Study Abroad Transfer Credit
All coursework for a major or minor to be taken abroad must be pre-approved by the department and the dean’s office.
At least half the major or minor must be done at Georgetown and within the department, regardless of the source of transfer credit. Transfer credit includes Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, international credit, transfer credit from U.S. schools (either prior to Georgetown matriculation or during summer school), consortium classes, and study abroad. As such, a particular student may have greater restrictions on study abroad transfers than those noted on this webpage.
American Musical Culture
Minors may transfer up to 2 courses for a semester or a year abroad.
Contact: Professor Anthony Deldonna
American Studies
Majors may transfer up to 2 courses for a semester abroad and up to 4 courses for a year abroad.
Students must arrange in advance for the American civilization sequence (AMST-203, 204, 205, 206) and the senior seminar (AMST-305, 306), as well as the 14-course overall requirement.
Contact: Professor Diana Owen
Anthropology
Majors may transfer up to 2 courses for a semester abroad and up to 3 courses for a year abroad. Minors may transfer up to 2 courses for either a semester or year abroad.
All abroad coursework must be from among the electives. All four major core courses must be taken at Georgetown.
Contact: Professor Sylvia Onder
Arabic
Majors may transfer up to 2 courses for a semester abroad and up to 4 courses for a year abroad. Minors may transfer up to 2 courses for either a semester or year abroad.
Upon return, students’ competency will be assessed via examination of their records and/or placement exams.
Contact: Professor Kassem Wahba
Art History
Majors may transfer up to 2 courses for a semester abroad and up to 3 courses for a year abroad, with departmental approval.
Minors may transfer up to 2 courses taken outside the department (including study abroad) for art history credit.
Contact: Professor Elizabeth Prelinger
Biology
Majors may transfer up to 2 courses for a semester abroad and up to 4 courses for a year abroad. Minors may transfer up to 2 courses for either a semester or year abroad.
In general, courses should be taken in departments of biology, and not in professional schools such as medicine or dentistry.
Contact: Professor Joseph Neale
Business Administration
One course may transfer toward the business administration minor, subject to MSB dean’s office approval.
Contact: MSB Academic Counselor Lisa Scheeler
Chemistry
Majors may transfer up to 2 courses for a semester abroad and up to 4 courses for a year abroad. Minors may transfer up to 2 courses for either a semester or year abroad.
Course evaluation following return will require consultation with an advisor from the institution abroad. A semester abroad, usually the spring of the junior year, is preferred over a full year.
Contact: Professor Diana Glick
Chinese
Majors may transfer up to 2 courses for a semester abroad and up to 4 courses for a year abroad. Minors may transfer up to 2 courses for either a semester or year abroad.
Contact: Professor Fei Ren
Classics
Majors may transfer up to 3 courses for a semester abroad and up to 5 courses for a year abroad. Minors may transfer up to 3 courses for either a semester or year abroad.
Students whose languages are not advanced by the fall of the junior year should postpone study abroad until the spring semester. The classical humanities program in Rome is recommended for a one-semester program with 5 courses accepted toward the major.
Contact: Professor Charles McNelis
Comparative Literature
Majors may transfer up to 2 courses for a semester abroad and up to 4 courses for a year abroad.
Contact: Professor Emily Francomano
Computer Science
Majors may transfer up to 3 courses for a semester abroad and up to 5 courses for a year abroad. Minors may transfer up to 2 courses for either a semester or year abroad.
Contact: Professor Mahe Velauthapillai
Economics
Majors may transfer up to 2 courses for a semester abroad and up to 3 courses for a year abroad. Minors may transfer up to 2 courses for either a semester or year abroad.
If courses abroad are from among the below 400-level electives for the major, there is considerable flexibility. If courses abroad are from among the requirements (e.g., ECON-101, 102, 121, 122) or 400-level electives, then the replacement course from overseas must be approved by the department.
Contact: Professor William Jack
English
For students studying English literature and culture at English, Irish, or Anglo-phone colleges and university (including among others, Australian, Canadian, Indian, and New Zealand institutions), the department allows two courses per semester, and a maximum of four for a full academic year abroad, to count against the major.
For students studying non-English literatures at universities abroad, the department allows 2 courses total to count against the major, despite the duration of their time abroad, provided that the courses substituted were taken in the primary language of instruction at the host university. Six courses in the major and 4 courses in the minor must be taken at Georgetown.
Contact: Professor John Hirsh, Professor Wayne Knoll, and Professor Duncan Wu
Film and Media Studies
Minors may transfer up to 2 courses for a semester or a year abroad.
Contact: Dean Bernie Cook
French
Majors may transfer up to 2 courses for a semester abroad and up to 4 courses for a year abroad. Minors may transfer up to 2 courses for either a semester or year abroad.
At least 2 of the upper-division French electives for the major must be done at Georgetown, normally during senior year.
Contact: Professor Paul Young
German
Majors may transfer up to 2 courses for a semester abroad and up to 4 courses for a year abroad. Minors may transfer up to 2 courses for either a semester or year abroad.
Contact: Professor Peter Pfeiffer
Government
Majors and minors may transfer up to 2 courses for a semester or a year abroad.
Contact: Professor Dan Nexon or Professor Mark Rom
History
Majors may transfer up to 4 courses (12 credits) for a semester or year abroad. Minors may transfer up to 2 courses for either a semester or year abroad.
