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Frequently Asked Questions
Graduate Offshore Short Courses


General
How is the course offering determined?

Who can participate in an Offshore Course?

May I bring my spouse/partner on the course?

Do I need to know the local language to participate in an Offshore Short Course?

Do I need a passport/visa?

What are the requirements for Offshore Short Courses?

Which Academic session will the offshore courses be registered into? Can an offshore course be registered in another session than it occurs?

Will there be internet access at the hotel we stay in?


Application and Registration

How do I apply for an Offshore Short Course?

Can I apply for more than one Offshore Short Course?

Does it matter when, in the application process, I apply for a course?

If I fall short of the "1/2 way" point of my studies, can I still participate in an offshore?

I'll be 1/2 way through my studies by the time the (for example) March courses depart.  Would I be eligible for these programs?

What if my schedule only allows me to take a particular course?

What if my employer only wants me to take a particular course?

I need to fulfill my international experience requirement; do I get preference in registering?

How do I register for an offshore course, once I have been accepted and have made my deposit?


Program Fees
How is the program fee for each course determined?

What is covered by the program fees?

What is not covered by the program fees?

How does my financial aid package affect my expenses on an offshore course?


Q. How is the course offering determined?
A. Courses are designed by faculty. The topics covered and places visited are based on the faculty area of interest and expertise, student demand, and student feedback from past courses. The course offerings are reviewed each year in order to offer the best and most interesting courses possible. Office of International Programs is responsible for the marketing and delivery of the courses offered.

Q. Who can participate in an Off Shore Course?
A. These courses are open to all graduate students who have completed one half of their studies at Babson. These are: full time graduate students in their second year; one-year graduate students having completed their core requirements, evening students who have completed 50% of their degree requirements; and Fast Track students who are eligible to begin their elective courses.

Q. May I bring my spouse/partner on the course?
A. No. The Offshore Courses are intensive academic programs and cannot accommodate additional, non course, participants.

Q. Do I need to know the local language to participate in an Offshore Course?
A. No. All classes and site visits are conducted in English. We do advise that you learn some basic phrases before the travel portion of the course.

Q. Do I need a passport/visa?
A. It is the responsibility of each student to secure their own passport and visa for any Offshore Course. It is expected that the student will have familiarized themselves with passport and visa requirements before registering for any elective course. No refunds will be given for visa-related issues after the final payment has been charged to the student account (one month before travel). Office of International Programs (OIP) will gather general information about visa requirements for each destination country and provide travel specific information to assist students in completing their visa application.  Visa requirement information is available at : http://www.globalroadwarrior.com/home.asp?logout=logout.asp&reports=n&ada=n, however, the most updated information should be obtained through the destination country’s consulate office. Given the number of course participants, OIP is unable to process student visa applications.

*Please note visas must still be valid 6 months post travel.

Q: What are the requirements for Offshore Short Courses?
A: You must be 50% through your MBA program to take an Offshore Short Course.

Q. Which Academic session will the offshore courses be registered into? Can an offshore course be registered in another session than it occurs?
A. January and March courses are registered in the Spring term.  May and June courses are registered in the Summer term.  Courses may not and cannot be registered to a different term.

Q. Will there be internet access at the hotel we stay in?
A. Each course is different in this regard.  It is the student's responsibility to confirm with the OIP manager of the course whether their individual needs can be met BEFORE applying for the course.  Please note that OIP works on the best available information provided by the hotel/vendor.  It is recommended that students make contingency plans if this is a priority for participation in the course.

Q. How do I apply for an Offshore Short Course?
A. Application is done using a lottery system. All students who wish to apply for a course will be asked to submit an online form, indicating their preference of an offshore course. Once the application period closes, the Office of International Programs will randomly sort the list of students who submit this form. OIP will then work through the list in order, assigning each student to their first available preference. After we have announced the allocations and collected deposits from attendees, OIP will open a second round of application to offer any remaining available spaces for all Offshore Short Courses. This will follow the same process as above.

Q. Can I apply for more than one Offshore Short Course?
A. After the first round of application is complete, OIP will offer a second round of application for any remaining spaces. All students are welcome to apply for a second course at that time.

Q. Does it matter when, in the application process, I apply for a course?
A. Course applications must be completed online between the dates of course application.  There is no preference given to students who apply earlier in the process than later.  If you miss the application deadline, you will have an opportunity during the 2nd round of application to apply for a course.

Q. If I fall short of the "1/2 way" point of my studies, can I still participate in an offshore?
A. No, you must be a least half way through your coursework towards graduation before you are eligible to participate on an offshore course.  We are unable to be flexible with this policy.

Q. I'll be 1/2 way through my studies by the time the (for example) March courses depart. Would I be eligible for these programs?
A. Yes.

Q. What if my schedule only allows me to take a particular course?
Q. What if my employer only wants me to take a particular course?

Q. I need to fulfill my international experience requirement; do I get preference in registering?
A. The Office of International Programs is not able to guarantee placement on any particular course. In order to be fair to all interested students, OIP does not give preference to any student for any course. OIP works with faculty to provide the maximum number of available spaces on Offshore Short Courses, and our goal is to be able to provide every student with the opportunity to enroll in one of these courses.

Q. How do I register for an offshore course, once I have been accepted and have made my deposit?
A. OIP will register you for the offshore course you have been accepted and confirmed into.

Q. How is the program fee for each course determined?
A. Costs vary for each course. Please examine each course individually to see the final amount charged for that course. The amount charged to students is based on the total costs incurred by Babson for the running of the course. With the exception of single-room supplement charges (when offered), the price is fixed. It is not possible to offer a la carte pricing for different components of the course.

Q. What is covered by the program fees?
A. The costs for all courses include: Local accommodation, internal travel, local transfers. If a single room is requested and available, a supplement will be charged to the student. Due to the complexities of managing a group trip, OIP uses group bookings whenever possible. Students do not have the option of making their own internal flight arrangements. Some courses may have a charge for use of local facilities or guest lecturers. For all local charges, OIP negotiates the best deal possible, including reciprocal agreements with host schools if possible. If there is a group flight arranged from Boston to the visited country, that cost may also be included in the fees. The faculty flight, accommodation, and daily expenses are included in the program fee charged to students. In some instances these costs may be subsidized by grants, academic division budgets, or outside gifts.

Q. What is not covered by the program fees?
A. Fees do not cover student meals (unless specified in the itinerary), entrance fees on cultural visits (unless specified in the itinerary), charges for phone calls/internet use, or any other services not specifically included in the itinerary.

Q. How does my financial aid package affect my expenses on an offshore course?
A. You should contact your SFS advisor to learn more about their grants, scholarships and financial aid packages affect what expenses will be incurred for an offshore course.

Q. How do we arrange for payments through our employer if they are paying for the course?
A. OIP will send students a receipt of full payment that can be submitted to your employer for reimbursement.  Contact the program manager for that course to discuss specific employer requirements for submission.

 



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