Programs Offering MSU Courses
Programs Offering Transfer Credit
Foreign Language Components

Michigan State University expects study abroad participants to perform academically at standards commensurate with on-campus performance. You must follow the local (not MSU) academic calendar for these activities.

Most instruction in short-term programs is done in English by MSU faculty leaders. Some semester-long program courses are taught in English by local faculty, and those that have a foreign language requirement are taught in the local language.

If you intend to extend your stay abroad, it is your responsibility to contact your academic adviser to determine whether this is academically appropriate and what steps may need to be taken.

PROGRAMS OFFERING MSU COURSES

In most cases students choose from a number of course offerings that have already been approved by the different colleges across campus. In short-term programs and some long-term programs, your academic performance is graded by the accompanying MSU faculty leader. We strongly suggest you that you contact the faculty member in charge of the program and your academic adviser to ensure that the classes you intend to take abroad meet your graduation requirements. Offered courses are usually based on the number of students enrolled, and low enrollment numbers may result in the cancellation of courses. Excursions are an integral part of many programs and are part of academic dimension and should not be viewed as merely tourist outings.

Course Enrollment

When you receive an official acceptance letter from the Office of Study Abroad, MSU students should cancel on-campus course enrollment (if applicable) and replace those courses with study abroad courses. However, prior to receiving this letter, you should maintain your on-campus enrollment to avoid losing those courses or receiving a late enrollment fee. As soon as you receive your letter of acceptance, you can proceed with study abroad enrollment.

All currently enrolled MSU students will receive enrollment information with the acceptance letter. The University will notify you of your specific enrollment time via e-mail. You can also check with the Office of the Registrar and STU-INFO for enrollment schedules. Generally, students will enroll for summer courses in March and for fall and spring courses in April. (You must be enrolled in your summer courses by mid-April in order to receive a financial aid refund in early-May.) Please note that since there is no on-campus "winter break" semester, enrollment and billing for winter break programs will follow the same schedule as spring semester programs. Your winter break tuition charge will be included with the spring semester tuition bill and be due according to spring semester billing schedule.

To enroll for study abroad courses, use the telephone and computer enrollment systems; however, to ensure you enroll in the correct courses (section and sequence number), use the following steps.

There are several ways to determine the current course offerings for your program:

1. Access the Schedule of Courses on the MSU Web page and select "Info for Students", then scroll down to Schedule of Courses:
1. If you are unsure of what specific courses are offered on your program and want to find a listing of all study abroad courses, click on the appropriate semester and Off Campus icon. This will list ALL off campus courses, including those offered in the United States. By scrolling down, you will be able to find those courses offered at your program location under the Building/Location. All study abroad sections carry the section designation 750-779 and are clearly designated for the city, country and dates.
2. If you know the specific course you intend to take, click on the appropriate semester, the course, and the Study Abroad box designated under Location.
2. Consult with the faculty leader who will inform you of any courses being offered in addition to those listed on the brochure and Web site. Additionally, you should discuss with the faculty any courses that may have variable credits.

All other course enrollment procedures are consistent with those on campus, including deadlines. Due to the fact that these courses are only open to study abroad participants, there is no maximum capacity for enrollment.

Please note that if a course is offered for variable credits you must select an exact number of credits. For example 1-4 indicates you can take the course for 1, 2, 3, or 4 credits. In the event that you are unable to complete telephone enrollment, it is likely you need an override. The Office of Study Abroad is not authorized to do overrides. Therefore, you should contact the department offering the course for assistance.

Students participating in year-long and semester-long programs must enroll for a minimum of 12 credits per semester or the minimum number specified. Students participating in short-term programs are required to enroll in the minimum number specified in the brochure.

Grade reports and transfer of credit

Upon successful completion of courses abroad, all credits and grades (where applicable) earned will be recorded by the MSU Office of the Registrar, and a grade report will be sent to your home address. MSU students will have the appropriate courses recorded on their regular transcripts. All other students wishing to have credits transferred to another institution must request that the MSU Office of the Registrar send a transcript. This is not done automatically.

To request a transcript, send a check or money order for $5.00 payable to MSU to:

Office of the Registrar
50 Administration Building
Michigan State University
East Lansing, Michigan 48824-0210

Please state the semester and year you attended MSU, the location of the courses taken, your student PID number or social security number, and your date of birth. Please include the address to which the transcript should be sent and verify all information with your written signature. Alternatively, you can order a transcript from the MSU Office of the Registrar Web site.

PROGRAMS OFFERING TRANSFER CREDIT

Printer-friendly info and Guest Course Approval Form Contacts [pdf]

In some programs you will have the opportunity to enroll directly in classes offered by the host institution and will, therefore, receive transfer credit from that institution. If you are unsure as to whether your program offers transfer credit, contact your OSA program coordinator. If you are participating in such a program, we strongly suggest that you list, through the Guest Course Approval Form, more classes than you plan to take so you have additional options in case a particular class is full or has been canceled. The decision for the number and type of transfer credits is recommended by your academic adviser or departmental representative and approved by the assistant dean of your college.

There are various advantages to directly enrolling in courses at a host institution. You will learn to navigate a new academic system and foreign society on your own, usually with the assistance of the Resident Director (RD). When you need help, you will turn to your host country peers and the RD for guidance, building social relationships in the process. Such experiences promote a deep understanding of the host culture, and the impact of such an experience can be long lasting. However, with these advantages come the challenges of learning to be on your own in a new academic system and possibly operating in a second language. The courses may be structured very differently from MSU courses: your courses may consist of only formal lectures and few exams. Alternatively, they may consist of tutorials or discussion groups with the expectation that you will complete all of the readings on your own before the final exam. Some students have been surprised that such courses may be more challenging than their MSU courses. Whatever the academic arrangements may be, remember that the courses offered abroad are not better or worse, but guaranteed to be different, from MSU! After all, that is the reason you have chosen to study abroad!

