Academics

With language, liberal arts, fine arts, science, business, engineering, and internship programs, we offer study abroad opportunities for students from all majors and interests. As you begin to plan your study abroad experience, it is important to select a program that aligns with your academic goals.

1. MEET WITH AN ACADEMIC ADVISOR: Once you find a program or even before, it is crucial to check with your academic advisor to discuss how study abroad will fit into your academic plan. BU Study Abroad is not able to advise on course equivalencies or substitutions, or courses counting toward majors and minors—only your academic advisor and school can do that—so plan to meet with your advisor early in the planning process.
2. CHECK SYLLABI AND COURSE INFORMATION: Once you find a program that interests you, check the program page on the BU Study Abroad website to see the course offerings; often, sample syllabi will be posted. For direct-enroll programs, the course offerings for the program will be communicated to you by the program manager or program staff.

Boston University–administered study abroad programs offer fully accredited Boston University courses taught by highly qualified and experienced faculty. All courses taught directly by Boston University at one of our program sites carry an official Boston University course number. This means that the course has been approved through Boston University’s rigorous curriculum-approval process, including review and approval at the departmental and college levels at Boston University.

The BU Hub is Boston University’s University-wide general education program that emphasizes working across disciplines to prepare for a complex and diverse world. While abroad on a BU program, students can fulfill both their major and minor degree requirements and Hub requirements.

Students planning to study abroad

A semester of study abroad is an integral part of a BU undergraduate experience. Mapping out a plan of study that will include study abroad is an important part of the conversations that you’ll have with your academic advisor. Consider what you want to study when you’re abroad. Which programs offer the areas of study and experience that most interest you? Review the courses offered on the programs that you’re considering as well as the Hub requirements that you can fulfill.

Setting goals

Advance planning, meetings with your academic advisor and a study abroad advisor will help you to map out course selections leading up to, during and after your semester abroad. The Blueprint worksheet is a helpful tool to set goals and to select the courses and the study abroad program that aligns with your academic, personal and professional interests. Your Blueprint worksheet

Remember that both the BU Hub and Study Abroad are meant to integrate with a student’s major and minor studies. Through the learning experience that a BU Study Abroad program provides, students continue to make progress towards degree requirements and to develop the Hub’s essential skills and capacities.

BU Study Abroad Exchange Programs, Consortia and Direct Enrollment Programs

Students participating in a BU Study Abroad program that includes direct enrollment in courses offered at a foreign university earn BU credit and may apply courses towards major and minor requirements with the approval of an academic advisor. However, courses offered at other universities will not satisfy Hub requirements.

Attendance

While on a Boston University Study Abroad Program, students continue their academic progress, earning BU credits towards their undergraduate degree while abroad. Students who enroll in a BU Study Abroad program do so with the understanding that these are academic programs with scheduled class meetings, internship placements and program-wide activities and excursions. Attendance is expected and required. Personal travel and visits from family and friends will not be considered excused absences while on a BU Study Abroad program. Students are expected to adhere to the local attendance policies as stated in course syllabi.

Tardiness

Students must make every effort to be on time for all scheduled meetings and class sessions and should notify the appropriate persons by phone or written message of extenuating circumstances that result in tardiness.

Absence for Religious Reasons

Students who have questions about practicing their religion while abroad should contact Boston University Study Abroad. Policies may differ in some locations, particularly in relation to internship placements.

Language Policy

In non-English-speaking programs, students are expected to speak the host language exclusively in the classroom, at the university, at their internship site, if the placement is in the host language, in the program office, and on excursions. Students should also speak the host language when in public places and as much as possible when with other students. Speaking in the host language will improve students’ abilities as well as ease cultural adjustments.

Course Load Policy

The Study Abroad course load policy is as follows:

16 Credit Semester-Long Programs

Study Abroad students are expected to enroll for 16 credits in the fall and spring semesters and must maintain full-time status while abroad. Student visa requirements for some overseas programs may not allow for a reduced course load below 16 credits. Any request to withdraw from a course must be approved by the student’s academic advisor and on-site program director.

Most study abroad students do not enroll for greater than 16 credits. Any request to overload must be approved by the student’s academic advisor and on-site program director.

In all cases, students must be registered full-time for: a minimum of twelve credits.

16-20 Credit Semester-Long Programs

While most study abroad programs require students to enroll in 16 credits, some require up to 20. Students should review the credit load for their specific program. Any request to withdraw from a course must be approved by the student’s academic advisor and on-site program director.

Students may not enroll for more than 20 credits.

In all cases, students must be registered full-time for: a minimum of twelve credits.

Grades

For Boston University students, grades earned on your off-campus program will appear on your Boston University transcript and will be averaged into your grade point average as normal.

For non-Boston University students, you should check with your home campus to determine whether or not the grades you earn will appear on your home institution’s transcript, or if the coursework will be transferred as pass/fail grades. Regardless of whether the actual grades you earn will appear on your home institution’s transcript, you should keep in mind that you will have a permanent record at Boston University. Should you apply to graduate school at a later date, you most likely will be required to submit an official transcript from each institution you have attended.

