International Travel Requirements and Policies

Penn State’s International Travel Requirements compile several travel-related policies into a unified reference for employees and students to review before completing international travel.  As a leader or coordinator of an approved education abroad program, many aspects of the international travel policies may affect your travel.  A few of the most noteworthy points are outlined here, but you are encouraged to review the policies in their entirety at the guru policy guide for International Travel Requirements.  Through the program proposal (and renewal process for repeat programs) you will be required to review information related to the International Travel Requirements including Penn State’s Export Control Policy.

Minimum Number of Program Leaders

In keeping with best practices in the field of education abroad as well as risk management guidance, two (2) responsible Penn State employees must be present throughout the duration of the program if it is a faculty-led or embedded program of five (5) or more participating undergraduate students.   The requirement for dual-employee accompaniment is not applicable for travel involving exclusively graduate students, medical students or law school students.

Approved Education Abroad Program Participants and Guests 

Faculty and staff leaders, along with the Penn State student participants, are approved to travel on education abroad programs.  Spouses, children, and other guests of faculty/staff leaders, as well as community members, are rarely permitted to accompany such travel, and approval must be granted by the Vice Provost for Global Programs.  Please contact embeddedprograms@psu.edu for additional information.

Faculty Code of Conduct

Faculty leading Penn State programs are representatives of the university abroad.  In many cases they must wear several different “hats” while directing a program which can include student conduct officer, administrator, housing coordinator, financial officer, and, of course, professor.  At times it may also feel as though you’re being asked to be students’ mother or father as well. To ensure a successful program, we strongly advise all leaders to take note of the following Education Abroad policies in addition to Penn State guidelines:

Alcohol policy

A program leader is not permitted to purchase alcoholic beverages for themselves or any member of their program group with program funds.  Furthermore, although Penn State does not have an articulated policy on employee alcohol consumption with students, Global Programs takes a strong and firm stance against doing so for the following reasons:

• Students who are of legal age to consume alcohol abroad may choose to do so at their own preference. Although alcohol can be consumed responsibly together, students may continue drinking after the faculty leader has departed and irresponsible behavior could result.
• With the presence of social media, the perception of a program leader drinking with students may be misconstrued in the public sphere.
• Program leaders spend a tremendous amount of time with students both in and out of the classroom abroad. This constant contact can blur the lines between leader and participant.  Refraining from drinking with your students, even minimally, can help to delineate this distinction.