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CET Academic Programs

Study abroad programs for college and gap students

Custom Study Abroad Programs

Now accepting proposal requests for 2026! Get started →

THE CET APPROACH
BUILDING YOUR PROGRAM
PORTFOLIO
PROCESS
CONTACT
CET APPROACH
BUILD YOUR PROGRAM
PORTFOLIO
PROCESS
CONTACT

Go global with CET Custom Programs

Ready to build a custom or faculty-led program to achieve your institutional goals? We’re here to help. Whether you want to run an academic year program or a two-week, faculty-led program, we have the experience and resources to make your vision a reality. 

Request a Proposal

The CET Approach

Partnership like it should be

From choosing the right location to ensuring your safety on the ground, we’ve got your back. Plus, each program is assigned its own program manager, so you always have a primary CET point of contact.

Tap into local insider resources & knowledge

We’ve proudly invested a lot of time into building our local communities over the years. When you partner with us, you benefit from the access. experience, and knowledge of our local experts.

Attention that your program deserves

Operating programs off campus is challenging—from observing foreign laws, dealing with regional crises, or even navigating different languages. From design to implementation, we’re responsive and committed.

Dedicated full-time custom programs staff

We have staff entirely dedicated to developing and managing custom programs. This includes a US-based team, as well as a growing number of on-site colleagues at various CET centers around the world. 

It's not always a yes—and that's a good thing

You bring the ideas and we work with you to make your program a reality—most of the time. For example, if we know that something isn’t logistically sound, we’ll work together to find an alternative that meets your needs.

Access our 40+ years of experience abroad

With decades of on-the-ground experience, robust local knowledge and networks, and staff that are carefully trained in crisis prevention and management, you can trust us with your custom endeavors.

Building a Program 101

Your custom program opportunities span a wide range of program types, services, and internationalization solutions. We work with you to craft a strategy–and programs and services that deliver on it—that meet your unique needs, and we welcome the creative offerings that our partners bring to our own portfolio. Helping you to grow and expand helps us to do the same.

What kinds of custom programs do we run?

  • Faculty-Led Programs
  • Virtual Custom Programs
  • First-Year Abroad Programs
  • Retention-Building Experiences
  • Global Payment Processing
  • Health & Safety Consulting
  • Faculty Development Programs
  • Conference & Event Planning

When can custom programs operate?

Custom programs might be as short as seven days and as long as a full semester or academic year. CET supports custom programs year-round, though they most often occur at these points in the academic year:

  • Fall/Spring semesters
  • Maymester
  • Summer
  • January term
  • Winter break
  • Spring break

Where can CET run programs?

Between CET’s established presence all over the world and Academic Travel Abroad’s global resources, your custom program could go practically anywhere. Seeking a focus on Central Europe? We’ve got the resources to make it happen. Looking for some inspiration? Here’s where we operate programs most often:

  • Austria
  • Brazil*
  • Greater China*
  • Colombia*
  • Czech Republic*
  • Germany
  • Hungary
  • Italy*
  • Japan*
  • Jordan*
  • Poland
  • Spain* (from May 2026)
  • Slovakia
  • USA (Washington, DC)

*Has an established CET Center with full-time, on-site staff

Add mileage to your program with CET customization

Depending on what the goal of your program is, you can pick and choose from a long list of services to build a custom program that fits your institution’s needs.

Academic Courses & Lectures

With our access to highly-qualified, top-notch practitioners and faculty, we can complement your course with guest lecturers, or take academics entirely off your plate.

Activities & Excursions

Tell us the activity you have in mind, or choose from our long list of past successes, many of which include insider’s entrée to special events. We take care of all arrangements, from the booking to the final payment and gratuity.

Community-engaged Learning & Internships

We can arrange group service projects or individual internship placements. And we work with our hosts to make sure that all work done is relevant and sustainable.

Local Buddies or Roommates

We can arrange local buddies to join in on activities or language exchange partnerships. And with enough notice, we might even be able to arrange for your students to live with local roommates.

Housing

We can arrange housing in apartments, dormitories, hotels, homestays, or guesthouses.

Local Transport

Let us pick your group up from the airport, take you on excursions, or arrange for group travel from city to city.

Meals

We can arrange any number of group meals you’d like, at a formal restaurant or a casual café. We can also arrange meal stipends for participants to find their own favorite local spots.

Crisis & Risk Management

We have managed student health and safety for over 40 years and have the resources, plans, and staff in place to weather almost any crisis.

