London Semester Program

Overview of Program

The London program provides a developmental experience characterized by multi-cultural life, academic study in the midst of geographical, historical and cultural resources, and a supportive, interpersonal context of community between students and faculty with significant travel opportunities in the British Isles and on the European continent. Students will master the practical affairs of everyday life in a foreign setting, achieving a significant measure of independence and self-reliance through extensive travel. Qualified students may also apply for an internship related to their course of study. The Foundation for International Education (FIE) serves the program in London and provides a very supportive interpersonal context of community between students and faculty.

Benefits of Program

Participation in the London Semester offers personal, social, and psychological development occasioned by multicultural encounters, while intellectual and cultural development is obtained through a situation where learning takes place in a setting where the objects of inquiry are encountered and experienced first hand. Moral development is achieved by the necessity of living together with others in a highly interdependent situation.  The student increasingly comes to live in a world quite different from the one he or she left in San Antonio. It is a growth and transformation of consciousness.

Structure of Program

• Admission: It is based on the requirements established by the Office of International Education Programs. See Application Process.
• Orientation: Students are required to participate in an extensive orientation program that provides 3 credit hours. It begins soon after admission has been confirmed and ends with a presentation of an integrative project upon returning to St. Mary's University for the Spring Semester.
• Travel to and from London: Students are required to travel as a group from San Antonio to and from London. Usually two faculty members accompany the group and remain in London throughout the semester.
• Living arrangements: All students are housed at Metrogate, a dormitory-type building equiped with security, computer lab, lounge, laundry facilities, and kitchens in each floor where students are responsible for their own cooking. No cafeteria service is provided. Rooms vary in size, and two or three students share a room, as well as bath, kitchen and living areas. See the FIE website for more information.
• Independent Travel: Students must remain in London during the first two weeks of the program. Opportunities for independent travel include weekends, Thanksgiving, and mid-term break. Students are not permitted to travel where there are current travel advisories issued by the U.S. Department of State. In order to travel independently, students must file required documentation with the Field Director and Metrogate officals prior to departure.  Students cannot miss class or program events for independent travel.
• Academics: Courses offered are mostly core required courses, but they vary from year to year depending on the faculty who accompany the group. Other courses may be taught by British faculty through FIE.  Coursework emphasizes issues of English society and culture, historical consciousness, and attentiveness and reflection upon experience. All students must register for a minimum of 12 credit hours and earn a minimum grade of C.  D's and F's are not transferable but will be computed in the student's Cumulative GPA.  Classes are in session Monday through Thursday. 
• Program’s Academically-Related Travel and Events:
  • Day-long tours of various areas and sites of London.
  • Day trips to various locations within the country.
  • Group attendance to concerts, theatre, opera, museums, and cultural and historiacal sites which vary each year.

Program’s Calendar/Schedule

• Offered every FALL semester.
• Approximately 15 weeks are spent in London, late August or early September to mid-December.
• Independent travel opportunities in October, November, and weekends.
• Different courses are offered and vary each year.
  Internships available for eligible juniors and seniors only.

Program Cost:

Total cost of  the program is approximately  the same as a semester at St. Mary's, but it will vary depending on the currency exchange and travel costs.  The Program cost includes the following: tuition, round-trip airfare from San Antonio, shared housing in London, a food allowance equivalent to Meal Plan A on campus, semester transportation pass on the London Underground, group travel, group social events and attendance to some performances, use of computer lab with access to the internet. Cell phones are required, but they are at the students' expense. Cell phone service can be obtained through your U.S. provider (usually at a higher cost), through FIE, or from returning students who wish to sell their phone.

Personal expenditures depend on each person's spending habits.  For further information on currency exchange go to: http://www.xe.com/ucc/