Advising Students > Study Abroad at UConn

The Office of Study Abroad in Partnership with UConn Faculty

Study Abroad opportunities for UConn undergraduates depend greatly on faculty involvement. In your capacity as an advisor and mentor, you are in a special position to encourage students to study abroad. You might want to impart to them the benefits of studying abroad, from how it will transform them as a person, as well as a student, to how it will deepen their knowledge of both the world and their academic field of interest and provide them practical skills necessary to compete in the global environment of the twenty-first century. It is key that you work with students closely to prove that they can study abroad and still "finish in four."

Students will inevitably ask you about how they can get credits for studying abroad, etc. For this reason, we have prepared the following questions and answers to help guide you:

What office should a student go through to study abroad and receive course credits?

Students can receive credits for studying abroad in two different ways: through the Office of Study Abroad and through the Transfer Admissions Office. By going through the Office of Study Abroad, students will remain registered at UConn, as if they were on campus, and therefore receive UConn, graded credit that can satisfy major, minor and General Education requirements. In addition, students can receive federal financial aid if they are registered at UConn and through the Office of Study Abroad. They may also study abroad their last semester and meet the final semester residency requirements. If the students elect to try to get credit through the Transfer Admissions Office, they must effectively drop out of UConn for the semester and therefore do not meet the final semester residency requirements and will only receive transfer credit that may or may not be recognized for major credit.

What should I tell students to prepare for studying abroad?

Encourage your advisees to plan ahead and research possible options as early as their first year. The purpose is twofold: it gives them a vision of which options might work for them in different semesters, and it helps them make financial plans to cover the cost of that semester abroad.

Suggest to students that they take as many electives as possible while they are abroad, and that they try to take required courses on the UConn home campus, particularly math and science. Note that a UCONN department evaluator will more likely assign a course taken abroad as Foreign Study 193 or 293 (or a departmental equivalent) than a specific UConn course number. You can also suggest to students that "related" courses for each major are generally easier to fulfill than specifically numbered, required courses in the major.

Review the general education requirements your advisee still has to meet. Suggest that s/he search for a study abroad program that allows him/her to fulfill those particular requirements [information usually on the "UCONN Equivalents" link in the 'academics' section of each brochure on the Study Abroad website].

What do I do when a student brings me a course evaluation request form from the Office of Study Abroad?

The first thing you will note is that the student may have selected one or more courses that have already been approved by an academic department at UConn [on the "UCONN Equivalents" link in the 'academics' section of each program brochure on the Study Abroad website]. Second, you will see that other courses may have been approved and numbered by an appropriate study abroad departmental evaluator. For instance, a biology course would have to be approved by the UConn biology department evaluator [Evaluators]. You are thus asked only to discuss with your advisee how his/her plan of study for the semester abroad, as indicated on the form, will fit into his/her plan of study. Your signature on the Course Evaluation Request Form signifies that you are aware of your advisee's plans.

What if the courses have not been approved?

Tell your advisee to see the appropriate departmental evaluators [Evaluators].

What does the course title Foreign Study 193 or 293 or POLS 287 mean?

It means that credit has been assigned to course material that does not exactly match a UConn course.

Do the 293 or POLS 287 numbered courses count towards a major?

The decision is made by the major advisor.

Do the 293 or POLS 287 numbered courses count towards the General Education Requirements?

The decision is made by each School. Check School Contacts for General Education Requirement Questions.

Are there lists of approved courses for the study abroad programs available for me and my advisee to see?

A list is available on the "UCONN Equivalents" link in the 'academics' section of each program brochure on the Study Abroad website.

Will I advise him/her while he/she is overseas?

Yes, he/she may need to have the advisor bar lifted before he/she can register for the following semester courses.

University of Connecticut Office of Study Abroad
We are located in room 303 in the Center for Undergraduate Education (CUE) building.
Office hours: 8:30 AM - 5:00 PM, Monday - Friday
studyabroad@uconn.edu

Last modified 04/17/2008