Study Abroad

BEFORE DEPARTURE

Explore your options by visiting the Study Abroad Center office or website. 

Use the "What programs are best for my major, minor, or GEs" section of the Study Abroad Center's Choose Your Program page to help narrow down your program search.

Know the requirements you need to fulfill.

Locate the course offerings of the program you are considering. 
  • Check course descriptions and determine if the courses offered seem roughly equivalent to the courses you need to fulfill requirements. Compare course titles, course descriptions, levels (i.e. upper- or lower-division), etc. See FAQs below for more information on selecting courses.
    • For EAP - Use the EAP Course Catalogue to look up course descriptions.
    • For Independent Programs - Most course descriptions are accessible from the program's web site 
  • Remember that in order for courses to be approved for use in your major, the content must be approved by the department, and the courses must be at least four quarter units, upper-division, and taken for a letter grade.
  • If you cannot find the course offerings or you cannot figure out whether or not the courses are similar to the courses you need, make an appointment with a SAC Staff Advisor.
Go to the Study Abroad Center to obtain an EAP application or Independent Programs forms and information.

Fill out any forms you need in addition to the application.
  • For EAP - You will need to 1) Complete the Humanities EAP Guidelines, 2) Save a .pdf copy to turn in with your EAP application. DO NOT SUBMIT THIS FORM IF YOU ARE NOT A DECLARED HUMANITIES MAJOR.
  • For Independent Programs - You will need to fill out and submit an International Study Advance Contract.  This process can take up to 8 weeks. Check your UCI Abroad Portal for more information.
Optional: make an appointment to meet with an Academic Counselor in the Humanities Office of Undergraduate Study to review your proposed study plan.  You should bring your completed EAP Academic Planning Form or Independent Programs International Study Advance Contract, and copies of all course descriptions. 

Optional: meet with your faculty advisor or the undergraduate chair in the department of your major to discuss whether or not courses are likely to meet specific requirements and whether petitions are likely to be approved upon your return.

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WHILE ABROAD

Keep all work done in classes for which you expect to get credit towards specific requirements. Also keep course descriptions, syllabi, and reading lists. (If you take a course that does not have a syllabus, keep track of all readings, topics covered in class, papers written, and exams taken.)

Bring ALL of the above back to UCI with you to submit with your petitions.

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UPON RETURN

After credit has been posted to your UCI transcript, file any necessary petitions with the appropriate departments.

  • Pick up or download the Study Abroad Petition.
  • Obtain preliminary approval from the appropriate department (e.g. department of your major); make sure to include course work, course descriptions, syllabi and reading lists with the petition.
  • Remember that for courses to be approved for use in your major, the content must be approved by the department, and the courses must be at least four quarter units, upper-division, and taken for a letter grade.
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Frequently Asked Questions

• Where can I see previously taken courses or courses that might count toward my requirements?

The best places to check for study abroad courses are the EAP Course Catalog: EAP course catalog link: https://myeap.eap.ucop.edu/Galileo/Service/CourseCatalog/CourseCatalog.aspx
and the UC Irvine Campus Credit Abroad catalog: https://uceap.universityofcalifornia.edu/campus-credit-abroad/uc-irvine-credit-abroad

If you are not participating in EAP it is still useful to check these resources to see what types of courses were approved and for which requirement(s). Please note – NO study abroad courses are “pre-approved” and all courses must be petitioned to meet specific degree requirements. Previous approval of a course does NOT guarantee approval once you return.

• Do my study abroad courses automatically count? How do I petition my study abroad courses?

If you complete a UCEAP program all courses count towards your units. In order to have courses count for specific requirements in your major, minor, or for GEs they must be petitioned. Once your study abroad courses have been posted to your official transcript complete the Humanities Study Abroad Petition

Carefully read the instructions on the petition form and make sure you include the course syllabi, major written assignments, and any other relevant course materials with your petition. If you are petitioning for a major requirement the petition needs to be submitted to the department of your major first and then taken to the Humanities Office of Undergraduate Study. If you need help with your petition or are not sure where to submit it, feel free to meet with an advisor in the Humanities Office of Undergraduate Study with your petition materials.

