Honors Abroad

The Azores is an autonomous region of Portugal, situated in the Mid-Atlantic. The islands are dedicated to sustainability and natural excellence, with beauty and wellness at the heart of every experience. Described as a place reminiscent of the rolling green Irish countryside and the ruggedly-beautiful Hawaiian coastline, in the Azores students can swim with dolphins in their natural habitat, cook food in active volcanoes, and hike through lush tropical rain forests. Apply to Leadership, Responsibility, and Service in the Azores to experience all of that and learn how one small archipelago in the middle of the ocean can teach us so much.

Only incoming first-year Honors College students who will start at Miami University in Fall 2024 are eligible for this program. Students must be accepted into the Honors College and need to confirm their enrollment at Miami University in spring 2024 before applying to this study abroad program. When students confirm their enrollment at Miami University, this confirms their enrollment in the Honors College. 

This program begins on Sunday, August 11, 2024 and ends on Thursday, August 22, 2024. 

All accepted students in the program will move into their Miami University residence hall before the trip departure date. All program participants will have early access to their Honors Residential College room, and will move in on Sunday, August 11. The program participants will meet together for the first time in-person that evening. 

Monday, August 12, 2024 will be spent together in Oxford, Ohio. This is a required day of pre-departure orientation activities, goal setting, and group building activities. 

Tuesday, August 13, 2024 is travel day. The program will travel together to the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport and fly to São Miguel Island. 

Wednesday, August 14 - Wednesday, August 21, 2024 will be spent in the Azores.

Thursday, August 22, 2024 is departure day from the Azores and the beginning of Miami University's standard move-in process. We will travel as a group back to Oxford and program participants will be home to their new on-campus beds with the rest of the Class of 2027 on August 22. Due to the time change flying west over the Atlantic, we will depart from São Miguel Island and arrive back in Oxford on the same day.

All first-year Honors students are required to take an honors course each semester of their first year. This 10-day study abroad program in the Azores is connected to fall semester honors course that will serve as that required first-year honors course. Upon returning to campus from the Azores, students will complete a two-credit honors course that will bridge learning experiences from the Azores to related course content, and continue to introduce students to research and the Honors College curriculum. The course culminates in a research proposal designed around the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and aligned with each students’ area of interest.

The mission of the Miami University Honors College is to produce citizen scholars: students who emerge from their honors education equipped not only with a lifelong love of learning, but also a lifelong commitment to use their talents, interests, and ambitions to advance the common good. This Azores pre-semester study abroad program is intended to set the foundation for this group of students to become citizen scholars and start on a path towards the best version of their futures. Leadership, Responsibility, and Service in the Azores and its corresponding fall honors course provides the perfect incubator for teaching the Honors College values of creative scholarship, leadership, service, reflective learning, and building a community of learners, while also supporting first-year Honors students as they transition into life at Miami.

The Honors College selected Stone & Compass as our study abroad provider for this program, in part because they use the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals in their work with local communities which allows for students to engage deeply and intentionally throughout every part of their study abroad program. The Azores was selected as the study abroad location to allow for real-world exploration of sustainable practices. Engaging with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and current sustainable practices allows our students to jumpstart their journey in developing as citizen scholars.

Apply to Leadership, Responsibility, and Service in the Azores! 

Cultural immersion experiences include horseback riding, swimming with dolphins, and service-learning on a rural farm. Students should be prepared for light-to-moderate physical activity, with plenty of breaks, nourishment, and rest throughout the 10-day trip. The Azores were selected as the travel destination because, while in-country, the program will focus on leadership development, team building, cross-cultural communication, and building a stronger global perspective, all through the lens of sustainability.

The program application is now open for admitted incoming first-year Honors College students.

Priority applications are due by March 31, 2024. Honors students must confirm their enrollment at Miami University before applying to the program. Completed applications include:

• General application, submitted via online application portal.
• Supplemental essay; to be reviewed by Honors College staff.

Applications submitted by March 31 will be reviewed during the week of April 1-5. Decisions will be communicated to all applicants before April 9.

The application will remain open through Sunday, April 21st and applications will be reviewed as space allows.

Your deposit deadline will be communicated to you when you are admitted to the program. Admission into the program does not secure a spot in the program. Deposits are required to secure placement in the program. If a deposit is not submitted by the stated deadline, the spot will be offered to a student on the waitlist. 

The full program fee (Program Fee less your Deposit) is due from all program participants by Friday, May 3, 2024. 

Apply to Leadership, Responsibility, and Service in the Azores! 

The total anticipated cost of the program is $3,890. This is broken into an all-inclusive program fee of $3,590 which you will pay directly to Miami and approximately $300 in personal expenses, which includes GeoBlue health insurance, out-of-pocket expenses, such as meals and snacks, and any incidentals associated with your travel.

The $3,590 program fee is all-inclusive, meaning this includes your round-trip flight to and from the Azores from Cincinnati, OH, lodging, and all meals while abroad. On the Azores program application on Miami's Education Abroad website, you can review a breakdown all of the costs associated with this program under the "Costs/Scholarships" tab.

A $1,250 program fee deposit is required to secure your place in the program. This program fee deposit contributes towards your overall $3,590 program fee balance. The program fee deposit is non-refundable after it is paid.