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 web page.
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 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 four major core courses must be taken at Georgetown.
Contact: Professor Susan Terrio
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 Amin Bonnah
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 Philip Sze
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 junior year, is preferred over a full year.
Contact: Professor Angel DeDios or Professor Richard Bates
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 Philip Kafalas
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 Catherine Keesling
Comparative Literature
Majors may transfer up to 2 courses for a semester abroad and up to 4 courses for a year abroad.
Contact: Professor Adam Lifshey
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 Brian Blake
Economics
Majors and minors may transfer up to 2 courses for a semester or a 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 are 400-level electives, then the replacement course from overseas must be approved by the department.
Contact: Professor Carol Rogers
English
A maximum of 4 courses taught outside of the Georgetown English Department may be applied to the English major. The four-course limit includes courses from abroad, from non-Georgetown summer school programs, and from transfer credit.
Of these 4 courses, no more than 2 courses may be taken abroad in languages other than English about literatures other than Anglophone literature.
Majors should take their two gateway courses at Georgetown before going abroad.
Minors may transfer a maximum of 2 courses toward the minor in English.
Contact: Professor John Hirsh
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 two of the upper division French electives for the major must be done at Georgetown, normally during senior year.
Contact: Professor Andrew Sobanet
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 Thane Gustafson 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 Anne Sullivan
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 Raffaella Zanuttini
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 one of the four 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 Andrew Vogt
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 Jo Ann Moran Cruz
Music
Minors may transfer up to 2 courses for a semester or a year abroad.
Contact: Professor Anna Celenza
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 James Freericks
Political Economy
Majors may transfer up to 2 courses for either a semester or year abroad.
Contact: Professor Thane Gustafson or Professor Mark Rom
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 Vivaldo Santos
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 211 or 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 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 five major core courses must be taken at Georgetown.
Contact: Professor Timothy Wickham-Crowley
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 B. G. Muhn
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 Anthony Tambasco
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 Pamela Fox
last updated Wednesday, September 12, 2007

