What Makes Studying on the MV Explorer Special

When many people think about studying abroad in college, they envision a single-point study program. While these study-abroad programs can be valuable experiences, there is something uniquely different and life-changing about the opportunity to learn on a moving vessel that travels between multiple countries and which allows for great and deep comparative learning, research and experiences.

Following are some aspects of why learning on the MV Explorer and through Semester at Sea is such a unique and worthwhile academic and life experience for college students:

• The students’ international experience begins the moment students step foot on the ship. The MV Explorer is staffed by an international crew of 220 members who represent 22 nationalities and hail from countries that include India, Ghana, Jamaica, the Ukraine, Austria, the Philippines, Italy, Croatia, Greece, Portugal, Guyana, Romania, Hungary, Nicaragua and more. The ship is led by a Croatian captain, has a Greek staff captain, an Italian chief engineer, a Ukranian safety officer, Filipino chef and chief housekeeper, and a lone American serves as the chief purser.


• Being on a moving vessel allows students to learn how to be responsive and nimble, whether it is adjusting to the rolling of the sea or the quick changes in time as they cross the Atlantic Ocean.


• Learning on Semester at Sea is kinetic. As they travel on the ocean, students gaze upon a horizon and witness the vastness of the ocean, something they may have never realized or appreciated before. As the ship pulls in to port, the students’ first view of the city is magical. This experience sets the tone for the students’ first three-dimensional view of everything they’ve been studying while at sea.


• When they step off the ship and on to land, learning becomes very tangible with each street they travel. Students begin to connect the real-life architecture, monuments and customs to the in-class discussions of histories and civilizations.


• Each SAS voyage fulfills Thomas Jefferson’s ideal of the academical village, where shared learning is infused in daily life. Living and learning aboard the MV Explorer is a microcosm of Jefferson’s model. Here the academic and student community live and learn side-by-side as they travel the world. This provides numerous opportunities for intense and engaging discussions, deeper reflection, and exchanges that would rarely take place on a land-based campus or even a single-point study abroad program.


• Students have access to some of the brightest and talented academic minds culled from across the nation. Some of the top academic scholars bring their work, passions and lessons to the Semester at Sea community to challenge students and enhance their understanding of our multicultural and complex world.