In 1926, Prof. James Edwin Lough of
New York University organized the Floating University, an educational seven-month around-the-world voyage, for which he sailed as dean. The voyage, which took place aboard the
Holland America liner SS
Ryndam, embarked from and returned to
Hoboken, New Jersey, after traveling 35,000 miles and visiting 47 ports in 33 countries. Former Kansas Governor
Henry J. Allen sailed as a member of the faculty, while the government class interviewed the
King of Siam and
Benito Mussolini. Inspired by the Floating University, in 1963, businessman Bill Hughes founded The University of the Seven Seas. Two years later,
Chapman College became the program's academic sponsor.
Before 2000 In 1996, on behalf of Semester at Sea, Tung's Seawise Foundation leased the , a much larger ship than its predecessor, the SS
Universe, which had been experiencing mechanical issues. That same year, ISE began hosting a shorter summer Semester at Sea program focused on a single region. During the 1990s, several voyages were affected by accidents. A student died in a 1993 hiking accident, and five students were killed in a bus crash during a field trip in India in 1996.
2000–2009 During the 2000s, several voyages were altered due to accidents, severe weather, and geopolitical events. In fall 2000, the SS
Universe Explorer was damaged in a collision and later rerouted due to security concerns in the Suez region. Following the
September 11 attacks in 2001, a voyage was redirected to avoid the Suez Canal. On January 26, 2005, the MV
Explorer encountered severe storms in the North Pacific. A
rogue wave damaged the bridge windows, prompting a U.S. Coast Guard response; two crew members were injured. In 2008, a
University of Wisconsin student was killed in a traffic accident during a port stop in Hong Kong.
2010–2019 The Enrichment Voyages program for
continuing education participants offered shorter voyages between academic semesters; the final Enrichment Voyage sailed in 2014. In May 2011, Semester at Sea introduced a 26-day Maymester voyage with a curriculum based around the United Nations'
Millennium Development Goals. The program was discontinued after 2012 due to low enrollment. Throughout the decade, several voyages were altered due to regional health and security concerns, including itinerary changes during the
Western African Ebola virus epidemic. Several student fatalities occurred during port stops. A
University of California, Santa Barbara student died during the fall 2010 voyage. A
University of Virginia student died in a boating accident in Dominica during the fall 2012 voyage. In 2017, a
St. Edward's University student died after falling from a
pagoda in Myanmar.
2020–present The Spring 2020 voyage was significantly altered due to the
COVID-19 pandemic. Several planned ports were canceled, and students disembarked early in
Cape Town following a U.S. State Department travel advisory. Coursework was completed remotely. On May 12, 2020, Semester at Sea announced that the Fall 2020 voyage was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. == Academics ==