Academic Information For International & National Offcampus Study Programs
Semester- and year-long: Allegheny College sponsors semester- and year-long programs in Argentina, Australia, China, Costa Rica, Ecuador, England, France, Germany, India, Israel, Japan Kenya, Mexico, Senegal, Spain, South Africa (on hold), and the United States. The courses on these programs can be used to fulfill graduation requirements, major or minor requirements, distribution requirements, or elective credit. The program fliers (available at International Programs and Services or online at http://www.allegheny.edu/accel/international/studies/sponsored/) list the Allegheny equivalencies toall or most of the courses offered. On some programs, the grades earned off-campus will factor into your Allegheny GPA; on others, the grades will not. Check the program descriptions under the link "Academics/Courses" to determine how grades will transfer. Students are expected to enroll at the foreign university in theequivalent of 12 to 16 credit hours per semester; on some programs, students may earn more than 16 creditsper semester (e.g., Lancaster, Angers, Queretaro).
Semester- and year-long: Independent programs are those that have not been approved for sponsorship by Allegheny. In most cases, academic credit is awarded through a credit-bearing institution, and Allegheny College accepts it as transfer credit. Once you have been approved for a particular program, you will work with your academic advisor and department chair(s) to determine how the courses will transfer and what graduation requirements they can fulfill. Grades from an independent program will not be factored into your Allegheny GPA, and only courses in which you earn a "C" or above will transfer to Allegheny College.
All students on Allegheny-sponsored and independent programs are required to attend at least three pre-departure orientation meetings, which will be held the semester before you depart. Pre-departure meetings will combine logistical information with intercultural programming in preparation for your time off-campus; the meetings are an essential part of a successful experience. See the separate check-sheet for dates and locations. The predeparture and reentry meetings are part of a course that students on Allegheny-sponsored programs will be enrolled in. The course is taught by Professor Ishita Sinha Roy, and is entitled EXL 300 Cross-Cultural Learning: Theory and Practice. It is a required one-credit course that will be ginve a letter grade that includes attendance at all predeparture orientations, on-site guided blogging, and re-entry requirements (e.g., meetings, readings for all meetings, and final paper and photo poster presentation upon return to Allegheny). You will be enrolled in the course by Registrar upon your return to campus when the final grade is turned in. The course will be posted on your transcript along with the credits from the off-campus program. ONLY STUDENTS ON ALLEGHENY SPONSORED PROGRAMS WILL EARN THIS CREDIT.
