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Academic information

Understanding how studying abroad fits into your academic goals is an important part of the planning process. If you haven’t yet spoken to your academic advisor about how this experience might affect your degree progress, it’s important to do so as soon as possible.

Steps to Get Course Approvals

A key concern when studying abroad is ensuring that the credits you earn will count toward your degree at Boise State. Boise State accepts credits and grades from accredited and approved institutions abroad, but for a course to count as a specific Boise State course or fulfill a requirement, it must be approved by the relevant academic department.

Here’s how to get your courses approved

1. Meet with your academic advisor

Schedule a meeting with your academic advisor to discuss the study abroad program you’ve chosen. Make sure you’ve researched the course options in the program so you can discuss which ones would fit best with your degree requirements.

2. Check the Course Finder

Search the Course Finder to see if the courses you plan to take are listed.  If a course is not listed, you must receive approval for the class from the appropriate academic departments before studying abroad.

3. Obtain Signatures for Course Approval

For each course that needs approval, meet with the relevant department chair and have them sign the Course Approval Form (CAF). For example, if you want to take a Political Science course abroad, the chair of the Political Science department must approve it. The approval can also be given by email, which you should forward to studyabroad@boisestate.edu. The Course Approval Signature page will help you find the correct contact for each course.

Important: If you don’t get approval for your courses before going abroad, you might not receive credit for them when you return to Boise State.

4. Submit the Course Approval Form

After getting all necessary signatures, submit the CAF to the Global Learning office. They will sign the form and give you a copy for your records. The Global Learning office will then send the forms to the Registrar’s office for processing.

Global Learning will forward the forms to the Registrar’s office for processing. Upon your return, your transcript should be sent to our office and we will place the pre-approved courses and credits on your record. Please note that you will receive  grades for your course work abroad, not pass/fail grades. These grades will be calculated into your GPA.

5. Posting of Credits After You Return

Once you’ve completed your study abroad program, have your transcript sent to the Global Learning office.  We will apply the pre-approved courses and credits to your academic record. Keep in mind that the grades you earn abroad will be included in your Boise State GPA and will not be pass/fail.

Important

You  may not be able to take all of the courses you originally planned due to factors like over-enrollment or course cancellations.  To avoid any issues, it’s a good idea to get approval for two – three alternate classes so you have a backup plan and can stay on track with your degree.