The following steps will assist you in successfully obtaining transfer credit:

1. Check Transfer MSU at to determine whether the courses you have selected have been previously approved and had MSU equivalencies determined. If your desired courses are on Transfer MSU, there is no need to seek approval; if they are not on Transfer MSU, you should proceed with the following steps.
   
   Please note: The following steps may take as long as 4-6 weeks to complete, so allow sufficient time.
   
   
2. Make an appointment with your academic adviser to assist you with program selection, transfer of credit determination, and completion of the Guest Course Approval Form (available from the Office of Study Abroad). You must provide course descriptions and syllabi to the departments to which you want to transfer credit. For example, if you are taking a chemistry course, speak with the chemistry department, even if you are a James Madison College major. Your academic adviser will guide you on how the courses fit into your program, but they are unable to evaluate and approve these transfer credits. See the attached list of college representatives to assist you with this form. The chair of each department recommends the equivalencies and initials the form. The Assistant Dean(s) of the appropriate college(s) grants the final approval.
   
   A note to seniors: The MSU Academic Programs Publication states: "A senior who has earned sufficient credits from this University and met the minimum requirements (as stated in this publication), through prior arrangement with the assistant dean of the college and the registrar, may be permitted to transfer not to exceed 10 of the last 30 credits from an accredited four-year college or university." Exceptions to this rule may be made up to a total of 15 credits, but arrangements MUST be made with the assistant dean of your major college before departure. The assistant dean of your college must submit a written request to the Assistant Provost for Undergraduate Education, 208 Administration Building, before an exception can be granted.
   
   
3. Complete the Michigan State University Guest Course Approval Form with your academic adviser, stating the courses you plan to take abroad and for which you would like to receive credit. It is best to list more courses than you intend to take so you can register for approved courses upon arrival despite possible course cancellations or schedule conflicts. Follow the directions carefully as printed on the back of the form. IT IS A WRITTEN GUARANTEE THAT YOU WILL RECEIVE MSU CREDIT UPON YOUR RETURN if you have an evaluation with passing marks. Please note that credits in which grades were earned of any designation less than "C" (2.0), such as C minus (less than 2.0), are not acceptable in transfer unless you have a cumulative grade-point average of at least 2.00 from the transferring institution. If the form is only partially completed, registration and financial aid distribution will be based on the number of credits indicated on the form. If you should change the program, sponsoring institution, and/or courses from those indicated on this form, this guarantee will no longer apply. It is your responsibility to have this form completed and signed by the respective departments, colleges, and Office of Admissions. It is recommended that you deliver and pick up the form from the Assistant Dean(s) rather than ask for the form to be forwarded. In this way, you can ensure that you have obtained the proper signatures and can make a copy for your records. The Office of Study Abroad is unable to coordinate course evaluation or obtain signatures. If you leave to go on a program without completed forms and all required signatures at the bottom of the Guest Course Approval Form, there is a strong possibility that you will not receive transfer credit for your program. When the form is complete and signed by all involved, the original copy is yours, the green copy is kept by the Office of Admissions, and the canary copy is routed to the assistant dean of your college. It is your responsibility to give a copy to the Office of Study Abroad so you can be registered.
   
   
4. The Office of Study Abroad will register you for INP or INX, International Programs, for the number of credits required for your program. You do not have to register yourself. If you have already registered for on-campus courses during your study abroad period, this registration will automatically be removed. Please note that this INP/INX course is a temporary registration that maintains your enrollment at MSU and financial aid eligibility. You will not receive credit under this course number since the course will be replaced with the transfer credits from abroad. The credits you are taking as a guest student may transfer to MSU but the grade point and honor points will not. You will receive transfer credit only for those courses for which you receive a passing grade. Credits in which grades were earned of any designation less than "C" (2.0), such as "C-" (less than 2.0), are not acceptable in transfer unless you have a cumulative grade-point average of at least 2.00 from the transferring institution.
   
   
5. If, in addition, you will be doing directed study abroad, you must register for the actual departmental course under which you will receive the credit. Please notify the Office of Study Abroad about this arrangement so a special study abroad section can be created for you. This registration must be for the semester for which you wish to apply the credits. You are required to pay regular MSU tuition for these directed study credits.

Upon completion of your program, your transcript from abroad will be sent to the Office of Study Abroad. The OSA staff will retain a copy and send the original to the Transfer Credit Evaluation Unit where your INP/INX enrollment will be removed and replaced with an indication of the institution where you studied and the total number of transfer credits. Please note that the individual course credits that you receive will not be reflected on your official academic transcript. However, these courses will be reflected on the Internal Advising Report as well as the Sample Summary Sheet (two internal MSU documents) and counted as equivalencies as indicated on your signed Guest Course Approval Form.

FOREIGN LANGUAGE

If you choose a program with a foreign language component, you should not view this as a culminating experience; rather, learning a foreign language abroad can lay a foundation and put future courses into context.

Many programs do not have a foreign language requirement. Students who want a university-integrated experience must have proficiency in the language of the host country. Proficiency is defined as successful completion of at least four (and sometimes five) semesters, or the equivalent, of university level foreign language courses. Proficiency in a foreign language will allow you to take academic courses in that language, allow you to communicate more effectively with the locals, and enable you to better understand the local culture. In some programs there are no foreign language prerequisites but on-site foreign language instruction is offered as optional or mandatory. The Office of Study Abroad highly encourages you to take the optional foreign language course(s).