A new Study Abroad program to Thailand is now an option for Pitt students looking to study abroad in 2016.

Tuangtip Klinbubpa-Neff said Mahasarakham University, located in the city of Maha Sarakham, is where students will stay and study for three weeks.

Klinbubpa-Neff was a professor at Mahasarakham from 2008 to 2012, and she said she will be going to Thailand with Study Abroad students to teach one of the two classes offered.

Klinbubpa-Neff said she is going to teach a three-credit global literature course, and Kristen Majocha is going to teach a three-credit public speaking course.

Classes should end around 3 p.m., giving students the rest of the day to explore Thai culture. The program also includes guided excursions, said Klinbubpa-Neff.

“One week, students will go to a rice-farming field so they can see how people connect with food and activities.”

Klinbubpa-Neff said other excursions include a beach trip, a morning retreat, and a Thai massage.

Students are to be paired with a Thai students from Mahasarakham to assist them during their time abroad, said Neff.

However, if a student is ever feeling homesick, there is a U.S. Embassy on site where they can watch American movies and socialize with other American students.

The out-of-state fee for Mahasarakham is $3,300, which includes breakfast, lunch and dinner. The fee also includes an on-campus dormitory.

Students should also budget for a $300 administrative fee, a $2,000 roundtrip international airfare fee, and a $100 passport fee.

Altogether, the cost is around $5,700, plus the amount of spending-money students wish to take, which Neff said shouldn’t be a lot.

“Shopping in Thailand is cheap. I can teach students to bargain, so they walk away paying $1 instead of $100.”

Neff said the program shouldn’t interfere with spring or summer semesters.

Students interested in this new Study Abroad program can go to the Study Abroad Office in G-04 Student Union.