Departmental Policies

Each academic department or program at CC may have unique processes and allowances when it comes to transferring credit from courses taken off-campus into their major or minor. Below is a listing that may be helpful for collected policies; please check with the department or program directly if you have questions.

This list is a work in progress; if your department does not have information listed here, check directly with them.

The Anthropology Department allows majors to earn up to two (2) credits, and minors one (1), from off-campus study programs to count towards the degree. We accept a broad array of (C), or Cognate, courses for a single credit, assuming the coursework undertaken while off-campus include at least one course with an anthropological/cultural/societal dimension to it. A second course towards the major requires the proposed to be a course focused on disciplinary anthropology's thought and content (A). Courses taken off-campus that are taught at the 300-level or above will transfer back to the department only at the 200-level to prevent the off-campus study from replacing advanced study on campus. Students should submit course approval requests via Summit, which can be accessed at any time before or during your off-campus study. Please upload complete information about the course; you should also save syllabi and papers from your courses overseas, in case there are any additional questions when you get back to campus.

*A-Anthropology Course. Serves for a 1st or 2nd course unit one of 12 major / 5 minor course units at the 200-level; does not fulfill subfield distribution.

*C-Cognate course. Serves for 1st but not a second 2nd off-campus credit, 208 topics, fulfills cultural subfield distribution.

Students who wish to receive Art Department major credit for non-CC courses taken abroad or off-campus must obtain approval in advance from the Art Department. Course approval requests should be submitted via Summit.

A maximum of three CC units of art taken at another institution or on a study abroad program may be counted towards the Art major. Non-CC courses taken off-campus cannot be counted towards an Art or Art History minor.

Courses taken abroad or at other institutions may be used to meet an elective requirement for either the IDA track or Museum Studies track in the Art major. However, since the choice of electives is tailored to each student’s plan for completing the major, the approval of these elective credits will be decided on an individual, student-by-student basis in conversation with your advisor, and it is not possible to request or receive approval for these electives using Summit, due to the individualized nature of the electives.

For a list of approved programs of potential interest to Art students, see the Advising Guides page.

Check with the department.
The department of Chemistry/Biochemistry does not have a policy regarding the pre-approval of chemistry/biochem courses taken abroad. Students interested in taking courses abroad towards departmental requirements are encouraged to have these courses pre-approved by the chair of the department. Detailed information about the potential course (syllabus and lab components) is very helpful to provide; students can often obtain this information online from the program provider or the university abroad.
Check with the department.

Check with the department.

For a list of approved programs of potential interest to Literature students, see the Advising Guides page.

Check with the department.

The Economics Department won’t approve courses taken off-campus towards the major or minor if you are not declared yet, so declaring is the first step.

The Economics Department accepts some relevant coursework from accredited institutions of higher education in lieu of courses completed at CC within the major done during a Study Abroad or Study Away experience. Students are required to ask for course approval before they enroll, so that we may devote faculty time to verifying and documenting each case. Students may request pre-approval on Summit for planned coursework on a Study Abroad or Study Away program to count towards ECON/ME/BESoc/IPE requirements using the Course Approval Form on the required application for Off-Campus Study.

For courses to count as 300-level EC electives, they must generally have Macroeconomic Theory (EC302) and/or Microeconomic Theory (EC301) as prerequisites. Courses with Principles of Economics (EC100) as the only prerequisites are almost always approved as 200-level Economics electives. The Department does not give credit for online learning experiences or internships, and we do not give credit for EC301, and EC302 taken elsewhere during a Study Abroad or Study Away experience. We limit the total number of economics and business courses taken during a Study Abroad or Study Away experience which count toward the major to four.

For more helpful information from Econ, visit the section titled Study abroad on the "I Want To..." section of the Economics Department homepage. To see a list of CC-approved partner programs of potential interest to Economics & Business students, visit the Advising Guides page.

For a list of approved programs of potential interest to Education students, see the Advising Guides page.

