It is important that students understand how their courses taken abroad apply toward their degree at WashU. Each student is responsible for researching what courses are available to take and for obtaining a WU equivalent course. To view courses that have been pre-approved, review the Program Specific information page for the appropriate program. The information on those pages includes the foreign course name and the WU equivalent course for which you will receive credit. It also provides general information on credit hour conversion scales, which will help students determine the minimum number of courses in which they will need to enroll in while abroad.
If there are courses that you wish to take abroad and have found to not have WU equivalencies, you will complete a Course Evaluation Request. Information on the Course Evaluation Request process will be distributed to students upon acceptance to study abroad by Olin Global Programs. The process to pre-approve any course not currently listed on the PSIS takes approximately one month, so it is in your best interest to begin the course equivalency process upon Study Abroad acceptance. Prior to admission, students may research the host university course catalog for possible courses of interest. It is not uncommon for foreign institutions to delay posting course offerings until just a few months prior to the start of the semester. If you are searching for possible course offerings, we suggest looking at the course offerings for the same term in the previous year.
Best Practices |
1. Meet with your academic advisor prior to selecting courses. Your academic advisor can instruct you on what courses you still need for your degree and may be able to assist you in identifying courses at your host university that may fulfill those requirements.
2. For non-business courses: If you are seeking a general education distribution requirement, you will still follow the Course Evaluation Process. If you are planning to obtain a specific course equivalency for a degree requirement for a minor or second major outside of the business school, you will be required to complete a Study Abroad Plan form. This form is to be completed in consultation with the approved major/minor advisor in the appropriate area of study. Follow that process on the Arts & Sciences Overseas Programs website.
3. Foreign institutions may follow different credit hours systems than the US; therefore, some courses may come back as less or more than what an equivalent course is worth. See the Program Specific information pages, the Study Abroad Handbook, your academic advisor, or a BSBA Global Programs Coordinator for details on how this may apply toward your degree.
It is critical that you maintain flexibility in your course selection abroad. As a student participating in a Study Abroad program at a foreign institution, you are subject to the course availability at that university. Here are a few common things to keep in mind:
- You may not have the required prerequisites of the host university
- The courses you are seeking are full, canceled, or the schedule overlaps with other courses in which you are hoping to enroll
- You do not receive the equivalency you were originally seeking because the host university course does not meet WashU’s equivalent learning objectives
- You may find other courses of greater interest become available upon arrival and may need to seek additional course evaluations
Course Equivalencies While Abroad | If you register for a course that was not pre-approved prior to departure, it is your responsibility to have it evaluated within the first two weeks of your program abroad. Immediately email the course description to your BSBA Global Programs coordinator requesting for a course evaluation and include the course description, syllabus, and the equivalency for which you are seeking credit.