UTD International Travel

UT Dallas faculty, staff, and students traveling abroad on behalf of the university must register their trip and obtain travel authorization prior to departure.

A trip outside of the U.S. can be considered UT Dallas travel if:

• It is travel that the University endorses by supporting it financially, or by sending faculty, staff or students to participate in an activity or event as official representatives of the University.
• It is travel that regardless of funding is initiated, actively planned, arranged, or advised by a UT Dallas faculty, staff, or registered student organization, and is approved by an appropriate administrator.

Below are some events and activities that fall under the University’s international travel umbrella. This list does not intend to limit what should be considered university international travel, but to provide guidance on what may be considered:

Please contact International Risk and Safety at IRSO@utdallas.edu if you have any questions.

Students

Credit travel: Any type of credit-bearing educational activity that results in progress towards an academic degree at UT Dallas. This may include the following types of credit travel activities abroad:

• Study Abroad program
• Credit Internship or Work program
• Field trips

Non-credit travel: Any type of educational activity that does not result in academic credit, but is driven by learning goals or benefits the University. This may include the following types of non-credit travel activities:

• Research or Field Work: A non-credit education activity whose pedagogy revolves around research or experiential study outside the classroom setting. Examples may include field trips and excursions, nature observation and research, small team field assignments, field research programs, research, and individual research projects.
• Travel Seminar or Study Tour: A non-credit program in which students travel to many different cities or countries and receive instruction in each location, often regarding a designated, unifying topic.
• Volunteering or Service Learning: A non-credit education activity that allows the student to engage with the local community in a structured but unpaid capacity (although some programs provide a living stipend). The experience focuses on serving the needs of a community to achieve specified learning outcomes. Examples may include: volunteer, service-learning, community-engaged learning, teaching (ex. English as a second or foreign language), and work camps.
• Internship or Work Program: Any temporary non-credit bearing immersion in a professional work environment with the educational value of the experience itself being the primary purpose. The focus of the experience varies and examples may include: internships, or just work. Distinct from career-related assignments, permanent jobs, and migration for gainful employment.
• Language Study (non-credit): A non-credit education activity in which the student’s primary goal is to learn the language.
• Formal presentation of original research by a student before a regional, state, national or international learned society.
• Representing UT Dallas in University selected events, including sports competitions.

Faculty and Staff

Travel which benefits the University, its employees, or its students such as:

• Recruitment of staff and faculty, including travel of prospective University employees.
• Recruitment of students.
• Representing UT Dallas in the various professional organizations which are a fundamental part of higher education.
• Serving various segments of society which have traditionally called upon higher education for such functions.
• Gathering information to be disseminated to students and employees which may improve instructions, research or other official University functions.
• Performance of other duties which are of benefit to UT Dallas and are a part of the professional position held at the University.
• Formal presentation of original research by an employee before a regional, state, national or international learned society.