Medical Insurance

We enroll all custom program students and faculty leaders in our comprehensive insurance plan, GeoBlue.

Visas

Depending on the location, we can either process visas for your group or provide the documentation and information you and your students need to do it on your own.

Pre-departure Resources

We provide pre-departure materials and resources to ensure your group is fully prepared for the program and international living.

On-site Staff Support

Our full-time, bilingual staff can handle logistics and manage emergencies, so that you don’t have to.

On-site Orientation & Re-entry Workshops

When your group arrives, our staff plan an orientation to help everyone acclimate to the city, culture, and program expectations. At the end of the program, we can also host re-entry workshops to help students prepare for the journey home.

Explore our Portfolio

How do these services translate into a custom program? Check out just a few of our past programs to see how we translate vision to reality.

Faculty-Led

St. Olaf Global Semester

Read More

First-Year Abroad

Brandeis Midyear
in Florence

Read More

Maymester

Smith College Global FLEX
in Brazil

Read More

High School Programs

Indiana University Honors Program in Foreign Languages (IUHPFL)

Read More

What does the custom program process look like?

Let's Get Started

Set up an initial call with our Custom Programs Team to discuss your vision for the program and how we can collaborate to make it a reality. Ideally, this initial consultation occurs at least 9 to 12 months before the program departs, but get in touch! We might be able to work with you on a shorter timeline.

Crafting a Proposal

After your initial consult, we work to create a proposal for your program bringing together your ideas and our resources. Keeping your ideal budget in mind, we recommend housing options, site visits, supplementary lectures, activities, and local transportation. You’ll have a chance to review this draft and work with us to get it just right.

Bringing It All to Life

While you recruit students, we work to plan, finalize, and confirm all of the arrangements agreed upon in the proposal. We keep you up-to-date on how it’s all coming together and check in to ensure you have the support you need. When the time comes, you’ll have the necessary pre-departure materials so that your students are fully prepared as the program approaches.

Repeat!

Ready to start the process over again? Give us a call! We love working with the same programs year-to-year and building upon our partnership with additional custom programs to achieve your goals.

Wrap Up and Reflect

After your return, we schedule a call with you to reflect on the program. We want your feedback on how we did this year and identify ways we can improve upon our partnership. 

The Main Event

We connect you with your assigned on-site staff member just before you depart, so you are ready to hit the ground running up on arrival. They can assist with on-site orientation, manage logistics throughout the program, and may even lead a re-entry workshop to help your students prepare for their return home.

“Although I mostly sketched out the itinerary in terms of site visits when I put this course concept together more than three years ago, I simply could not have undertaken the course without the help of everyone at CET. This has been an excellent experience, at every stage.”

— Jason Kirk,
Associate Professor of Political Science and Policy Studies, Elon University

“I had a wonderful experience working with CET this year. Simona and Olaf were invaluable attest to enrich students experiences in Czech Republic and in Poland. Everything was well planned, and supported—from the day of our arrival to the good-bye dinner. A+ support!”

— Svitlana Maksymenko,
Senior Lecturer at the Department of Economics, University of Pittsburgh

“CET Brazil’s knowledge and connections in São Paulo provided an experience that we would not have been able to replicate. The staff in CET DC were great in orienting students and keeping everyone up to date on things needed for Brazil travel.”

— Melissa Del Rios,
Assistant Director of C.D. Mote, Jr. Incentive Awards Program, University of Maryland

“My first experience as a faculty leader in a study abroad program was truly exceptional, thanks to CET. Not only did CET meet all of our expectations during the planning process, but they also introduced successful options that my colleague and I had not considered. The planning process was refreshingly easy, and CET responded promptly to any questions or concerns we raised. Once we arrived in Taipei, our program was executed with precision and flexibility.”

— Richard Houston,
Professor of Fine Arts department, Art Center College of Design

“Our goal was to provide students with the opportunity to learn from scholarly articles and hands-on experience. CET fully provided the latter by organizing various excursions and activities. In addition, our accommodation was centrally located in the city and very comfortable. With the assistance of CET, we were able to create a program most beneficial to students.”

— Ken’ichi Miura,
Director of the Japanese Program, Franklin & Marshall College

students working on traditional calligraphy

Let's talk about your ideal program

Ready to take the first step? Fill out this quick form and we’ll be in touch to set up an initial call.

Have questions that don’t fit on this form? Reach out to us at [email protected].

