Safety & Health Information

Now, perhaps more than ever, safety issues loom large when traveling internationally. Students in our program have never experienced a serious safety problem while studying overseas. Part of the credit for this is due to our program orientation, rules, and guidelines. But, credit must also be given to our students and the maturity and common sense they display while overseas.

We especially want parents to feel assured that we are doing our best to guard the safety and health of their sons and daughters. An accident can happen to anyone, anywhere, anytime. But, when it happens overseas, special issues arise. So, mandatory meetings and orientation classes before we leave the U.S. alert our students to safety issues and help them prepare in the unlikely event that a dangerous or risky situation arises. We also have in place many safety features which are reviewed with students prior to departure.

Having said this, we rely significantly on the good judgment of students. Our programs are not guided tours as one might experience, for example, at the high school level. Instead, students have a good amount of free time outside of classes and our required tours and group activities. We encourage students to explore the cities we visit. One of the benefits to overseas travel is immersion in unfamiliar cultures in order to learn more about our global neighbors. For example, during breaks, many students travel, often in groups of three or more, to other nearby cities (e.g. Florence when the program is in Rome). We expect students to exercise good judgment during these travels.

We would never allow the poor judgment of one or a few persons to affect the experience of the larger group. Accordingly, we thoroughly review safety and health procedures with participants and place strong expectations on our students' behavior. If these expectations are violated, the violation will be documented and the student may be forced to leave the program.

A program Faculty Site Coordinator (a UD Business faculty member) accompanies each group, along with other UD faculty who are teaching in that program. These UD representatives are responsible for holding students to the high standards of behavior set forth in the UD Standards of Behavior and the SBA Study Abroad Code of Conduct & Guidelines contract. Our faculty can also be a good source of help for your son or daughter, especially during the initial transition to an unfamiliar culture.

We want students to enjoy the study abroad experience. We do not wish to alarm anyone unnecessarily, and we believe participants are in no danger so long as the expectations put forth in the SBA Code of Conduct and the University Standards of Behavior are met, and that common sense and good judgment guide students decisions and behavior.

We want everyone to have a memorable and valuable overseas experience and look forward to helping you achieve that.