Planning Your Courses Abroad
All courses taken abroad automatically transfer back to count towards your 120 BC credit graduation requirement as general elective credit. No forms or additional approvals are required.
If you would like a course to fulfill a major, minor, or core requirement, check the Study Abroad Course Database to see whether the course is already approved for the specific requirement you want.
| Desired BC Credit | Course Status | Action |
|---|---|---|
| General Elective Credit | All courses | No action required |
| Major, Minor, or Core Credit | Already listed in the Study Abroad Course Database for the specific requirement you want | No action required. Do not submit an evaluation form. |
| Major, Minor, or Core Credit | Not listed for the specific requirement you want (including courses not in the database) | Submit the Study Abroad Course Evaluation Form |
The OGE recommends, but does not require, seeking major, minor, or core approval before departure. Ideally and where possible, students should seek course approval prior to departure. Courses can be approved either before abroad, while abroad, or after abroad. The availability of syllabus & course descriptions before departure can be very limited depending on the host study abroad program. This is why it is not always possible to seek approval before departure.
Courses in the Study Abroad Course Database have been reviewed previously by BC departments and/or taken by past BC students. Make sure to read the instructions at the top of the database.
Courses worth fewer than 3 BC credits rarely fulfill major, minor, or Core requirements. Check with the relevant department before relying on them for degree requirements.
Students should NOT expect more than 2 (two) courses to fulfill major, minor, or core requirements while abroad.
Students are expected to take a full load of courses as described in the Course Guidelines PDF. The absolute minimum course load abroad is the equivalent of 12 BC credits.
Grades are translated to the BC grading system using the Grading Translation Scale PDF.
All courses taken abroad are entered into the Boston College EagleApps Transcript system. Major, minor, and core approvals will not appear in EagleApps until after your courses are posted on EagleApps.
Your grades will be translated according to the grade translation scale, and credit will be assigned based on the course and credit guidelines.
Most programs send transcripts directly to the Office of Global Education (OGE). If your host institution asks where to send your official transcript, please direct them to: OGEregistrar@bc.edu.
To request a copy of your host program transcript, email OGEregistrar@bc.edu from your @bc.edu address and include your Eagle ID number.
| Term Abroad | Expected EagleApps Posting Timeline |
|---|---|
| Fall Study Abroad | April / May |
| Spring Study Abroad | September / October |
University Core Curriculum
Students should note that most of the University Core requirements should be completed at BC prior to study abroad. However, students participating in BC and approved external programs may be able to fulfill certain core requirements while abroad. Students must plan carefully. When seeking core approval from abroad, the course from abroad must closely match BC Core Requirements.
Please note that the following core requirements cannot be fulfilled abroad: Literature, Writing, Social Science, Art History, Film, Studio Art, and Theater. The only exceptions are the limited number of courses as noted in the Study Abroad Course Database.
To request substitution credit, students must complete the Study Abroad Course Evaluation form.
Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences
- African and African Diaspora Studies
- American Studies
- Ancient Civilizations
- Applied Physics
- Art, Art History, and Film
- Asian Studies
- Biochemistry
- Biology
- Catholic Studies
- Chemistry
- Classics
- Communication
- Computer Science
- Earth and Environmental Studies
- Eastern, Slavic, and German Studies
- East European Studies
- Economics
- English
- Environmental Geoscience
- Faith, Peace, and Justice
- Film Studies
- French
- Geological Sciences
- German Studies
- Hispanic Studies
- History
- Human-Centered Engineering
- Independent Major
- International Studies
- Irish Studies
- Islamic Civilization and Societies
- Italian
- Jewish Studies
- Journalism
- Latin American Studies
- Linguistics
- Mathematics
- Medical Humanities, Health, and Culture
- Music
- Philosophy
- Physics
- Political Science
- Psychology and Neuroscience
- Pre-Health
- Religion and Public Life
- Romance Languages and Literatures
- Russian
- Sociology
- Studio Art
- Theatre
- Theology
- Women’s and Gender Studies
Carroll School of Management
Students in the Carroll School of Management are highly encouraged to study abroad. International study enables CSOM students to gain new perspectives on a variety of subjects and exchange ideas and information with people from different cultures. While living abroad in a challenging atmosphere that inspires both personal and intellectual growth, students also increase their awareness of cultural diversity and international issues. CSOM students must seek approval to receive credit for a CSOM core or elective in their concentration taken abroad. Students are encouraged to meet with their CSOM staff advisor to talk about how studying abroad fits into their academic plans. Please visit the CSOM website for further information.
Carroll School of Management students are eligible to study abroad during either the fall or spring semester of their junior year. A few students will study abroad for an entire year. Students who wish to pursue an internship in the summer after their junior year,should consult with the career advising team or Handshake to learn about the recruitment cycle for the industries they are interested in. Approximately 35% of CSOM students study abroad.
There are four Carroll School core classes that can be approved to be taken abroad: Operations Management, Marketing Principles, Organizational Behavior, and Strategic Management.
Students can also take one elective towards their concentration. You can only obtain concentration elective approval from the department after completing the core classes (e.g. Fundamentals of Finance or Marketing Principles). Students can also take courses to fulfill the required non-CSOM electives.
