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Welcome to the course equivalency database for SCU-approved global programs offered through Global Engagement.
We've provided step-by-step instructions for using the course equivalency database and requesting a new course evaluation below. If you have any further questions, please contact us at studyabroad@scu.edu
We highly encourage all students to submit as many course evaluations as they need to prior to submitting an application to ensure their program preferences are academically aligned. The earlier a student submits a course evaluation, the more confident and prepared that student will be for their global experience.
- Students may submit new course evaluation requests before, during, and after their global program. They are not required to take the courses they requested an evaluation for, but they should always ensure the courses they enroll in while abroad are approved by the academic department at SCU.
- If course(s) are approved for major, minor, or core credit this does not guarantee enrollment. Students will work directly with their program on course enrollment during phase 3 when they are preparing for departure.
Processing time for course evaluations can vary greatly depending on the academic department and time of year. After an academic department reviews a student's course evaluation request, Global Engagement incorporates every approval and denial into the course equivalency database. The Office of the Registrar then uses the course equivalency database and the course evaluation form that students complete while abroad to transfer grades and credits when their transcript arrives on campus.
Please be aware that academic departments at Santa Clara University may be obliged to alter or eliminate course equivalencies for courses abroad described at any time due to curricular changes within the department.**
| Major & Minor | Rules & Regulations for Study Abroad |
|---|---|
| Asian Studies | The Asian Studies minor has a limit of no more than two upper-division courses in the student's major or three in any one department |
| Art History & Studio Art |
Studio art or art history courses taken abroad may be applied to no more than half of the requirements for a major/minor in art history. For majors, no more than three courses may be taken abroad to fulfill the five upper-division ARTH course requirements. For minors, only one upper-division course may be taken abroad to fulfill the three upper-division ARTH course requirements. Only one ARTH course may be taken abroad to fulfill the requirements of a major in studio art. Studio art courses taken abroad may be applied to no more than half of the requirements for a minor in studio art. ARTH courses taken abroad are not accepted for the minor in studio art. |
| Communications | The Communication Department will accept no more that two courses taken abroad for the major. Approved courses count as COMM electives referred to as "COMM 199." Lower division required COMM courses (COMM 1, 2, 12, 20, 30 or 40), COMM List A (theory), List B (media production), method courses (COMM 110, 111), and thesis/capstone (COMM 196, 197) cannot be taken abroad. |
| Environmental Studies and Sciences | All Environmental Studies and Science (ESS) majors should study abroad their junior year or during the summer. The ESS Department expects all majors to be present on campus during their senior year to take the required Capsone Bridge (ENVS 100) course fall quarter and Capstone (ENVS 101) in the winter quarter. Proposals for new course equivalencies (courses that are not grandfathered into SCU’s existing Study Abroad equivalencies) will, if granted, be for upper division Environmental Studies or Science Elective credit (e.g. not for a specific course). |
| Finance | Internships taken abroad cannot be used to fulfill the FNCE 198 requirement. |
| Marketing | The Marketing Department will accept only one course taken abroad to count toward a Marketing student's major. Internships abroad cannot be used to fulfill MKTG 198. |
| Management | Management: MGMT 80 students may request credit for the equivalent of MGMT 80 for courses taken abroad, however, students should note that most study abroad courses equivalent to MGMT 80 do not satisfy the Cultures & Ideas 3 requirement. Internships and internship classes taken abroad cannot be counted as MGMT 198E. |
| Neuroscience | Neuroscience: The Neuroscience Department will accept no more than two courses taken abroad for the major or minor. Exceptions will be considered only on a case-by-case basis. |
| Information Systems & Analytics | Information Systems & Analytics: OMIS 105, OMIS 106, and OMIS 107 cannot be taken abroad. |
| Political Science | A study abroad course in POLI is most likely to satisfy one of the following requirements for the major: upper-division International Relations, upper-division Comparative Politics, upper-division elective in IR or Comparative. It is less common but still possible to take a Political Philosophy course abroad. Methods courses seldom transfer back to SCU. The Political Science Department recommends that you do not try to take POLI 99 (Political Science Research) or POLI 101 (Applied Quantitative Methods) while abroad. |
| Psychology | The Psychology Department will accept ONE lower-division course (Psyc 1- or Psyc 2-equivalent only) and no more than TWO upper-division courses taken abroad for the major. |
| Sociology | The Sociology Department will accept no more than two courses taken abroad for the major and one for the minor. |
| Other | If you have questions regarding the requirements for your major or minor, please contact a Drahmann advisor or department for assistance. |
| CORE | Rules & Regulations for Study Abroad |
|---|---|
| Learning Objectives | Students, prior to requesting a course approval to satisfy a Core Requirement you should consult the Undergraduate Core Curriculum Guide and confirm that the study abroad course meets the learning objections of the Core requirement being requested. |
