The Department of Building Construction offered its 13th annual interdisciplinary Winter Education Abroad Program through Spain and Portugal. Students and faculty travelled for 16 days to explore various cities in Spain and Portugal including, Lisbon, Madrid, Toledo, Seville, Granada, Sintra, Obidos, Merida, Evora and Elvas. Through the integrated self-learning and team-based approach students were exposed to the technical, social, and cultural aspects across the Iberian Peninsula. Self-selected projects allowed each individual to research and explore specific aspects of interest in the cities visited. Team-based assignments using a ‘Treasure Hunt’ approach allowed student teams to experience the cultural and historical aspects of many of the cities visited. Prior to departure, teams were responsible for locating historical and modern sites using tools such as Google Earth, and identifying background information on each site. Once in Spain and Portugal, teams visited these sites on their own pace and according to the route plan they devised, collected additional information representing historical and cultural aspects of the sites visited.
What is the Cost of Studying Abroad?
The program fee was $3300 plus airfare and winter semester registration (1 credit hr) and required a $500 non-refundable deposit that was billed upon submission of the program application and financial agreement form.
- Included: Fees included all lodging (with breakfast), 8 meals (lunches or dinners), transportation between cities, entrance fees to program sites, and travel insurance. Fees were billed directly to VT student accounts.
- Not-included: Students were responsible for arranging their own flights. Program fees also did not include visa fees (if applicable), transportation from/to airport upon arrival/departure, local transportation, other meals, entrance fees to sites not part of the program.
