Florida Atlantic University

Extract from catalogue

STUDY ABROAD PROGRAM

Opportunities for Study Abroad are offered through the Florida Atlantic University Office of International Programs, located in Social Science 310. Study Abroad increases the student's knowledge of other countries and cultures, helps prepare students to compete in the global economy, and is a necessary prerequisite for careers in international organizations, the Foreign Service or the overseas branches of US multinational companies.

Study Abroad is particularly helpful to students in foreign languages, international business and other majors with an international orientation. A Study Abroad experience, however, will enhance the education of any major. Students enrolled in certificate programs, such as Latin American Studies, or undertaking an internationally oriented minor should also consider availing themselves of a Study Abroad experience.

FAU has a number of exchange student agreements with universities in other countries; the University offers a small number of its own programs; and it participates in a number of consortia with other universities which operate programs abroad for their students. Students can spend one or two semesters abroad, or they can enroll in study tours or six week summer programs.

Registration and Credit for Study Abroad

Students undertaking a study abroad program should have completed 30 semester credits and have at least a 2.5 grade point average. Students on approved Study Abroad programs register as FAU students in Study Abroad Courses available (or in the process of becoming available) in the regular academic departments of the University. These courses are variable title and variable credit courses. The title of the course taken overseas appears on the student's transcript. When grades are received from the institution where the student undertook courses abroad, they will be entered on the student's transcript as the grades received in the FAU Study Abroad courses for which the student registered.

The following courses are already approved and in the catalog under the appropriate academic department:

Accounting Study Abroad                 ACG 4957
Anthropology Study Abroad               ANT 2952, ANT 4957
Art Study Abroad                        ART 2952, ART 4957
Art History Study Abroad                ARH 2952, ARH 4957
Communication Study Abroad              COM 2952, COM 4957
Decision & Information Systems          QMB 4957
     Study Abroad
Economics Study Abroad                  ECO 2952, ECO 4957
English Study Abroad                    ENL 2952, ENL 4957
European History Study Abroad           EUH 2952, EUH 4957
Finance Study Abroad                    FIN 2952, FIN 4957
Foreign Language Study Abroad           FOL 2952, FOL 4957
French Study Abroad                     FRE 2952, FRE 4957
French Culture Study Abroad             FRW 2952, FRW 4957
Geography Study Abroad                  GEA 2952, GEA 4957
German Study Abroad                     GER 2952, GER 4957
German Culture Study Abroad             GRW 2952,GRW 4957
History Study Abroad                    HIS 2952, HIS 4957
International Business                  MAN 4683
     Study Abroad
Latin American History                  LAH 2952, LAH 4957
     Study Abroad
Literature Study Abroad                 LIT 2952, LIT 4957
Management Study Abroad                 MAN 4957
Marketing Study Abroad                  MAR 4957
Music Study Abroad                      MUS 2952, MUS 4957
Philosophy Study Abroad                 PHI 2952, PHI 4957
Political Science Study Abroad          CPO 2952, CPO 4957
Sociology Study Abroad                  SYG 2952, SYG 4957
Social Psychology Study Abroad          SYP 2952, SYP 4957
Theatre Study Abroad                    THE 2952, THE 4957

Departments in the College of Science are in the process of adding study abroad courses to the curriculum, and other departments in the University will also do so. Where appropriate FAU Study Abroad course numbers do not exist, students normally register under a Special Topics number. Occasionally, students are uncertain what courses they will take, and they register temporarily in IDS 2957 and a Drop-Add is executed on their behalf once their courses being taken abroad have been selected.

The advantages of registering for FAU courses are that the student continues to qualify for FAU Financial Aid and a formal mechanism for approval of credit for the courses and the relationship of the credits to FAU requirements is obtained in advance of the student traveling overseas. The University's Office of International Programs also provides advising on housing, transportation and insurance, as well as serving as a point of contact for parents while the student is overseas.

The student interested in studying abroad should first contact the Office of International Programs to find out about potential programs and begin the procedure for obtaining approval for the program. Normally, two types of approval are required: approval by the Departments offering courses in the fields which the student wishes to study abroad, and approval of an Academic Advisor showing the relationship of the credits to be earned abroad and the requirements of the student's major.

Students traveling on approved study abroad programs will be required to provide a Certificate of Insurance and an FAU Travel Program Assumption of Risk Agreement.

Fees, Costs, and Financial Aid

The cost of a semester abroad typically ranges from $4,000 to $6,000 including tuition, program fee and basic room and board. Travel expenses, including airfare are extra.

Students registered at FAU for study abroad programs qualify for most financial aid programs, and awards are adjusted to reflect the higher costs of studying abroad. In addition, there are a number of Federal Government programs especially designed for study abroad including the Fulbright programs for graduating seniors and graduate students, and the National Security Education Program for students studying outside Europe. Information on these programs is available from the Office of International Programs.

Internships are available in overseas countries. They often do not pay a stipend, and are run by organizations which charge a fee and require the student to line up an internship in the US for an overseas student.

Student Exchange Agreements

In addition to the exchange agreements for business and economics majors, the University has exchange agreements that are available to majors in other disciplines. These include agreements with Griffith University in Brisbane, the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (selected by the College of Nursing for their students) in Australia, the Ecole des Mines d'Ales in France (engineering, courses in French), the Technical University of Denmark (science and engineering majors, courses in English) and the University of Warwick in England (physics majors).