Study Abroad--Credit, Petitioning

Academic Credit

You may receive college credit for participation in the following programs if you:

--Take a full-load of only liberal arts courses (normally 16 semester-hours per semester)
--Do not take courses which duplicate or substantially overlap previous courses taken
--Do not take internships
--Earn grades of C or better

Any additional questions regarding academic credit should be forwarded to the Registrar's Office. You can also read their material about academic credit.

Any course work you wish to count toward your major (required or elective) should be approved by your major department before you leave. See your academic major advisor to discuss this. Otherwise, courses count as degree credit.

Petitioning

Why do I have to petition for a program not on the approved program list?
Amherst College wants your study abroad experience to be as academically sound and inter-culturally enriching as possible. Programs now on the pre-approved list meet this criteria. Because not all study abroad programs are of equal quality, any program not currently on the approved program list must go through the approval review process before we will allow a student to receive credit for course work undertaken in that program.

When should I apply for program approval?
EARLY, EARLY, EARLY! Each semester, there are many students applying to have programs approved. The research process can take time; therefore, it is strongly suggested that you allow at least a month for the process to be completed. The earlier you apply, the more time you will have to pursue other options if your program is not approved. Deadlines for petitioning are:

For Academic Year and Fall programs: March 1st of the preceding Spring

For Spring programs: October 1st of the preceding Fall

What is the petition process?
Additionally, Amherst faculty support is required from relevent departments (for example, if you are a sociology major who intends to study abroad with an Art History program, then the Art department should review the program. ) The faculty member should review the program and evaluate the course content and assessment methodology as written in the program or university's materials. Faculty are not responsible for evaluating the program beyond what is stated in the program's materials. The Study Abroad Advisor will determine the accuracy of the program/university's written information and the reputation of the program/university through discussions with other Study Abroad Advisors at cohort institutions.

The Study Abroad Advisor will determine the possibility to petition based on the strength of your argument and materials. Assuming the credibility of your argument, the Study Abroad Advisor will provide you with a petition form for you to complete.

When the Study Abroad Advisor receives the petition and relevant program information, the program review process will begin. This process usually begins by reading through the materials and contacting colleagues in the study abroad field for feedback on the program or university's academic qualifications. Apprpriate faculty members may be consulted and asked to review program materials. Additional research may be undertaken via E-mail, the internet, study abroad publications etc.

When adequate materials and information have been collected, the petition will be reviewed by the Faculty Committee on Study Abroad Advisor, which will make the final decision. The Study Abroad Advisor will inform you of this decision.

Should I apply to other study abroad programs while petitioning?
Yes, we cannot guarantee that your petition will be approved. Therefore, we require that you apply to at least one back-up program from the approved programs list.

Information for Amherst faculty who are requested to evaluate a program.
When a student petitions for a study abroad program, Amherst faculty support is required from relevant departments. However, it is not always obvious which departments are considered "relevant". A general rule of thumb is that it depends on who can best evaluate the content and curriculum of the classes that the student intends to take. Here are a few examples from previous years:
--If the student is a sociology major who intends to study abroad with an Art History program, then the Art department should review the program.
--If the student is a History major who intends to take major course requirements on their study abroad program in Costa Rica , then either the History department or the Spanish department can review the program.
--If the student is a Music major who intends to study in France and take a wide range of non-major courses in several departments in the French language , then the French department could evaluate the program.
--However, if the student is a Music major who intends to study in France and take a wide range of non-major courses in several departments, but in the English language , then the French department might not be the appropriate department depending on the course work. It would be up to the Study Abroad Advisor to speak with the student about the program and potential course work to determine which department would qualify as "relevant".

If you are approached by a student to review a program, and have questions about your designation as a member of a department able to give "relevant faculty imput," please contact the Study Abroad Advisor, Janna Behrens, at x2265.

What is required of a faculty member asked to evaluate a program?
The faculty member should review the program and evaluate the course content and assessment methodology as written in the program or university's materials. Faculty are not responsible for evaluating the program beyond what is stated in the program's materials. The Study Abroad Advisor will determine the accuracy of the program/university's written information and the reputation of the program/university through discussions with other Study Abroad Advisors at cohort institutions. Above all, faculty are asked to verify that the program being petitioned for is the 'right' program for this particular student. It is not enough to give a positive recommendation for the student, but say little about the program, or to give a positive recommendation for the program which does not specify reasons why this is an appropriate program for this particular student.