Study and travel courses help to build a well-rounded college experience for Honors students. Traveling opens the senses, keeps the mind sharp, enhances creativity and shifts perspectives. With this in mind, the Honors College offers a number of study and travel courses each year. These courses are designed to enhance the holistic academic experience the Honors College provides.

Designed to Succeed

The Honors College Study and Travel courses differ slightly from a typical study abroad program. Students spend a semester in class prior to the trip in order to fully immerse themselves into the history and the culture of the location. At the end of the semester participants pack their bags, and their new-found knowledge, on a week-long trip to experience first-hand what they have spent the past few weeks studying. This method allows for a more in-depth understanding of the location and an easier transition into different cultures.

A Variety of Choices

The Honors College has a variety of study and travel courses to experience and enjoy. The staff works closely with the Auburn Abroad to help participants understand the requirements and costs for studying abroad. 

Study and Travel Scholarships

The Honors College is proud to provide study and travel scholarships to our students, and eager to help you find affordable ways to travel and explore the world around us.

Current Study and Travel Courses

These experiences will not only help you grow as individuals, but will also expose you to new and unparalleled opportunities.

Explore academia abroad in Italy

Italy

This course will explore the functions of higher education and student affairs on a local and global scale. Each week you will learn about a topic related to higher education culminating in a trip to Italy, where you will be given the opportunity to compare and contrast selected components of higher education. Highlights include: touring the cities of Rome, Naples, Bologna, and Venice; enjoying local cuisine and a cooking class; day tripping to the Amalfi Coast; and visiting these famous locales: the Trevi Fountain, the Pantheon, Piazza Navona, the Spanish Steps, the Sistine Chapel, St. Peter’s Basilica, the Roman Forum, the Colosseum, and much more. Deadline to sign-up October 5, 2023.

Faculty: Savannah Baker

Dates: March 1-10, 2024

Cost: 4,000 (does not include airfare)

Discover the flora and fauna of the Florida Keys and Everglades

Florida Keys and Everglades

The focus of this course is on ecosystem management and restoration. Containing a mixture of lectures and discussions along with several local field trips, the course will provide background information in systems/ecosystem ecology, primary reasons for ecosystem-based management (e.g., reducing invasive species impacts, restoring threatened and endangered species, restoring ecosystem processes, to name a few), the approaches and tools used for such management, and examples of successes and failures of managing ecosystems.

Faculty: Dr. Chris Lepczyk and Dr. Jean Fantle-Lepczyk 

Dates: Spring Break 2024

Cost: $1500 (depending on group size)

The economy of Vietnam

Vietnam

Vietnam is one of the five fastest growing economies in the world and is a high growth destination for international business and foreign investment. From 2020 to 2021 US exports to Vietnam increased more than 20% and is considered the alternative manufacturing destination to China for US businesses. This unique cultural experience will give students a chance to explore a culture much different from their own while they eat Pho, drink some egg coffee, and enjoy life from a different perspective. This trip is in partnership with the Harbert College of Business

Faculty: Mary Catherine Colley

Dates: May 7-14, 2024

Cost: $3,300 (does not include airfare)

Previous Trips

The extraordinary culture, history and social life of Cuba.

Cuba 

This 10-day program will immerse students in Cuba’s extraordinary culture, history, and social life. The program itinerary will take the group to the cobble-stoned streets of Old Havana, the rich farmlands of tobacco country, and the architectural gems of the island’s central provinces. Along the route, students will stay with local families, visit schools and medical facilities, cook Cuban cuisine, spend the day on a farm, dance salsa, walk in Hemingway’s footsteps, and engage with leaders in the fields of history, politics, economic, and the arts. Students will emerge from this program with a uniquely personal knowledge of one of the world’s most fascinating countries.

Faculty: Dr. Tiffany Sippial

Travel Dates: May 8-18, 2023

Cost: $3,947.27 (includes flight from Miami to Cuba)

Explore the grand cities of London & Paris.

London & Paris

Make lifelong memories with two of the world’s grandest cities – London and Paris. This course will provide an opportunity for immersion in the art, music, and culture of London and Paris. The tour of London will include the Tate Modern Museum, Trafalgar Square, Leicester Square, Covent Garden, Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament, Piccadilly Circus, St Paul’s Cathedral, Windsor Castle, St George’s Chapel, Queen Mary’s Dolls’ House, Shakespeare’s Globe, and the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace. Students will travel by the Eurostar train to Paris, where sites will include the Cathedral of Notre Dame, Place de la Concorde, Champs-Élysées, Arc de Triomphe, Latin Quarter, Hôtel des Invalides, and the Eiffel Tower. There will also be trips to Versailles (including a tour of the State Apartments of the King and Queen, the Hall of Mirrors, and its lavish gardens and ornate fountains) and Montmartre (featuring the Place du Tertre and Sacré-Cœur Basilica). Museums will include the world-renowned Louvre (home of Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa) and the Musée d’Orsay (the largest collection of Impressionist art in the world). There will also be a cruise on the Seine River and an optional excursion on the London Eye. Finally, students will have the opportunity to enjoy a theatre performance in London’s West End and a jazz evening in Paris.

Faculty: Dr. Matt Hoch

Travel Dates: May 9-17, 2023

Cost: $5,675 (does NOT include airfare)

Experience the beauty and allure of both historical and modern India.

India

This course will focus on current sociological issues in India such as population, the environment, and economic development, as well as Indian culture and everyday life.  We will explore Indian religions, food, music, dress, and much more. Our travels will take us to the capital New Delhi, Amritsar the center of Sikh culture, the planned city of Chandigarh, and the hill station and resort town of Shimla. The finale will include the abandoned capital city of Fatehpur Sikri and Agra where we will see many interesting sites including a sunrise visit to the Taj Mahal, perhaps the most famous and beautiful building in the world. 

Dates: May 9-22, 2022

Immerse yourself in the historic, political, and social environment of Germany.

Germany

Participants will visit the famed cities of Munich, Bamberg, and Nuremberg, plus many others. Students are able to experience the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site Wurzburg Palace with it’s Tiepolo frescoes, the Bamberg Cathedral, the Nuremberg Castle, Rhine River Cruise, Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial Site, and Neuschwanstein Castle, to name a few.

Dates: May 8-18, 2022

See the “Big Apple” through the world of theatre.

New York

As part of this course, the Honors College and the Auburn University Theatre Department are joining forces to give you a quintessential tour New York City. Attend four shows that might include: Hadestown, Mean Girls, and Moulin Rouge. Visit the incomparable MOMA as well as the National September 11 Memorial & Museum. Take a behind-the-scenes tour of a theatre and enjoy the iconic NYC sites, shopping, and street food.

Dates: May 16-20, 2022


Greece

Instructor: Mike Kozuh

On this 10-day study abroad program in Greece, students will split their time between the bustling city and the mountainous countryside. In Greece, students will visit the famous site of the oracle of Apollo at Delphi and explore the mountaintop monasteries at Meteora. Participants will also enjoy the spectacular geography, taste local cuisine, and visit artisans among many other trip attractions in this ancient land.

Panama

Instructor: Chandana Mitra

During this trip you will learn and gain hands-on experience in water and environmental management from a Latin American perspective, while learning and immersing yourself in the cultural of Panama, interact with locals and enjoy Panamanian gorgeous landscapes and wildlife. The course is designed to give students a general understanding of the potential impacts of climate change on Panama’s water resources. Through a mix of lectures, fieldwork and trips, students will explore direct and indirect effects of a changing climate on water resources and their management. Geography and Honors credit available (max 6 hours) *Partnering with the Honors College.