Academic Credit
On approved programs the courses
Austin College students take
abroad are carried in the Registrar's computers as Austin College
courses. Thus courses taken abroad count as Austin College courses.
All courses taken abroad apply as credit towards an Austin College
diploma.
How these credits count towards other requirements
such as Major, Minor, Dimensions, etc., is determined by department or
an appropriate academic official. See guidelines for the process below.
How to make sure credits abroad apply to a Major and/or Minor?
All Study Abroad
students are required to have declared his/her Major
(s) and Minor (s) before studying
abroad. If a student wants an abroad class to apply to his/her Major
and/or Minor; this information must be listed on his/her Major/Minor
declaration. If the Major/Minor declaration has been processed, then a
Major/Minor modification will be necessary. To accomplish this please
following the guidelines below:
-
Print a syllabus or class description of the class in
which you want to take while abroad.
-
Attach this information to the Major/Minor Declaration
or Modification form.
-
Obtain the necessary signatures for the selected form
and turn it into the Austin College Registrar’s office.
Once approved this will assure the proper posting of
credits received while abroad
How to make sure credits abroad apply to a Dimension?
Courses taken abroad
can count towards a dimension at Austin College. Prior approval for
dimensions is necessary to assure proper posting upon return.
Guidelines for this approval are as follow:
-
Print syllabus or course description.
-
Take this information to the department head of the
appropriate Academic division on campus
-
Explain to department head how the abroad class will
apply as the dimension
-
If approved have the department head sign and date the
syllabus or course description
-
Bring syllabus and approval to the study abroad office.
-
The study abroad office will forward your request to the
Vice President of Academic Affairs for final approval.
-
Once approved this information will be given to the
Registrar’s office and placed in your academic file.
How will study abroad
credits apply to the Austin College transcript?
The most important
piece of information is the following: 4 semester hours in a Study Abroad program are equivalent
to 1 AC course credit unit. The word credit in study abroad programs
generally refers to the number of semester hours the course covers.
When in doubt, consult the Study Abroad Office.
Where most programs use
a semester-credit hour system; AC calculates according to a course
credit system. Thus, AC calculates study abroad credits as follows:
-
2 abroad credit-hour course equals 0.5 AC course credit
units
-
3 abroad credit hour course equals 0.75 course credit
units
-
4 abroad credit-hour courses equal 1 course credit unit.
-
5 abroad credit-hour course equals 1.25 AC course credit
unit
In order to receive
the equivalent of 4 course credits at AC, students enroll and complete
successfully the equivalent of 16 semester hours in the program. Normal
enrollment on a program is 15-16 semester hours, for a total of 3.5 - 4
AC course credit units. Sometimes the study abroad program will use the
word "credit" to mean "semester hour".
Course load while abroad
You are expected to
take a full load of courses while abroad. This means the equivalent of
4 AC course credit units, or 15-16 semester hours. The program
personnel abroad can explain to you what number of courses abroad will
constitute 15-16 semester hours in the American system.
Do not request to take a reduced load unless the circumstances are
unusual because the request will not be granted automatically.
Reduction in load requests is to be sent to the Austin College study
abroad office for approval. You are an above average student by virtue
of being approved for study abroad and should therefore be capable of
completing a full load abroad.
How grades abroad apply to your GPA?
Since you are a student
in residence while abroad, your courses will be entered on the AC
transcript exactly as if you had obtained them here: discipline, title,
credit and grade. Your grades WILL be calculated into your GPA.
Incompletes are allowed
by AC on study abroad programs, no exceptions.
If you wish to request
S/D/U grading from AC while studying abroad, then you must do so within
Austin College allotted period for grade changes. The usual Austin
College rules governing the use of S/D/U apply while you are abroad.
Check the Bulletin for the most recent rules. When you return, the
S/D/U grade will have to be entered manually since your study abroad
transcript will have grades.
Adding/dropping classes while abroad
After you register for
courses abroad, you may find it possible to make some changes within a
given program. The single most important thing to remember is that
adding or dropping a course in the foreign university is not at all the
same as at Austin College. You must learn and follow the exact and
official steps for changing courses at the host school or program. You
cannot drop a course simply by not going to it and you cannot add a
course by attending a new one. Consult the program advisor abroad
directly for the local paperwork and procedures. Keep copies of related
documents to assure the proper posting of grades upon your return.
Remember you are still required to keep a full load of 4 AC credits.
Your study abroad course list
Once you have completed
registration abroad, you must send your final list of courses to the
Study Abroad office. The list should include the title of the course,
the discipline designation (Eco, Art, and History)
and the course credits. This information will be reviewed by the
director of study abroad to make sure that you are on your academic plan
to graduate. If you add or drop later, then notify the study abroad
office of the change as soon as possible.
Study Abroad Transcripts
Your program (
IES, IFSA-Butler, Arcadia, BCA
, Central College, etc.) will send directly to Austin
College an original, official, certified transcript of your academic
record for your courses abroad.
In applying for some graduate or professional schools, you may be asked
to supply original transcripts from each school you have attended. If
so, consult the Study Abroad Office or the program on how to obtain
these.
The process of receiving, evaluating, and posting to your AC record can
take 1-6 months, depending on where you studied. The Study Abroad
Office monitors this but if you experience any delays, please contact
us.
Credit and Course questions while abroad
If you discover a
course abroad that you want to take but which may not satisfy a
requirement at AC, consult the Study Abroad Office immediately.
In
any case please cc any emails about courses and credits to
the Study Abroad Office at
studyabroad@austincollege.edu .
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