From a week in Paris to a summer in Sweden, MSSU offers many opportunities for its students to study abroad, either short-term or for a whole semester.

The Institute of International Studies will host a Study Abroad Fair on Nov. 20 from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. in Conner Ballroom on the top floor of the Billingsly Student Center.

“The fair will showcase all of the faculty-led short-term trips for 2014 that vary in length,” said Chad Stebbins, director of the Institute of International Studies. “We will highlight all of the opportunities where a student can spend an entire semester abroad, and finally we will have two outside study abroad providers come.”

 There will be nine faculty-led short-term trips this year that will take students to the British Virgin Islands, Belize, Ecuador, Sweden, France, two trips to Paris and two trips to Italy. The semester-long study abroad trips include the Missouri London program, Missouri Greece Program and the International Student Exchange Program.

The two outside study abroad providers will be GlobaLinks Learning Abroad and CIS Abroad. GlobaLinks Learning Abroad offers a wide variety of programs worldwide, including programs in Australia, New Zealand and Fiji. CIS Abroad has more long-term programs available for students. The providers will have booths at the fair with more information.

“For all of the short-term faculty-led trips, you can apply for a $750 study abroad grant,” Stebbins said. “You need to have a 2.5 GPA and a full-time student status.”

With this grant a student can save from 10-30 percent, depending on the trip.

To join one of these study abroad programs, a student must sign up through the faculty group leader of the specific trip.

The Study Abroad Fair only happens once a year, and with so much information to give to students, the Institute of International Studies encourages students to attend the fair even if they are not completely certain they want to take part in the program.

“In many cases, it is more affordable than what some students realize,” said Stebbins. Compared to vacationing to these destinations later on, study abroad is one of the least expensive ways to travel. For students who want to study abroad for an entire semester, the Institute of

International Studies has programs where the student would pay the same amount they would be paying at MSSU if they lived on campus. This makes studying abroad cost virtually the same amount as staying on campus for a semester.

 “Studying abroad looks great on a résumé because most employers value that experience, you acquire problem solving skills, coping skills, along with time management skills,” Stebbins said. “You develop a great degree of independence by living on your own in another country.”

Last year 136 students studied abroad through the Institute of International Studies, and compared to the record number of 239 students in 2001, Stebbins said there is plenty of room for more students