Meet our Custom Programs Team

US-BASED staff

Our full-time, US-based team works alongside program managers and on-site staff to lead the development and execution of our custom programs all over the world. Reach out to the team →

Lauren Kardos

Assistant Director
Custom Programs

Brian Wiehr

Manager
Custom Programs

Melanie MacKenzie

Manager
Custom Programs

Caitlin Monan

Coordinator
Custom Programs
Lauren Kardos
Lauren Kardos
Assistant Director
Brian Wiehr
Brian Wiehr
Manager
Melanie MacKenzie
Melanie MacKenzie
Manager
headshot of Caitlin Monan
Caitlin Monan
Coordinator
Overseas staff

We operate custom programs in all our program locations around the globe. But where we run larger, more frequent custom programming, we have additional team members to help provide the next-level attention and care to which we are committed.

Greta Hagedorn

CET Taiwan
Custom Programs Resident Director

Robert Gordon

CET Japan
Custom Programs Resident Director

Luis Henrique Pedroso

CET Brazil
Custom Programs Resident Director

Anna Tomenendalová

CET Prague
Custom Programs Coordinator

Kristýna Hřivnáčová

CET Prague
Custom Programs Coordinator

Margarita Degurko

CET Florence
Custom Programs Coordinator
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St. Olaf Global Semester

A five-week, Amman-based program that covers the Jordan portion of St. Olaf’s Global Semester in the spring.

CET-Provided Support Services

  • Classroom space for a St. Olaf faculty-taught core course
  • CET-facilitated Culture, Politics, and Religion in Arab Theater course
  • Co-curricular site visits for both courses
  • Housing for students and faculty
  • Regional travel: four-day trip to Petra & Wadi Rum, day trip to the Dead Sea
  • Cultural activities with local Jordanian buddies throughout Amman

Brandeis MidYear in Florence

A fall semester program integrated with CET Florence—giving Brandeis Midyear students the opportunity to earn Brandeis credits, fulfill core requirements, and gain real-world experience before starting on campus in the spring semester. 

CET-Provided Support Services

  • CET Italian language courses
  • First-Year Writing Seminar, a custom course for Brandeis students
  • 3 CET elective courses
  • Housing in apartments close to the CET Center
  • Inclusion on CET Florence activities and excursions, like the weekend trip to Rome
  • Custom pre-departure webinar for Brandeis Midyear students

Smith College Global FLEX in Brazil

A two-week faculty-led program in May with site visits in São Paulo and Brumadinho. Part of Smith’s Global FLEX initiative, the program explores artistic and cultural spaces, including connection with local experts for guest lectures and guided tours.

CET-Provided Support Services

  • Logistical support throughout Smith's faculty-led program, “Contemporary Art Parks and Cultural Centers in Brazil”
  • Housing and group meals for students and faculty
  • Co-curricular activities including guided tours, guest lectures, and site visits to museums and cultural centers
  • Group transportation, including regional travel and domestic flights within Brazil
  • Risk management and emergency assistance, including full-time CET staff members to provide 24/7 support for the group

INDIANA UNIVERSITY HONORS PROGRAM IN FOREIGN LANGUAGES (IUHPFL)

Semi-annual summer intensive language programs for high school students with locations in Osaka, Japan, and Hangzhou, China.

CET-Provided Support Services

  • Homestays with local host families
  • Activities and clubs with local schools and students
  • 24/7 emergency support for IUHPFL instructors
  • Regional travel: weekly day trips to nearby towns and cultural sites
  • Group events (i.e., welcome and farewell dinners, July 4th celebration, etc.)

CET Jordan: Academic Consultation Board

Over the years, we’ve built a strong network of locally-based faculty that we’re proud to call our peers. These faculty make up our Academic Consultation Board—a select group of local voices and thought leaders that help advise and shape components of the CET Jordan program. 

Board members support the program in many ways, including but not limited to:

  • Leveraging topical expertise to help develop courses, including field-based components.
  • Teaching courses or guest lectures for CET Jordan and custom programs
  • Recommending and providing academic resources for research

Academic Consultation Board Members

  • Dr. Bader Al Madi | American University of Madaba, PhD, Sociology, Political Science
  • Dr. Amani El Serhan | University of Jordan, PhD, Women's Studies
  • Dr. Amani Qashmar | University of Jordan, PhD, Education
  • Dr. Areej Alawzi | University of Jordan, PhD, English Literature/Translation
  • Dr. Ahmad Al Khrisha | World Islamic Sciences & Education University, PhD, Arabic Language & Literature

Learn more about studying abroad with CET

Learn more about studying abroad with CET