Students interested in obtaining preapproval for coursework from off-campus study to count towards the major or minor can submit requests through the online Summit course approval system to the department chair and should meet with their academic advisor in the department to discuss sequencing and how the time off-campus fits into their overall English degree plan.

For a list of approved programs of potential interest to English students, see the Advising Guides page.

The Environmental Program will review study abroad course approval requests submitted through Summit. Many of the most popular program options have already been reviewed and approved; you may view these in Summit or by searching the Course Approval Database. Please contact Environmental Program Director with questions or for further information.

For a list of approved programs of potential interest to EV students, see the Advising Guides page.

The Feminist and Gender Studies Program allows majors to earn up to two (2) credits, and minors one (1) credit, from off-campus study programs to count towards the degree, typically in the form of one of the electives.

You may submit course approval requests through Summit to initiate the review process with the program, but the second and required step for any course taken on an off-campus study program to count towards your FGS major or minor is a written rationale, submitted via e-mail to your academic advisor and the program director in the FGS program. This 150 to 200-word rationale should explain how you are proposing to count this specific course towards your FGS major or minor.

Summit is the first step, but this rationale is the second important step that must be completed and approved for any approvals in Summit to count to your specific degree progress. Check with your FGS advisor or the Center for Global Education if you have any questions about these two steps.

For a list of approved programs of potential interest to FGS students, see the Advising Guides page.

The department is working on finalizing a policy for course approval requests for courses taken off-campus.

For a list of approved programs of potential interest to Film & Media students, see the Advising Guides page.

MAJOR: Students who study off-campus on programs other than Colorado College-led semesters or blocks must take at least two courses beyond 306, in addition to 431 and 432, at Colorado College, as well as completing the detailed major requirements described above, to receive a French degree from the college. Only 2 credits from any non-CC-led program off-campus will be accepted into the major (including CC-approved programs, and CC-approved petitions). All courses must be pre-approved in advance via Summit by the department chair.

MINOR: The same policy as for majors applies, above, but only 1 credit from a non-CC program can go towards the minor. All courses must be pre-approved in advance via Summit by the department chair.

Check with the department.

Check with department advisors for information about the transferability of courses off-campus.

For a list of approved programs of potential interest to Global Health students, see the Advising Guides page.

The History Department will generally allow students to transfer one history course per semester from off-campus study to count towards the major or the minor. Students should consult with the department chair.

Check with the department.

If you are interested in using a course taken while studying off-campus for the IPE requirements, you should:

  1. Declare your major and consult an IPE advisor, if you have not already done so.
  2. Talk to your departmental advisor about courses in the intended off-campus study program that might satisfy the requirements for the major.
  3. While students can and should come up with a few options for courses to take while off-campus, please note that IPE majors who study abroad can earn no more than one course on the Economics side of the major, and one course on the Political Science side.
  4. If the course you are submitting for review for the IPE major is an Economics course, be aware that these are generally approved as an upper-division Econ elective. As such, Econ courses taken off-campus for the IPE major must generally have Macroeconomics and Microeconomics as a prerequisite.
  5. Please note, you are REQUIRED to upload a syllabus to your course approval requests in Summit for Political Science courses for the IPE major (a course description alone is not sufficient).

For a list of approved programs of potential interest to IPE students, see the Advising Guides page, and the program guides to both Political Science and Economics & Business.

The Italian Program warmly encourages students to study abroad. All courses taken outside the CC Italian Program must be directly relevant to Italian cultures and selected in consultation with an advisor. Students may request advance approval of courses via Summit. As a general rule, only two courses from a CC-approved partner program can be transferred back to the major, and one course to the minor, unless the plan has been previously discussed with the Program Director.

Current course equivalencies are listed on the department's website for both the Budapest Semester in Mathematics and the Aquincum Institute of Technology (AIT) programs. Approval requests for other programs can be submitted via Summit. Students may count at most three 300-400 level courses taken at other institutions (not to include equivalents of MA321 and MA375) toward their Mathematics major, provided that these courses are approved by the department.

