What is the Overseas Summer experience?

In the summer, Master of Arts in Educational Technology (MAET) learners, MSU graduate learners, and lifelong learners have the option to complete their coursework through our exciting summer Education Abroad experience. The MAET instructional team meets learners in Galway, Ireland at the University of Galway to explore local culture and arts while completing coursework in a face-to-face experience. Course work rotates each summer so that learners may participate in 1 or 2 summers abroad. Each summer, learners will complete 6 graduate credits by completing 2 courses.

Summer 2025 Courses:

• CEP 800: Psychology of Learning in School and Other Settings (3 credits)
• CEP 822: Approaches to Educational Research (3 credits)

These courses are two of the three required courses for the MAET degree. 

Summer 2026 Courses: 

• CEP 810: Teaching for Understanding with Technology (3 credits)
• CEP 811: Adapting Innovative Technologies to Education (3 credits)

These courses count as two electives toward the MAET degree. Students must take seven electives total during their time in the MAET program. These electives can be paired with one more course (CEP 812, which is taught online), which allows you to earn a Graduate Certificate in Educational Technology as well.

Preview the MAET Overseas experience through our digital brochure.

How does this experience fit into my academic course plan?

As an MAET student or MAET graduate certificate student, these courses can be included in the total count of courses you need to receive your certificate or degree. You will work with MAET’s advisor and Assistant Director of Student Experience and Outreach, Candace Robertson, to determine a full plan that best meets your needs and goals for participating in our Education Abroad experience during your time in the program.

If you are a learner in another graduate program on campus, Candace can help you navigate getting approval from your program advisor to include this coursework in your course plan. Candace is always happy to answer any questions you have while considering this Education Abroad experience. She can be reached at askmaet@msu.edu.

Note: Students participating in MAET Overseas may only take 12 credit hours in Galway toward their master’s degree. Remaining coursework can be completed online.

Why should I participate in this experience?

The overseas summer experience appeals to innovative educators who thrive in a fast-paced environment, enjoy collaboration, and crave an exciting (and dare we say, mind-blowing) professional learning experience for one, two, or three summers in an overseas location.

This program works well for educators who enjoy face-to-face instruction, and who have a block of time for professional learning during a month in the summer. Our cohort often includes a diverse group of teachers, designers, and educational innovators from the US as well as those working internationally — so if MAET Overseas sounds like an experience you’d enjoy, we’d love to welcome you for a challenging and fun learning experience next summer!

What do students say about this experience?

Feedback from learners who participated in MAET Overseas in Summer 2024:

“Literally the best educational experience of my life.” 

“MAET Overseas is transformational. If you want to reconnect with your creativity and innovative spirit, this is the program for you!”

“Being in a new context abroad shook me out of my “normal” and pushed me to take a new perspective on teaching, learning, and technology. I was grateful for this opportunity because it made travel and graduate-level studies so accessible!” 

“I met the most amazing people on this trip. Teachers and classmates were warm, welcoming, and fun. I am so thankful for this experience. I have grown as an educator and a person.”

“This experience is something that I would recommend to anyone looking to broaden their horizons in the educational world. This program allows you to make connections with others and learn meaningful content all while being in the beautiful city of Galway. There is a healthy balance of learning and exploring and I am so incredibly happy I chose to be a part of this program.”

How much is it?

The total cost of an Education Abroad program includes three components:

Tuition: Billed to your student account (in addition to the Program Fee) based on the number of credits you enroll for in your education abroad program. 

Program Fee: Billed to your student account. This covers housing, activities, orientation, as well as health and safety insurance. The more students enrolled in our cohort, the lower the program fee.

• Housing: MAET Overseas learners stay in student accommodations on the beautiful University of Galway campus each summer. Each apartment has a shared kitchen and living room, with 4-6 single bedrooms. Each bedroom has its own private bathroom and shower. You can preview student accommodations (Goldcrest Village and/or Dunlin Village) on University of Galway’s website.
• Meals: Your program fee covers a meal plan. This includes lunch from Monday – Friday at Friar’s Restaurant, a cafe that is a short walk from the classroom and student accommodations. Other meals and snacks are on your own – there are many restaurants and grocery stores nearby.

• Out-of-pocket expenses: Other costs, not covered by tuition or your program fee, that you will need to plan for (for example, your airfare, other meals, pocket money, etc.).

How do I apply?

1. To reserve a spot in an Overseas summer cohort program, please complete the Summer 2026 Interest Form. This is not a guarantee of admission. The form reserves a spot for you as you apply to the program.
2. Apply to MAET/MSU by February 1:
   • Learners should apply to the Master of Arts in Educational Technology degree program if interested in obtaining the full master’s degree.
   • If you are interested in earning graduate credits as a lifelong learner, please apply to MSU by completing a Lifelong Application. Please notify Candace Robertson at askmaet@msu.edu when your admission has been processed. 
3. Apply to Education Abroad by February 15 to be considered for Education Abroad scholarships.