Coursework

Students are expected to turn in all course assignments on time; turning in assignments late will have a negative effect on your grades. All academic commitments must be completed before students leave the program site; no incompletes are permitted on Study Abroad programs. Students who do not complete a course on time will earn an F (failing grade). All courses must be taken for credit; students are not permitted to audit courses or to take courses on a pass/fail basis. For students on internship programs, unsuccessful completion of any course preceding the internship period may make them ineligible for placement in an internship.

Students enrolled in an internship program must complete the internship placement and all the academic work related to it, regardless of the transfer credit policy of their home institutions. Students will be informed at the program site of additional academic policies, such as deadlines for adding or dropping a course.

Course Credit Information

Upon successful completion of courses taken through our programs, students earn 16–20 Boston University credits per semester, depending on the program. No work can be left outstanding, to be finished after a semester has ended. Thus, no award of “incomplete” is allowed for a course taken on a Boston University international program. Additionally, coursework may not be audited; all students must complete their courses for a letter grade.

The unit of credit at Boston University is the semester-hour. Each 4-credit course normally translates to a minimum of 42 contact hours. Colleges and universities generally accept Boston University courses for transfer credit in their degree programs, provided the student passes each course with a grade of C or C–, or better. Students should check with their home institutions to determine all credit transfer policies.

To ensure certain students get credit at their home school for their courses abroad, we require the completion of an “Approval of Participation Form” as part of the application process. In this form, we ask the study abroad advisor, dean, or registrar (whoever is responsible for approving transfer credit) to indicate whether the student received approval to study off campus and whether he/she will be permitted to transfer credit for courses taken on our program.

While transfer credit is generally assured, we urge students to obtain approval from their advisors for the courses they intend to take—especially if they want these courses to fulfill specific requirements (major, minor, concentration, elective, etc.). Students should obtain approval in advance for more courses than they will actually take, as occasionally we have to cancel classes due to faculty illness or lack of student demand.

Transcripts

Upon the conclusion of the program, the posting of grades and settling of the BU Student Account, students will be provided with detailed instructions on ordering an official transcript from Boston University

Official Boston University transcripts may be ordered online for electronic or paper delivery through Parchment, BU’s transcript partner.

We recommend students check in with their home school study abroad/international education office to confirm the correct contact person and email address/mailing address when ordering a transcript

Course Information

All courses offered by Boston University Study Abroad are fully approved by the appropriate curriculum and faculty committees at Boston University. The academic designation for each course is drawn from the following schools/colleges and departments on the Boston University Charles River Campus:

CAS CDS	College of Arts & Sciences Computing & Data Sciences
CFA CGS	College of Fine Arts College of General Studies
COM	College of Communication
ENG GRS HUB	College of Engineering Graduate School of Arts & Sciences Boston University Hub (General Education Unit/Cocurricular)
QST SAR	Questrom School of Business Sargent College of Health & Rehabilitation Sciences
SED SPH	Wheelock School of Education School of Public Health
SHA	School of Hospitality Administration

Course Designations

Boston University applies the following numbers to its courses offered overseas:

100-199	Introductory or general undergraduate
200-299	Intermediate undergraduate
300-399	Advanced undergraduate
400-699	Advanced undergraduate, graduate

Students who enroll in a course or courses at a university whose policies, teaching methods, and grading systems differ from Boston University’s must read carefully the academic policies in place when studying at a foreign university.  

Academic Policies for Direct Enroll/Exchange Programs

TRANSCRIPTS

Each student receives an official Boston University transcript upon successful completion of the program. Transcripts are released four to six weeks after the conclusion of a study abroad program.

Upon acceptance to the program, non-BU students complete a Transcript Release form, which grants permission to release the official transcript to a third party and which specifies where the transcript should be sent. Students must confirm with their home institution the office and address to which the transcript should be sent.

Transcripts are mailed only to students whose accounts are paid in full. Arrangements can be made to send the official transcript directly to the student’s home institution. Transcripts are released to students once their Boston University student account is settled and all charges are paid in full.

Students will also receive an unofficial copy of their transcript at their home address.

For more than 30 years, Boston University Study Abroad international internship programs have combined coursework in a particular academic area with a professional work experience. These two strategies—classroom (or theoretical) training and professional (or practical) experience ground students in the reality of daily life in the host culture, while also enabling an increased understanding of international professional culture.

The internship placement is a component of a larger, integrated academic experience, typically a 4-credit course in a 16-credit semester.

The internship itself exhibits these characteristics:

• It is academically directed. The internship is a separate course, supervised by faculty members, and with varying assessments that may include written work or presentations.
• Grades and academic credit are based on explicit requirements detailed in a course syllabus.
• It is credit-bearing.
• Its scheduling is meant to allow the student to carry out projects of significance for the employer while allowing normal contact hours for the accompanying classroom-based courses.

INTERNSHIP COURSE ASSESSMENT

Assessment is a combination of written work, participation in the internship seminar, and the internship supervisor’s evaluation. The internship course syllabus will indicate the specific grading and assessment criteria.

All assessment is performed by qualified teaching faculty, the resident director, or a qualified academic contracted specifically for this purpose.

Upon acceptance to an internship program, students will be provided with materials stating the academic expectations and requirements of the internship. These include:

• The placement process
• Suggestions on how to prepare résumés and how to conduct oneself during an interview
• An introduction to daily work life in the host culture and the behavioral expectations placed on the student