The Math/Econ program won't approve courses taken off-campus towards the major or minor if you are not declared yet, so declaring is the first step.

For economics courses, students may request pre-approval via Summit for one course per semester towards the Math/Econ major or minor taken off-campus, and these are generally approved as an upper-division elective. As such, courses that are taken off-campus typically must specify Macroeconomics and Microeconomics as a prerequisite. Students wishing to petition for something more than one class per semester should speak with the chair early in the academic planning process.

For math courses, students should consult with the Math Department chair.

For a list of approved programs of potential interest to Math/Econ students, see the Advising Guides page, and the program guide for Economics & Business. Math-specific interests may be explored through the dedicated Math & Computer Science programs in Budapest, through BSM or AIT. 

See relevant section of the major's handbook online.

The Music department at Colorado College offers block-length courses led by department faculty that travel abroad, including to Asia, Australia, and Europe among others. Students that wish to immerse themselves in an international study for a greater duration of time (a semester or a year) may apply certain music-related credits earned abroad to the music major or minor. To receive credit, students must submit a copy of the syllabus for the course(s) taken with their Course Approval Requests through Summit.

Music majors may apply up to three (3) courses and Music minors may apply up to two (2) courses to their requirements, but no more than one (1) to each of the three core components (Music in Culture, Musicianship, and Creativity). Additionally, students may apply one-quarter credit (.25) of formal private vocal or instrumental instruction if these lessons are officially taken through their host institution. One-quarter credit (.25) of ensemble participation from their abroad experience can also be applied as long as the student can provide the department with a copy of the program from a culminating public performance of that ensemble.

For a list of approved programs of potential interest to Music students, see the Advising Guides page.

Neuroscience majors can transfer back a maximum of two (2) courses taken off-campus/while on approved study abroad programs to fulfill Neuroscience major requirements. Courses may be submitted for departmental review and equivalency determination through the Summit Course Approval Form process on the CC Internal Application for Off-Campus Study.

For a list of approved programs of potential interest to Neuroscience students, see the Advising Guides page (guide for Psychology).

The department of Organismal Biology & Ecology (OBE) has created a detailed section of their major's handbook dealing with off-campus study and credits earned. Please see the relevant section of the handbook.

Check with the department.

Physics majors who wish to take one of their major courses off-campus, either domestically or abroad, will need approval from the physics department to count the course towards their major. Approval is preferably obtained before the course has been taken, but can also be applied for after the course is completed. Students who do not obtain pre-approval risk not having the course count towards their major. To apply for approval, students should fill out an "Exception to Degree" form in the physics department office and submit that form together with information about the course. Information about the course must include a course description and the name and author of the textbook to be used in the course. More detailed information such as a syllabus will make approval easier to obtain. The student's petition will be considered by the department at our next department meeting. Department meetings are held on the first and third Wednesdays of the block. The student will be notified by email of the outcome of the petition.

If you are interested in using a course taken while studying off-campus toward a major/minor in Political Science or one of the joint majors in which Political Science is a participant, you should:

  1. Declare your major and consult an advisor in the Political Science Department, if you have not already done so.
  2. Talk to your departmental advisor about courses in the intended off-campus study program that might satisfy requirements for the major or minor in Political Science or for Political Science requirements for one of the joint majors.
  3. While students can and should come up with a few options for courses to take while off-campus, please note that the Political Science department normally accepts only one unit taken abroad to fulfill requirements.
  4. Once you determine with your advisor which are the best course options for your time studying off-campus, you can submit an official course approval request using the Summit system. Please note, you are REQUIRED to upload a syllabus (a course description alone is not sufficient).

For a list of approved programs of potential interest to Political Science students, see the Advising Guides page.