Note: The GRE is not required to apply to the MAET degree program.

Map of Key Locations

To help you orient yourself where the major locations in Galway are, you can explore the map that we’ve marked through this direct Google Maps link.

(Note: If a message appears that you do not have access to Google My Maps, you may need to sign out of your MSU account or open a private window).

Booking Your Flights

You are required to be in Galway for the MAET Overseas experience starting in the afternoon on Sunday, July 6 – an evening closing reception on Friday, July 18. You can check into your housing at University of Galway after 4pm GMT on Saturday, July 5. You must check out by 10am on Saturday, July 19. Many students travel before or after their time in Galway. We recommend your travels allow you to arrive in Galway on Saturday, July 5 (July 6 in the morning at the latest) and that you plan to depart for home or your next destination on Saturday, July 19.

You can fly into Dublin Airport (DUB) or Shannon Airport (SNN) as you make your travel arrangements. Many students are able to find better travel rates by flying into Dublin Airport, but we recommend checking rates through both.

Getting from the Airport to University of Galway

A round-trip bus ticket is the most efficient way to travel from the airport to Galway. We like to personally leave an hour or two between arrival at the airport and bus departure time. This leaves time to go through Customs & Immigration, baggage claim, and make it to the bus. We’ve had great success with being early—and late due to flight delays—and showing the ticket to the driver and them letting us on the bus early or late. If you’re worried about this, you can purchase a ticket when you arrive, but you do save a little money by booking ahead (even a week out from arrival).

• If you arrive at the Dublin Airport, you can book a roundtrip (return) ticket through CityLink. You’d select “Dublin Airport, Zone 11 for Galway…” for your first location and “Galway, Coach Station…” as your destination. Bus Éirann and GoBus are also options available. You can search for bus zones at Dublin Airport on their interactive map. There are clear signs throughout the airport that will guide you to the bus zone as well.
• If you arrive at the Shannon Airport, you can book a roundtrip (return) ticket through Bus Éirann/Expressway. You can select “Shannon Airport (Arrivals Gate)” as your first location and “Galway (Bus Station)” as the second location. You can view the coach park locations on the Shannon Airport map.

Whether you take the bus from Dublin or Shannon, you will arrive at the Galway Coach Station. Get your bags off of the bus :). You can walk 1.5 miles to campus or you can walk through the front doors of the station where there are usually taxis waiting for an 8-minute car ride to campus. You can also download the FreeNow app to call and pay for rides so that no physical cash is needed. Your end destination is Goldcrest Village Reception on University of Galway’s campus (they might know it as Campus Living Reception). Here’s a map from the station to Goldcrest for your reference.

Packing List

As you prepare for your summer travels, here is a packing list of recommendations from the program.

Using Your Phone Abroad

You will have WiFi on campus and it is available at many points throughout the city centre of Galway. Some students choose to use WiFi only on their cell phones, some use the international plans provided by their carriers (check your rates), and some purchase an Irish SIM card for their phone while in Ireland (this will give you an Irish phone number).

Many students choose to purchase an Irish SIM card for their phone. When you arrive in Ireland, you can purchase an Irish SIM card if needed/wanted in the airport or right in town in Galway. The Three (3) Store is a popular option because they have a 28-day SIM card for €20. One of their Galway locations is conveniently located on the main street in the city, Shop Street. We can help you with this after we arrive in Galway.

Campus Housing

University of Galway will assign our campus housing as we get closer to the start of our time in Galway. We will either be at Goldcrest Village or Dunlin Village, both are on the northern side of University of Galway’s Campus.

You will share a 5 or 6 bedroom apartment with other MAET students. The kitchen and living room are shared spaces in the apartment. Each of you will have a private bedroom and private bathroom and shower.

Apartment Amenities

• You can also explore the typical set up of the apartments on University of Galway’s website.
• Apartments will provide cooking utensils, pots, pans, towels, pillow, pillowcase, sheets, and a blanket/duvet.
• You will have 24/7 internet access on campus. Your WiFi login information will be on the back of the door in your apartment. You will receive a separate code to use WiFi in the classroom.
• Laundry facilities are in a specific section of the Village and you’ll be provided with more information about hours, etc. when you arrive.

Class Time and Location

Class will take place in the Alice Perry Engineering building, which is a quick 8-minute walk from your apartments. 

Class meets Monday – Friday, from 8:30am – 3:30pm with optional work time after class.

You will have an hour break in the day for lunch and the group will walk across the street to the campus restaurant, Friars. Because you have a lunch meal plan, a host of University of Galway will explain what your meal plan includes during that first week. There have been lots of full and happy bellies in the past! 

On Saturday and Sunday, you can enjoy trips and gatherings organized by Chris, visit the Galway Market, and enjoy the arts, culture, and delicious food that Galway has to offer.