefits of studying abroad are that it gets you out of Houston," he said. "It gets you into different cultures so that you can get an insight into the ways other people live. It gives you some empathy for other cultures." 

Judkins said UH is trying to foster a closer relationship with the Semester at Sea program. Membership in the program will provide students with benefits such as the financial assistance. 

He said that is only the first example of possible benefits to the University. Eventually faculty will be able to participate in the Semester at Sea program. 

Judkins has been on three voyages and said studying abroad is an important part of attending the University.

"It broadens your horizons," Judkins said. "It makes you more aware of the larger world in which we live as opposed to what's going on in Harris County or even just in the state of Texas." 

There are three Semester at Sea voyages each year: Fall, Spring and Summer. 

The newest scholarships being offered by the University are for the summer voyage -- typically the smallest with 450 students on board. 

The voyage will take about two months and will depart from 

Mexico and stop in Hawaii, Taiwan, Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam, China, Korea and Japan. 

Students take classes while at sea and can earn up to nine credit hours. While in harbor the students disembark and travel together on fieldtrips. 

For more information on the Semester at Sea program and scholarships contact the office of International Student and Scholar Services at (713) 743-5065.

Send comments to dcnews@mail.uh.edu