| Religious Studies | Only the 2nd of the three RTC Core requirements can be satisfied with a course completed through study abroad. Students admitted as freshmen must complete the three RTC courses in sequence, and RTC 3 only counts for the Core after the student has completed 88 units. Transfer students who matriculate with 44 or more units complete any two RTC requirements in any order. |
| Diversity | The SCU Core Diversity requirement deals with US Domestic multiculturalism. Courses abroad that deal with global diversity, rather that US domestic multiculturalism, do not meet the SCU Core Diversity requirement |
| Pathways | Only one study abroad course can count toward a Pathway |
| Core-Double Dipping | Integrations (ELSJ, Advanced Writing, and Pathways) can be double-dipped with Explorations Core requirements; except for engineering students who can double and triple-dip within the Core and only engineering students can have a course count as both RTC2 & C&I3. |
| Second Language | Students taking a first year language course in its country of origin on a SCU approved study abroad program can receive credit towards their Core second language requirement. If a language is studied abroad, but not in the country of origin, a student, when returning to SCU, can take a language qualifying examination. Students will receive credit according to the level of the course taken. |
| ELSJ | To earn ELSJ credit students must engage directly with the end clients of the community organization as part of the service-learning experience and have direct contact with the community. |
| Natural Science | Study Abroad courses approved for the Nature Science requirement fulfill the "with lab" component. Students will not need to take a lab upon return to campus. |
| IMPORTANT NOTE** | If students take language courses abroad equivalent to courses they have already taken at SCU, they will not receive credit. |
Requesting a Course Evaluation for CORE Credit
Requesting a Course Evaluation for Major or Minor Credit
Step 1: Consult Santa Clara University's most recent Undergraduate Bulletin to review the learning objectives for the SCU course to determine whether the course abroad addresses the objectives of that particular course requirement.
Step 2: Request syllabi and course descriptions from your program provider or host institution using the program contact list.
Step 3: Use the email template below to submit a course evaluation request. Course evaluations must be sent to the academic department you are attempting to request credit. For example, if you are trying to request a course evaluation for a Political Science course abroad, you will need to contact the Political Science Department Chair at SCU.
- Search Department Chairs
- Non-departmental Chair Contacts:
- Interdisciplinary majors and minors: Contact the chair who oversees the requirement
- Business and Engineering Core: Contact the chair who oversees the requirement
- Marketing courses: Contact wshi@scu.edu
- Economics courses: Contact salazzawi@scu.edu
- English department: Contact jchang@scu.edu
- Course title and description: (Enter the course number, title and description)
- SCU Evaluation Type Requested: (Enter the specific requirement for which you are seeking credit, e.g., major/minor/Core)
- Name of study abroad program: (Enter specific details on the study abroad program including the country name and organization)
- Term and year you plan to take the course: (Enter the term and year)
- Syllabus: (ensure that the Syllabus has a course calendar, prerequisites, a bibliography, information about the language of instruction, and a description of the assignments and assessments. If you are unsure of how to find the syllabus/this information, please contact studyabroad@scu.edu. Then, attach a file or include a link to the full syllabus.)
Step 4: The chair of the department or contact listed above will evaluate and notify you and studyabroad@scu.edu about their assessment of your request. All requests, whether denied or approved, will be added to the Course Equivalency Database.
The course equivalency database is only an archive of study abroad courses that have been requested for evaluation previously and listed courses may be from either Fall, Winter, Spring, OR Summer terms. There may be courses listed in the database that are no longer offered on a program.
- Please first review the Course Catalogs listed under the Courses Tab of each program you are interested in using the Program Database prior to searching the course equivalency database. This is to verify the courses you are interested in are offered during the term you plan to go abroad and to verify that you meet course pre-requisites, such as language fluency as some courses may be taught in another language than english.
- To search the course equivalency database, be sure to enter key information from the Course Catalog in the search box including: The Program Provider, Program Location, Course Numbers, and/or type of SCU credit. You may need to try several key words to find the specific course or type of credit you are looking for. Sometimes being too specific will provide no results, even though information may actually be in the database.
- While utilizing the course equivalency database, in conjunction with the program's Course Catalog, you may notice that a course offering does not appear in the database. This is because a course evaluation has not been requested previously for the course. If a course abroad covers similar themes and learning outcomes for major, minor, or core credit you still need at SCU, there's potential for an equivalency, so you should submit a course evaluation request to the academic department at Santa Clara. If you're not sure whether the course abroad covers similar themes, you can review course descriptions in SCU's Undergraduate Bulletin and compare to the syllabus for the course abroad.