• What should I look for when selecting courses to count for my major/GEs/language requirement(s)?

Study abroad courses do not need to be an exact match for UCI courses, however study abroad courses should match UCI courses to meet requirements in the following ways:
  • Course level: Humanities does not approve upper-division courses to be used in place of lower-division courses/lower-division requirements and vice versa. For example, “Introduction to Philosophy” could not be used as an upper-division Philosophy major course but it could be used for GE IV or Humanities Core Alternative.
  • Course content: Study abroad courses should match the subject content of the UCI course it is being petitioned to replace. For example, English 102A courses at UCI cover Medieval and Renaissance Literature. English 124 “Victorian Literature and Culture” at Yonsei University would not be appropriate to petition for English 102A because it does not cover the specified time period.
  • Number of units: Study Abroad courses should match the minimum number of units a course needs to be to meet the requirement at UCI. For example, a 1 semester unit language course on grammar could not be used to meet a 4 quarter unit language course at UCI. Most major-required courses must be at least 4 quarter units. Courses may be combined to meet this requirement. For example, Three 1.5 semester unit Beginning Japanese courses could be combined to meet Japanese 1A at UCI (if petitioned and approved by UCI’s East Asian Studies Department).
  • Grade option/minimum course grade: Courses petitioned to meet major or school requirements must be taken for a letter grade. Courses petitioned to meet GE requirements can be taken for a letter grade or pass/no pass but must be a pass/D- to be applied.

• I want to fulfill the School of Humanities Language Other Than English Requirement while I am abroad. Which courses should I take?

The School of Humanities requires all Humanities majors complete up to level 2C (6th quarter or 4th semester) of a language other than English with a letter grade of C or better. Any study abroad course taken to fulfill this requirement must be completed for a letter grade and must cover an intermediate level knowledge or higher of a language other than English.

1) Check the UCI School of Humanities Language Other Than English Placement chart to review the placement requirements for the language you wish to pursue to determine which level you need to start with.
2) Look for course titles that reflect the level of the course, e.g. – “Beginning”, “Fundamental”, “Introduction to” would likely only cover a 1A level language course at UCI. “Intermediate”, “Level II” may satisfy 2B or 2C level courses. “Advanced” or upper division language courses may satisfy 2C.
3) Check the pre-requisite or placement requirements for the study abroad language course you wish to complete. If the course has no pre-requisites, it is likely a beginning/1A course.
Completing a placement exam upon return from study abroad may also be an option if no previous exam was completed for the same language before the study abroad term. Carefully review the Language Other Than English progression policies for more information:

https://www.humanities.uci.edu/undergrad/academics/lang.php

• I need authorization for a course at UCI based on a course I took while I was abroad. What should I do?

Submit the course information (syllabus, course description, study abroad program information) to the department offering the course you need to be authorized into. For example, if you are taking a course equivalent to UCI’s Japanese 2A in your study abroad program contact the East Asian Studies Department for authorization for Japanese 2B. If you are not sure which level you should be authorized for, contact the department offering the course with your course materials and ask what that course might be equivalent to at UCI. Please note – some languages require oral interviews to determine placement level. Plan carefully and reach out to the department as soon as you have a course syllabus and are enrolled in the course.

• Is there a limit to the number of study abroad courses I can use toward my requirements?

While there are several requirements that can be fulfilled with study abroad courses there are certain courses that must be completed at UCI. Lower division writing must be completed before studying abroad and Upper division writing must be complete at the UC Irvine campus. Additionally, each major and minor have specific residency requirements that state how many courses from study abroad programs can be applied. Carefully check the course catalogue for specific requirements and consult with an academic advisor for more information.

• Where should I go for more information about financial aid for studying abroad?

Check the Study Abroad Center website for more information about financial aid options: https://studyabroad.uci.edu/finances/

• I have a question that was not answered here. Where should I go?

Check with the Study Abroad Office (https://studyabroad.uci.edu/) or feel free to talk to a School of Humanities advisor in-person: https://www.humanities.uci.edu/undergrad/about/location.php

Or email us through our website:

https://www.humanities.uci.edu/undergrad/about/email_counselor.php