Credit at the 100-level will be granted for courses of the survey type and mostly consisting of a lecture format. Credit at the 200-level will be granted for more thematic courses, of lecture or seminar format, and requiring more substantial work. No credits can be transferred at the 300+ level.
Contact: Professor Tommaso Astarita
Interdisciplinary Studies
Majors may transfer up to 2 courses for a semester abroad and up to 4 courses for a year abroad. Minors may transfer up to 2 courses for either a semester or year abroad.
Contact: Dean Hugh Cloke
Italian
Majors may transfer up to 2 courses for a semester abroad and up to 4 courses for a year abroad.
Minors may transfer up to 1 course for either a semester or year abroad.
Only literature-, culture-, or country-specific courses taught in Italian may be applied to the major.
Contact: Professor Laura Benedetti
Japanese
Majors may transfer up to 2 courses for a semester abroad and up to 4 courses for a year abroad. Minors may transfer up to 2 courses for either a semester or year abroad.
Contact: Professor Yoshiko Mori
Linguistics
Majors may transfer up to 2 courses for a semester abroad and up to 4 courses for a year abroad. Minors may transfer up to 2 courses for either a semester or year abroad.
Contact: Professor Lisa Zsiga
Mathematics
Majors may transfer up to 2 courses for a semester abroad and up to 3 courses for a year abroad. Minors may transfer up to 2 courses for either a semester or year abroad.
Only 1 of the 4 required core courses in the major may be taken abroad. Other math courses may be applied toward the major electives. The second semester of the junior year is the preferred time to study abroad.
Contact: Professor Mary Erb
Medieval Studies
For non-Villa programs, majors may transfer up to 2 courses for a semester abroad and up to 4 courses for a year abroad. Minors may transfer up to 2 courses for either a semester or year abroad.
For Villa programs, majors and minors may be allowed to transfer up to 3 courses for a semester abroad and up to one-half of the overall requirements for the major or minor.
Contact: Professor Kelley Wickham-Crowley
Philosophy
Majors may transfer up to 3 courses for a semester abroad and up to 5 courses for a year abroad. Minors may transfer up to 2 courses for either a semester or year abroad.
For majors, all courses from abroad credited toward the major must be taken from philosophy faculty.
Contact: Professor Linda Wetzel
Physics
Majors may transfer up to 2 courses for a semester abroad and up to 4 courses for a year abroad. Minors may transfer up to 2 courses for either a semester or year abroad.
The preferred time for study abroad is spring of junior year, after core courses are done. The number of transfer credits allowed is determined on a case-by-case basis.
Contact: Professor David Egolf
Political Economy
Majors may transfer up to 2 courses for either a semester or year abroad.
Contact: Professor Roger Lagunoff
Portuguese
Majors may transfer up to 2 courses for a semester abroad and up to 4 courses for a year abroad. Minors may transfer up to 2 courses for either a semester or year abroad.
Contact: Professor Barbara Mujica
Psychology
Majors may transfer up to 2 courses for a semester abroad and up to 4 courses for a year abroad. Minors may transfer up to 2 courses for either a semester or year abroad.
One-semester programs are preferred over full-year programs.
Students should contact their faculty advisors in psychology.
Russian
Majors may transfer up to 2 courses for a summer abroad, up to 3 courses for a semester abroad, and up to 5 courses for a year abroad. Minors may transfer up to 2 courses for either a summer, semester, or year abroad.
Majors usually receive credit for the following courses depending upon the semester spent abroad, Third-level Russian I or II (RUSS-211or 212), Issues in Russian Society and Culture I or II (RUSS-213 or 214), and one course toward the four 300+ level Russian electives needed to complete the major. Academic-year students usually receive both courses of the RUSS-211–212 and 213–214 sequences, and one course toward the four 300+ level Russian electives needed to complete the major. Students going abroad for a summer only should speak to the department chair to determine the appropriate program equivalent(s).
Contact: Professor Marcia Morris or Professor David Andrews
Sociology
Majors may transfer up to 2 courses for a semester abroad and up to 4 courses for a year abroad. Minors may transfer up to 2 courses for either a semester or year abroad.
All abroad coursework must be from among the electives. All 5 major core courses must be taken at Georgetown.
Contact: Professor William McDonald
Spanish
Majors may transfer up to 2 courses for a semester abroad and up to 4 courses for a year abroad. Minors may transfer 1 course per semester abroad. An office hours sign-up sheet is located in the department.
Contact: Professor Barbara Mujica
Studio Art
Majors and minors may transfer up to 2 courses for either a semester or year abroad.
Contact: Professor Elizabeth Prelinger
Theater and Performance Studies
Minors may transfer up to 2 courses for either a semester or year abroad.
Contact: Professor Maya Roth
Theology
Majors and minors may transfer up to 3 courses for either a semester or year abroad.
The department prefers one-semester programs abroad and accepts up to 3 courses that can substitute for the intermediate-level courses allowed in the major requirements.
Contact: Professor Theresa Sanders
Women’s and Gender Studies
Majors may transfer up to 2 courses for a semester abroad and up to 4 courses for a year abroad. Minors may transfer up to 2 courses for either a semester or year abroad.
Contact: Professor Dana Luciano
