For the most up-to-date information on courses offered, visit your center’s homepage and click the courses link(s). You should note that not all courses on the list are offered every semester. You should also review additional academic information specific to your center, along with Syracuse Abroad Academic Policies.
- Academic Advising
- Credit
- Transfer Credit for Visiting students
- Enrollment Policy/Registration
- Class Attendance
- Grades
- Transcripts for Visiting students
- Library Resources
- Independent Research
- Internships
- Key Program Dates
Academic Advising
To help with academic advising and schedule adjustment or enrollment once you are abroad, you should bring with you or know how to locate the following resources online:
- Your school’s course catalog and academic policies
- Your Student Advising Form; an uploaded copy can be found in OrangeAbroad. You should have already obtained approval for your preferred schedule plus several alternative courses in case of scheduling conflict or course cancellation.
- Advising or degree check information from your home school/college
- The email address of an advisor who can assist you with academic questions
Credit
The unit of credit at Syracuse University is the semester hour. Each three-credit course represents a minimum of 37.5 contact hours.
Transfer Credit for Visiting Students
You will earn Syracuse University credit upon successful completion of courses taken through the Syracuse Abroad program. In addition to seeking pre-approval of courses you would like to take overseas, you also need to know your institution’s policies concerning grades and the transfer of credit. Colleges and universities generally accept Syracuse University courses for transfer credit in their degree programs, but you should check with your study abroad advisor and/or registrar to be certain that you know the minimum grade requirement and any other criteria your institution may have regarding the transfer of credits toward your degree. Undergraduate courses at SU are numbered 100-499, joint undergraduate and graduate courses are numbered 500-599, and graduate courses are numbered 600 and above.
To make certain that you will get credit at your home school for the courses you take abroad, Syracuse Abroad requires the completion of the Study Abroad Approval Form as part of the application process. In this form, we ask your study abroad advisor to indicate whether you have received approval to participate the Syracuse Abroad program.
Syracuse University academic forms other than Pass/Fail requests (Add/Drop forms, independent study/internship proposals, and related petitions) submitted by visiting students are reviewed by SU departments and Syracuse Abroad, not by your home institution. Approval of such forms may or may not be in accordance with your own institution’s requirements or policies. You are responsible for contacting your academic advisor if you have any questions about your Syracuse Abroad registration.
Enrollment Policy/Registration
Depending on the program, registration for your study abroad courses takes place either online prior to departure or on site after arrival overseas. You may not be able to register if you have a financial or other hold on your record.
Center program undergraduate students must register for a minimum of 12 credits of Syracuse Abroad courses, not counting any Signature Seminar credits. See your center-specific section for additional enrollment requirements. Typical enrollment in all programs is 15–16 credits.
Course Add/Drop/Withdraw: After registration, you may change your schedule by adding or dropping courses after consulting with your home college academic adviser. Deadlines applicable to each registration action are published in the program academic calendar and/or found in View My Class Schedule in MySlice. Courses may not be added after the add deadline. Courses—other than required Signature Seminars—may be dropped without financial penalty until the drop deadline. Courses dropped by this deadline are not recorded on your transcript. After the drop deadline, but before the withdrawal deadline, you may withdraw from a course by petition and will receive a WD on your transcript. Withdrawn courses still count in your total billing credits.
Undergraduate students requesting to drop below 12 credits must first consult a home college academic advisor and financial aid counselor to ensure this would not have adverse academic or financial consequences. Note that at all centers 12 credits is the minimum required to be considered a full-time student per immigration and/or program requirements.
Class Attendance
Attendance in classes is expected in all courses at Syracuse University. Class attendance requirements are established by the instructor of each course or by center policy. Instructors may set and announce penalties when excessive absences would seriously hinder achievement in particular courses. Instructors overseas may specify class participation as part of the final grade.
One of the benefits of studying abroad is the ability to travel in your country of study. Syracuse Abroad centers plan field trips – some course related, others for general interest – to expand your understanding of the history, arts, and culture of your host country. Sometimes, however, the lure and accessibility of other countries may tempt you to ignore the importance of the classroom experience. It is your academic responsibility to attend classes regularly.
Grades
Syracuse University uses an A–F grading scale on a 0–4.000 cumulative grade point scale. Grades for center courses offered by SU are typically posted within two weeks following the end of the program. Grades for courses taken at an affiliated local university may not be posted to students’ transcripts for several weeks after the end of the program. For country-specific information, see the Preparing to Go section for your center. Once posted, you can review your grades online via the MySlice portal at myslice.syr.edu. Be sure to raise any questions about accuracy or missing grades promptly.
Grades awarded for courses at affiliated local universities may be translated to the U.S. equivalent according to special conversion charts available to students through the Syracuse Centers. To obtain a copy of the relevant grading conversion chart, please contact the Center staff.
At Syracuse University, all work for registered classes must be completed on or before the degree certification date. Graduating seniors should seek advice from their home college regarding their degree certification date.
Passing grades in order of rank are:
| A | 4.0 |
| A- | 3.667 |
| B+ | 3.333 |
| B | 3.0 |
| B- | 2.667 |
| C+ | 2.333 |
| C | 2.0 |
| C- | 1.667 |
| D | 1.0 |
Failing grades are F (failure) and I (incomplete). Neutral grades are P (Pass), WD (withdrew), AU (audit), and NA (did not attend).
