Highlights

Classes at sea will be unlike any previous academic experience. We will study and learn about the environment, history, and cultures of the places we visit and the ocean we sail upon. We will study Dominican history in colonial squares, learn about reef ecology on snorkeling adventures, and engage ancient mythology as we gaze, and navigate, by the night sky. Learning is a 24-hour endeavor with SEAmester!

Each crew member has their own bunk or 'rack,' where they sleep and store their gear. Meals are prepared by our cook, with the help of crew, in the galley, and we eat in the 'main salon,' which is the common area aboard with benches (settees) and a huge table. Eating, cooking, walking... everything, becomes challenging when sailing in the sea and the boat is pitching and tossing about. But soon it will feel like second nature to have the floor (sole) moving about under your feet!

Life aboard Spirit is quite unconventional compared to life on land. It has a very different feel and cadence, and even has a distinct language. It is a lifestyle that is rooted in tradition and community, and helps teach us what is truly essential and what is not.

There is nothing "easy" about this trip. SEAmester is not designed as an escape from the rigors or complications of life on campus. It will require plenty of hard work, and you should expect to be challenged physically, academically, and mentally. But as Joseph Campbell said, "Opportunities to find deeper powers within ourselves come when life seems most challenging." Come and find out.

There will be 12 credits offered in SEAmester. The courses, in short, will encompass history, literature, marine science, and nautical science and seamanship, and will be taught throughout the trip both at sea and while ashore. Fully integrated into the voyage, your studies will directly relate to the environment and places we visit and will often have an interdisciplinary relationship to each other. For example, while crossing the Gulf Stream you will learn about its physical properties and how its warm waters affect ocean life, as well as the current's importance in the history of human settlement on the American continents. While on watch you'll use what you learn in navigation / seamanship to navigate the vessel safely across the sea, correcting for current, wind, and steerage.

Degree Level

Bachelors Degree (Undergraduate)

Minimum Education

High School

Cost in US$:

UMaine Tuition + 12,000 voyage fee

Cost Includes:

Cost Include Description:

USD 12,000 Voyage Fees include: Room & Board and Cost of Excursions ashore. University of Maine tuition is 4,054.00 for in-state students; 9,754.00 for out-of-state students.

Credit Available

no

Experience Required

yes

NO Sailing experience is required.

This Program is open to

American, Asian, Australian, Canadian, European, Kiwi, South African, Worldwide Participant.

Typical Living Arrangements

• Group living

Participants Travel

in Groups

Application Process Involves

• Essay
• Letters of Reference
• Phone/Video Interview
• Physical Exam/Health Records
• Resume
• Transcript
• Written Application

Typically The Application Process Time is

Post Services Include

• Alumni Network
• Job and Internship Network
• Re-Entry Debriefing at Home

Ocean Classroom Foundation's Mission Statement

Ocean Classroom Foundation is committed to sending students and their teachers to sea, on voyages in which the traditions, values and adventure of maritime life provide a unique context for education. We strive to create programs aboard our ships in which our students grow stronger and more confident socially, intellectually, ethically and physically to take their places among the generations of exceptional men and women who have been transformed by seafaring life.

Year Founded

1997