Woods Hole & Various Locations
http://www.sea.edu
SEA has rolling admissions. Check with OISP for more information.
A Semester with the Sea Education Association (SEA) is unlike any other study abroad program. It combines an intensive six-week shore component in Woods Hole, MA with a six-week sea voyage either in the Atlantic/Caribbean or in the Pacific. The interdisciplinary course work teaches more than just Maritime Studies, Nautical Science, and Oceanography; it teaches students about team work, cooperation, and seamanship. Students also learn how to sail a boat, from striking and setting sails to navigating and steering.
Note: This program fulfills most Arts & Sciences requirements for the Marine Studies minor. Please consult Peter Rosen in the Geology Department for more information.
Students take the following classes, earning 17 NU credits.
Courses taken abroad may satisfy college and departmental core requirements. Students should consult with their advisor to discuss the specific requirements that may be satisfied abroad.
Students spend the first 6 weeks at Woods Hole, a village on the southwestern tip of Cape Cod. This hands-on program combines classroom lectures, lab work, small group discussions, and field excursions. The next 6 weeks are spent sailing on the boat, visiting ports along the way on voyages either in the Atlantic/Caribbean or in the Pacific. For example, cruise tracks in the past have been Papeete, Tahiti to Honolulu, Hawaii. Honolulu, Hawaii to San francisco, CA. Woods Hole, MA to St. Croix, USVI. San Diego, CA to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. Key West, Fl to St. Croix, USVI.
Founded in 1971, the Sea Education Association, is recognized as the national leader in education under sail. SEA operates year-round, as do its sailing vessels, which sail as far north as Newfoundland, and as far south as Venezuela. Learning by doing is a powerful elements of SEA's approach to education.
Students live with other SEA students in cottages on campus in Woods Hole, MA for the first six weeks. Students cook together in fully equipped kitchens. While on the research vessel, room and board is fully provided.
Full-time Northeastern student, 2.2 GPA, and middler (third) year or above.
Applications are available at OISP, 10 BV.
$21,400 fall/spring, $19,400 summer. Additional fees are paid directly to SEA. Please ask OISP staff for up-to-date cost information. Flight arrangements are handled by the student.
"SEA Semester is an experience that I wouldn’t exchange for anything. As a Northeastern student, I saw the opportunity that SEA provided as an once-in-a-lifetime experience; the opportunity to earn academic credit while learning to sail and living aboard a sailing vessel, who could ask for more? SEA ended up providing so much more than I expected or hoped for. Participating in SEA Semester has given me not only an understanding and appreciation of the world’s oceans that is unparalleled, but also a deeper understanding of myself and my abilities that comes with taking yourself out of your comfort zone. I could go on for hours about what an incredible experience SEA was for me and still is for every student that takes advantage of it, but I will simply say that it was one of the best experiences of my life."
Kimberly Gniadek, SEA Semester Alumna -C-195
