Students hoping to study abroad during their time at Penn State will soon have a new destination option to consider.

Beginning in January 2007, The Scholar Ship program will welcome about 700 students onboard for a 16-week journey, visiting eight countries on five continents.

The program is the first of its kind, as it will feature an international blend of students and faculty and will be supported by five international universities: Macquarie University in Sydney, Peking University in China, Tecnologico de Monterrey in Mexico, Al Akhawayn University in Morocco and the University of Ghana in Africa.

Frank Dobisky, a Scholar Ship spokesman, said students are currently in the process of applying for the program, which will allow them the chance not only to visit other countries and study them, but also to live with students from other cultures and other countries.

"This is the first direct competitor of the Semester at Sea program," he said. "This is a program open to students from across the world."

The curriculum, consisting of undergraduate and graduate programs, will focus on intercultural communication and offer courses in areas such as international business, international relations, sustainable development, global cultures and social change and worlds of art and culture.

Students will also have the opportunity to go on independent travels or excursions while they are located at one of the ports on the trip.

Although all of the universities will be contributing to the coursework and overseeing the academic quality of the program, Macquarie University will be handling the transcript and credit process.

In an e-mail message, Penn State Office of Education Abroad Director John Keller said Penn State currently has no plans to endorse the Scholar Ship program.

However, he said, students have the opportunity to pursue programs like this and transfer the credits through Penn State's admissions department.

Keller also advised students to speak with their academic advisers to make sure these credits will count toward their degrees.

Susan Nickens, Scholar Ship assistant vice president for academic affairs, said the emphasis on an international group has helped shape the selection process for faculty members, many of whom will come from the various participating universities.

"We are projecting that we need about 30 faculty members for this first voyage," Nickens said. "English is the communication language that we will use, however, and students, faculty, and staff will need to be proficient in English as a requirement."

She also said the selection process for students will be competitive and will follow the admissions standards that are held by the universities involved.

Jill Herlihy (sophomore-mathematics) said she is currently planning to study in Rome next year, but she would have been interested in applying to the Scholar Ship, had she known about it.

"I didn't realize that that actually existed," she said. "I always heard you don't even feel like you're on a boat, so I feel like everyone would get accustomed to it and it would be new, but that's not that big of a deal."

The cost is $20,000 for the program, which includes both tuition and room and board fees, but Royal Caribbean Cruises has also been assisting with funding and operational costs for the program to make its debut.

Scholar Ship Managing Director Ron Zighelboim, who serves as a liaison between the program and Royal Caribbean Cruises, said Royal Caribbean Cruises will also be assisting from an operational perspective.

"We take care of marine operations, help develop itineraries and deal with everything that is needed to successfully sail," Zighelboim said. "We're actually assembling a staff and crew specifically geared toward this kind of program."