Study Abroad Credits



College of Letters & Science \| International Institute \| Area Studies Center & Programs \| Study Abroad \| Go Global \| WAA

International Studies Major Course Equivalency Policy
UW Study Abroad Programs*

College of Letters & Science Requirement for All Majors:

The College of Letters and Science requires all students to do a minimum of 15 credits in the major on the UW- Madison campus. The International Studies Major requires 36 credits (basic coursework required to declare the IS Major is not included in the 36 credits required for the major). Thus, depending upon the courses you take and the time you spend abroad, you may be able to earn as many as 21 credits towards your major.

Required Coursework that MAY NOT be Taken Abroad:

Core Course - International Studies 301
"Track Core Course" from your declared IS Major Option
"Track Core Course" from one other IS Major Option

Required Coursework that MAY be Taken Abroad:

Courses taken abroad may fulfill the Electives and Issue requirements of this major if they fulfill Letters & Science breadth requirements as detailed below.

How Do Study Abroad Courses Count in the Major?

When your study abroad transcripts reach UW-Madison, your coursework will be evaluated and each course will be assigned a UW-Madison course number. In some cases there may be one-to-one equivalency with courses in the IS Major. Other courses that carry a Letters & Science breadth designation will be counted as follows:

For the Global Security, Global Political Economy and Global Commons Options, any course with Social Science (S,Z) breadth will count as Issues and Humanities (H,L,Z) breadth will count as Electives. In addition, courses with a Science (B,P,N) breadth will count as Issues courses in the Global Commons Option.

For the Global Cultures Option, courses with Humanities breadth (H,L,Z) will count as as Issues and courses with Social Science (S,Z) breadth will count as Electives.

What is a Course without Breadth?

Language or other courses that do not carry breadth on this campus. (e.g., Spanish 204 or 311).

What about the 5th Semester Language Requirement?

This requirement may be fulfilled abroad, but remember this is not part of the 36 credits required for the major.

What about Independent Study, Field Research, or Internships?

These opportunities will be considered on a case by case basis. Consult with the advisor. You may also view our policy on Credit for Internships.

*(Please note this policy is for UW-Madison Study Abroad Programs only. Please consult the International Studies Advisor for information regarding transfer of credits from a non-UW Program.)

International Studies Major Course Equivalency Policy UW Study Abroad Programs*