Pass/Fail: Undergraduate students may request to take only one course on a Pass/Fail basis. Credit is awarded for a grade of P, but the P is not considered in determining your grade point average. No grade other than P or F will be reported on your transcript. Not all Syracuse Abroad courses may be taken on a Pass/Fail basis. A notation will appear in the course description for any course that cannot be taken on a Pass/Fail basis. Pass/Fail requests must be made by the deadline published in the seminar or semester academic calendar or found on MySlice. You may not change from Pass/Fail to Letter Grade (or Letter Grade to Pass/Fail) after this deadline. Graduate students may receive Pass/Fail grades only for courses designated as Pass/Fail.
Pass/Fail requests should be made via MySlice as with main campus courses. Requests must be approved by the student’s home school/college and students are advised to be aware of any college-specific restrictions and implications when requesting to take a course for Pass/Fail grading (Matriculated SU students: see “Academic Rules” on the Syracuse Course Catalog website). Due to the time required for your academic advisor and Syracuse Abroad to receive and process requests, Syracuse students requesting Pass/Fail grading for any course are strongly encouraged to discuss in advance with their home college academic advisor whether such a request is likely to be approved.
Visiting students should find out prior to departure whether or not their home college will transfer credits taken for Pass/Fail grades. At Syracuse, “Pass” represents a grade of D or better. Pass/Fail requests are only accepted from visiting students who present written confirmation that their home school has approved their request.
Audit: Undergraduate students enrolled in 12 or more semester credits may request to audit one additional course on a space-available basis with the approval of the instructor and the program director and subject to the instructor’s requirements and restrictions. Regular attendance is the minimum requirement when auditing a class. You may not change from credit to audit (or audit to credit) after the published audit deadline. Some courses may not be audited; see your center-specific section for pertinent details.
Transcripts for Visiting Students
Syracuse University maintains a permanent academic transcript showing complete information for courses taken and grades earned for every student, matriculated or non-matriculated, who enrolls in credit-bearing course work through any Syracuse University program. Transcripts may not be modified for any reason.
Your home college or university will need an official transcript issued by the Registrar’s Office at Syracuse University in order to award credit for your semester on a Syracuse Abroad program. Transcripts are not issued automatically – you need to submit a request to the SU Registrar’s Office after your semester abroad ends and you have confirmed that all your grades are posted and you have no financial holds. At the end of your semester abroad you will be reminded to submit a transcript request. Please visit Requesting your Transcript for more information.
Syracuse University Library Resources
Syracuse University’s Bird Library has extensive online journals, databases, and other resources available to you 24 hours a day while you’re studying abroad. Visiting students have access to some of these resources upon acceptance and full access generally by the start of classes. Full access requires students to use their SUID number and to activate their NetID. Please visit the Syracuse University Libraries website for more information.
Independent Research
Requests to undertake an independent study project must be approved by May 15 for the fall semester and November 15 for the spring semester. Independent study will only be approved when necessary to meet a degree requirement that cannot be fulfilled by a center course offering and to stay on track for graduation. Also, an appropriate faculty sponsor and research materials must be available abroad. To begin the approval process, contact Kelsey Hanbach, Assistant Director, Curriculum and Academic Services.
Internships
Internships are available at all Syracuse Abroad programs. See your center program page for details since the process varies by program. While we cannot guarantee a specific placement, we attempt to find a suitable match between your background and interests and an available position. Placements are typically subject to an on-site interview overseas and cannot be finalized until after you arrive abroad.
If you intend for an internship to meet a degree requirement, you should discuss this with your home school/college or major advisor before you go abroad in addition to informing Center staff. Syracuse students: here are some school-specific policies or restrictions:
- Newhouse students in communications internships must arrange for a main campus Newhouse faculty sponsor before going abroad. Singly-enrolled Newhouse majors need approval from their academic advisor to undertake an internship in a field other than public communications; such internships will not count within their degree.
- iSchool students in information management and technology placements must also complete iSchool internship requirements via Blackboard in addition to meeting additional hours on site.
- Internships abroad do not fulfill Whitman students’ graduation internship requirement unless directed/approved by the London Whitman School program director or Whitman Career Services.
Note that approval for internship credit is based on the proposal you submit once your internship is finalized abroad (except for London students who receive internship credit by registering for an internship class: The Global Workplace). This form is subject to review by the appropriate academic department and your home school/college. Visiting students’ forms are reviewed at Syracuse Abroad after receiving departmental approval.
Some internships may be registered under the non-departmental rubric IPA (International Internship Abroad). Most internship placements are registered for one to three credits (based on hours fulfilled on site, on program requirements, and departmental and/or home school policy). A minimum of 45 hours on site is required for each credit.
Most internships are registered at the 400-level. However, it is possible that some may be registered at the 200- or 300-level, as determined by departmental criteria.
Key Program Dates
Calendar information available prior to departure is posted on our website under your center’s home page. Dates include start of Signature Seminar(s), classes, and final exams; any semester break; and the end of the program. Students will receive a detailed program calendar upon arrival abroad and should not make any personal travel plans until they know all of their academic commitments (required field study and all-program trips, make-up classes due to holidays, supplemental sessions for signature seminars, exam dates, internship interviews, etc.). Academic requirements cannot be waived or changed to accommodate personal travel or activities. Failure to attend a required class or activity due to personal travel, even if made prior to departure, will be treated as an unexcused absence, which may affect your final grade.
Some programs may not have a semester break and students taking courses at more than one location (for example, at both our center and a local university) may have different break and exam periods and program end dates than those for the center. If the local university calendar requires you to stay beyond the center program end date, you may be charged a supplemental program fee to cover additional room and board expenses.