Course Credit
Who should I talk to about choosing courses for study abroad?
Faculty-led study abroad programs
For most programs, you should talk to your faculty leader about the course option which would be best for you. Depending on the program, you may also need to talk to a faculty advisor (if the course may be used toward your major) and/or an academic advisor in the UARC (Undergraduate Advising Resource Center) in Dempsey. If you are planning to graduate at the end of your program abroad, talk to an advisor in the OIE as well.
Student Exchange and Independent Study Abroad
You MUST talk to a variety of people about course selection! Begin with a study abroad advisor in the OIE. Your advisor in the OIE will give you information about the course selection process and talk with you about others on campus you'll need to meet with before choosing a program. You'll also need to meet with your current advisor. Your advisor will be able to talk with you about course selection options which may work best for you. In addition, it is imperative that you talk with an advisor in the UARC (Undergraduate Advising Resource Center) in Dempsey!!! Your advisor in Dempsey can talk to you about policies and procedures on campus which may affect the choices you make.
What courses can I take?
Faculty-led Study Abroad Program
All faculty-led programs offer UW Oshkosh course credit. Course and credit information is available on each program's web page.
Student Exchange Program
Participants on student exchange programs are able to choose from a variety of courses at the host institution which are then transferred back to UW Oshkosh. Just as at UW Oshkosh, you will only be able to choose from courses for which you have sufficient background to show that you satisfy any course prerequisites. In some cases, the host institution may offer a subset of courses from which you can choose. Course selection details are available from each program's webpage.
What requirements can I fulfill?
Your study abroad experience may fulfill the following requirements:
College of Business Administration
Global Business Minor: There is a study abroad requirement of either a COBA international travel seminar (Bus 494) or a pre-approved semester abroad academic study experience.
Global Knowledge Requirement: Can be partially fulfilled with a COBA international travel seminar (Bus 494) or a pre-approved experience abroad.
International Management Emphasis: Can be partially fulfilled with a COBA international travel seminar (Bus 494), a pre-approved semester abroad academic study experience or a pre-approved for-credit international internship or work experience.
NOTE: You may not use the same three-credit experience toward your major, minor and emphasis. If you need more than three credits of study abroad, you can choose to take Bus 494 more than once or you can participate on a study abroad program which awards more than three credits.
College of Education & Human Services
DPI Study Abroad Requirement for Foreign Language Teachers: COEHS students must spend at least four weeks abroad and meet other qualifications outlined by the Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures at UW Oshkosh. Visit the Foreign Languages and Literatures department office in Radford 315 to complete the required paperwork.
International Student Teaching for Licensure: Eligible COEHS students can participate in international student teaching to fulfill part of the required semester-long student teaching experience required for licensure. Check with the COEHS Field Experience Director, MaryBeth Petesch (424-3323) for eligibility requirements and an explanation of the process involved.
How do I register for courses?
The only way to register for study abroad-related courses is to complete the study abroad application process.
If you are studying through a faculty-led study abroad program, you will be registered for courses by the OIE when your study abroad application is complete.
If you are studying abroad through a student exchange program, you will be registered in a 'placeholder' course at UW Oshkosh before your study abroad program begins. When your program ends, the credits you earned abroad will be transferred back from your host school to UW Oshkosh and will replace the credits associated with the placeholder course.
Can I audit a study abroad course?
No.
Course and Credit Transfer
When you study abroad on a program which does not grant UW Oshkosh credit, your courses can be transferred to UW Oshkosh at the end of your program; however, you'll need to get prior approval for your course and credit transfers so that there are no misunderstandings when you return. Transfer IS NOT AUTOMATIC, as UW Oshkosh equivalencies may be different depending on your major.
When transferring coursework, course equivalencies, credits and grades are recorded on the UW Oshkosh transcript, but transfer course grades are not calculated into the official GPA. Current course transfer rules at the University do not allow for exceptions to this policy.
Before seeking approval for course & credit transfer, there are a few differences you'll want to understand:
- Only those courses which are the equivalents of UW Oshkosh courses will transfer to UW Oshkosh (many courses will transfer in as general education courses or as upper-level electives).
- Systems for awarding credit vary from country to country. At UW Oshkosh, forty-two class hours generates three credits. In other systems, more or fewer credits may be awarded for the same number of couse hours. UW Oshkosh awards 12-15 creditsfor a full-time load while in other systems students earn as many as 30 credits for the same load. When transferring courses back to UW Oshkosh, the number of credits you receive will be based on the UW Oshkosh system.
Generally, credits taken through programs at other UW System schools or other accredited schools in the United States are transferable. Credits taken through programs which are independent of any UW System campus or other accredited school in the United States may or may not be transferable.
To secure approval for course & credit transfer, follow this process:
- Make an appointment with your academic advisor to discuss how your study abroad experience will fit into your current academic studies, any implications it may have on your graduation date, the types of courses which may be best for you to try to take abroad and the timing of your study abroad program (is fall semester better than spring? is junior year better than senior year?).
- Research course options available through your program and print out any available course descriptions, course syllabi and/or course lists.
Because courses may be filled when you register, cancelled after you arrive abroad and/or not what you expected after you start class, complete the Transfer Credit Prior Approval form for at least twice as many courses as you actually plan to take. This will give you flexibility in course registration without the need to correspond from abroad with professors and advisors at UW Oshkosh.
- Make an appointment with your faculty advisor or with the Transfer Student Coordinator in the Admissions Office to discuss course and credit equivalencies. Bring
- the Transfer Credit Prior Approval form
- the name of the sponsoring school/organization or foreign institution;
- full address of the sponsoring organization/foreign institution;
- web address of the sponsoring school/organization;
- email address for a contact at this organization (if your program is not a UW Oshkosh-sponsored program); and
- specific program information, including course names/descriptions and the number of hours spent in class for each course.
- If you have other information about the sponsoring organization/foreign institution, bring that with you also.
- Your advisor will sign the Transfer Credit Prior Approval form and will route this form to the Admissions Office. Be sure that you request TWO signed copies; one you will keep for yourself and the other you will submit to the UW Oshkosh Office of International Education as part of your study abroad application (if on a UW Oshkosh-sponsored program).
NOTE: If you are studying abroad on a program sponsored by another UW System institution AND you will receive a transcript from that UW institution, use the credit transfer wizard on the UW System Credit Transfer Information System to see how courses will transfer back to UW Oshkosh. Print off the credit transfer information for courses listed in the system and attach it to the Transfer Credit Prior Approval Form.
At the end of this process, you should have answered these questions:
- Will the courses you are interested in transfer as requirements toward your major or minor, will they transfer as electives, or will they not transfer to UW Oshkosh as anything at all?
- Will you receive the correct number of credits per course so that you don't have too few credits toward a particular requirement for your major, minor or general education coursework?
- Will you receive enough credits to be considered full-time for financial aid purposes?
- If you will be graduating at the end of your semester abroad, what is the deadline that you will have to meet when providing UW Oshkosh with your transcript from the study abroad institution? Can your host institution abroad meet this deadline?
- If you are graduating within the next 2-3 semesters, will you meet the UW Oshkosh graduation rule which says that 15 of the last 30 credits earned must be earned at UW Oshkosh (credits earned through a UW Oshkosh-sponsored study abroad program are considered credits earned at UW Oshkosh).
This page was last updated on: October 19, 2011