Connell School of Nursing
Each CSON student will be told which semester of their junior year it will be possible for them to study abroad (should they wish to and should they meet program requirements) by the Undergraduate Associate Dean in the spring of freshman year.
Yes! Although CSON does not have a language requirement, many of the study abroad programs do have foreign language prerequisites. CSON students should take the appropriate language courses in order to be eligible for their programs of interest. For students who do not have foreign language skills, there are several BC partnerships in non-English speaking countries that offer excellent courses in English.
Although most nursing students take University Core and elective courses abroad, some seek opportunities to learn more about health-related topics or build language proficiency. For example:
- At the Universidad San Francisco de Quito, Ecuador, students may enroll in a community health course developed for and offered specifically to BC nursing students.
- The National University of Ireland at Galway offers courses that have been approved as electives for the BC nursing program.
If possible, most University Core courses should be completed before studying abroad.
Given the limited number of electives in the nursing curriculum, many students do get approval for core courses while they are abroad.
Lynch School of Education and Human Development
Lynch School of Education and Human Develpment (LSEHD) students seeking MCAS credit for courses taken abroad can contact Maureen Raymond: lsehdstudyabroad@bc.edu. For further information and guidelines, please visit the Lynch School website.
LSEHD students are eligible to study abroad during either the fall or spring semester of the junior year. Students should begin planning in the fall semester of their sophomore year.
Yes! Even though LSEHD does not have a foreign language requirement, students are strongly encouraged to study abroad in a foreign language destination.
LSEHD students are encouraged to concentrate on completing a majority of the university core courses before studying abroad. However, since students in other countries tend to specialize earlier in the field of study than students in the U.S., it is important to balance work on the core with work in the major/minor fields in order to build a strong background for study abroad. This background will allow you to participate in regular classes with local students, and take advantage of the best offerings at your host institution.
All LSEHD students must meet with the Lynch School's Office of Undergraduate Programs (OUP) Study Abroad Advisor in Campion 104, prior to the OGE deadline, to apply to study abroad, in order to discuss potential coursework. With careful selection and pre-approval from LSEHD's OUP, courses taken abroad may count for LSEHD major and/or minor credit. LSEHD students who have double majors in MCAS or minors in CSOM or CSON may also receive credit for courses taken abroad with prior pre-approval from the appropriate school's department.
Lynch School students are encouraged to take electives abroad. The best types of courses are those that focus on the region in which you are studying, and those that reflect the strengths of the host university department.
Students planning to do an honors or senior thesis are advised to identify a potential topic and potential supervisor prior to studying abroad. Students should then keep in touch with the thesis supervisor while abroad.
As a BC student, you are expected to take a full load of courses at your host institution abroad. Students can refer to the Course Guidelines PDF for more information. The absolute minimum course load abroad is the equivalent of 12 BC credits.
Host institution transcripts that contain a “W” (or equivalent grade) will be recorded as a “W” on the BC transcript.
Host institution transcripts that contain an “F” (or equivalent grade) will be recorded as an “F” on the BC transcript.
- Students abroad can declare one (1) course pass/fail course per semester
- A pass/fail course cannot fulfill a BC major, minor, or core requirement
- After one (1) course is declared pass/fail, the declaration is final and cannot be changed
- Courses should be taken for a grade with the host institution. OGE will mark your course as P/F once we receive your transcript from abroad.
Timeline
| Course Length | Last day to declare pass/fail |
| Regular semester course | 8 weeks (56 days) after the course starts. Courses can never be declared P/F after the final exam |
| Courses 1-5 weeks in length (typically intensive, pre-semester, or early-start courses) | 10 days after the course starts |
Process
Students should email their course title to their OGE Advisor before the timeline listed above. The email date/time stamp will be used to calculate if the timeline listed above was met.
Per university policy, undergraduate students may not audit a course. Students are not permitted to leave the program early. All students must stay until the end of the academic program. If you have any questions, please contact your OGE advisor.
Students may not register for online courses at the host institution. We strongly recommend students take on-site courses in order to fully immerse themselves in a new academic culture.
Seniors may take an online course offered by Boston College while abroad only with permission from their Academic Dean, the Registrar’s Office, and the Director of the Office of Global Education. The online course taken must meet a specific academic requirement, such as a course required for a senior thesis. Students must proactively seek approval prior, at least two weeks before the beginning of the online course. Students taking an online course will be charged the Student Activity Fee and Health Services Infirmary fee. The Student Activity fee is mandatory, while the Health Services fee may be waived for that semester by contacting Health Services before the start of the semester to verify with them you will be abroad.
BC does not intervene in a host institution's academic decision-making. This includes requests to change how or when exams are administered, to regrade an exam or assignment, to alter course requirements, or to reconsider a final grade.
Requests for OGE to advocate for a grade change will be referred back to the host institution. Academic authority rests with the professor and university that offered the course, not with BC.
If a host institution later issues an official revised transcript or grade change, OGE will process the update and amend the student's BC transcript accordingly.
“ These courses really furthered my knowledge of the subjects and my professors pushed me to learn in different ways. It really opened my eyes to the different experiences people have around the world in terms of education. ”