Students who are completing the pre-health track at CC should make an appointment to talk with advisor Jane Byrnes (Olin Fishbowl) about how coursework taken abroad can support and influence their future graduate program applications and eligibility. In general, students should plan to take the required pre-requisite courses at Colorado College, and not from foreign universities, as not all graduate programs will accept these credits. The exception to this would be the CC-approved science semesters offering Cell Biology, Statistics, and Organic Chemistry through Boston University in Grenoble, France, and Madrid, Spain, because these courses come back on a BU (American) transcript. Other pre-health students may choose to select a program focusing on global health or public health or wildlife management, for example, to augment their future professional applications, but not replace coursework.

For a list of approved programs of potential interest to Pre-Health & Medicine students, see the Advising Guides page.

You can transfer any or all of the non-psych department courses that are required for the major:

  • 1 math competency course (equivalent to CC's MA 125, 126, 129)
  • 1 scientific breadth course (any non-psychology natural sciences course)
  • Thus, a maximum of 2 units.

You can transfer up to 2 courses in psychology (subject to approval)

  • They can be 300-level courses or below. You cannot transfer a course to fulfill the psych major's two 400-level requirements.
  • If you are transferring courses to fulfill the five "core" psychology courses (from content areas A, B, C, and D, see department website for course listing),
    • If the approved non-CC course is on the same topic as one of the "core" courses we offer at CC, it will fulfill the content area requirement for that course (content areas A-D)
    • If the non-CC course does not match one that is currently offered at CC, it might be approved to replace the 5th course in the "core" requirement. You will still need to fulfill the requirement of having 1 course from each of the content areas A-D.
    • Thus, the maximum transfer for psychology courses will be 2 core courses. E.g.,
      • One course from content areas A-D, and one course of a comparable level that is not normally offered at CC
      • Two courses from content areas A-D

For a list of approved programs of potential interest to Psychology students, see the Advising Guides page.

Check with the department.

For a list of approved programs of potential interest to REMS students, see the Advising Guides page.

The Religion Department approves courses taken off-campus to count towards the major or minor on a case-by-case basis and will review courses submitted via Summit. Students should talk to their Religion advisor, and save all relevant course materials (such as syllabi, papers, and exams) to bring back with them to present to the department, in case these are needed for review.

You're invited to review the Advising Guide of semester and year-long CC-approved partner programs which offer coursework in Religion, here.

Check with the department.

Sociology majors who study off-campus for a semester can generally receive one 100-level elective credit towards the major, assuming that the program of study undertaken off-campus includes at least one course with a social science focus. Most off-campus study programs include coursework in the culture or society of the host country that would likely satisfy this. Some programs also offer robust community- based components that might also qualify for credit in the Health and Society and/or Research Design and Data Analysis concentrations within the major. Students who wish to receive this credit for their Sociology major and/or concentration coursework should let their advisor know their plans before going, and then submit the course syllabus to the Chair of the department upon returning. Sociology opts not to use the Summit Course Approval system to pre-approve courses.

Check with the department. 

The Department of Spanish and Portuguese does not preapprove courses for study abroad or transfer credit to count toward the major or minor. Students are strongly encouraged to meet with their Spanish major or minor advisor to discuss study abroad plans and transfer credit. 

Upon completion of courses taken at other institutions, students must submit a written petition for transfer credit along with a copy of the course syllabus and other course materials (i.e., papers, exams, etc.). The petition should be 1-2 pages long, written in Spanish or Portuguese, and must show how each course is equivalent in content and coursework to a course conceivably taught in our department. Petitions are considered on a rolling basis during regular blockly departmental meetings. Up to two units of credit transferred from outside CC (either from studying abroad on a CC-approved partner program or transfer credit from another school) will be accepted.

Students majoring or minoring in theatre or dance should consult with the department's chair before participating in off-campus study programs in the performing arts. It's possible, with departmental approval, to earn credits for the department's major or minor programs. The department considers such requests on a case-by-case basis.

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Report an issue - Last updated: 07/27/2023