Course Selection

As part of the application process, IWU students complete a Course Approval Form.  To do so, you will consult published lists of courses offered through their program and, in conference with your academic advisor, put together a tentative schedule of classes.  If you seeks to have courses fulfill major, minor, or General Education requirements, you must seek appropriate approval, which is indicated on the form by the signature of the department chair(s) and/or director of General Education.

When approval is granted for study abroad courses, the approval is for the specific course of study listed on that approval form.  This means that, once abroad, students are expected to take the course of study outlined on their Course Approval Form. If a you must change courses for valid academic reasons (e.g., scheduling conflicts or course availability issues), you should contact the academic advisor and the International Office as soon as possible to discuss the change.  If you seek credit in the major, minor, or General Education program for a course not on the Course Approval Form, you need to contact the appropriate department chair(s) and/or General Education director by e-mail.  We advise students to save copies of all such electronic exchanges and to forward copies to the International Office.  When you return to campus, you will be asked to complete another Course Approval Form for any courses not on the original form.

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Course Load

Students studying abroad are required to carry a full-time load of coursework.  At IWU, a full course load consists of 4 IWU units -- or the equilavent of 12 semester hours.  Students are advised, however, to also check with their program to see what constitutes a full course load.  Your off-campus study program must report all credit earned abroad.

Participation in an off-campus study program precludes simultaneous registration for IWU coursework (e.g., independent study, internships, etc.).  If you do register for on-campus coursework, you must drop those courses before the end of the semester before you depart.  If on the first day of the semester you are registered for on-campus classes, you will be charged IWU’s tuition for those classes.

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Examinations

If you are enrolled at a foreign university, you must sit at the regularly scheduled times for all examinations that are required of you, including those given at the end of individual academic terms and, if you are on an academic-year program, any comprehensive exams that are given at the end of the academic year. Failure to do so may result in a failing grade.

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Grades and Credit

IWU does not allow students to take their study abroad coursework on a credit/ no credit basis.  For affiliated programs, all coursework -- including failed courses -- from a semester or academic year off-campus study program will be reflected as IWU credit on your University transcript and will be factored into your IWU cumulative grade point average.

Upper- or lower-division credit is determined by the teaching institution.  The International Office determines whether upper division credit will be awarded and records this on your Course Approval Form.

The amount of credit awarded is determined by the teaching institution. A course unit at IWU is defined as the equivalent of 4 semester hours. Therefore, a 3-semester-hour study abroad course earns the equivalent of 0.75 IWU course units. A student carrying a 15-semester-hour course load while abroad will earn 3.75 IWU units for the semester’s study.  In order for a course to fulfill a major, minor, or General Education requirement, it must carry at least 3 semester hours of credit.

Credit earned through off-campus study is degree credit for graduation, but this does not guarantee that it may be applied towards major, minor, or General Education  requirements. As part of the approval process, you are required to consult with the appropriate department chair/program director or the director of General Education to determine how your off-campus study credit will apply towards your degree program.  You must complete the Course Approval Form, obtain the signatures of relevant department chairs and/or the director of the General Education program, and return it to the International Office by the required deadline.

It is the prerogative of each department or program at IWU to determine whether or not to apply credit from off-campus study toward its requirements. Not all coursework is necessarily approved in advance; departments can require evaluation of certain courses upon your return from the program. It is always a good idea to return to IWU with copies of the course syllabi, reading lists, papers, and exams from off-campus study.

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