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Important Academic Information
Choosing Courses for Study Abroad
Credit Transfer
Obtaining a Transcript
Applying for Graduation
Registration: When You Leave
Pre-Registration: Before You Return
You may register yourself through the MSU website, http://www.montana.edu. If you have trouble accessing the site, then you may contact Nick Myers, the Study Abroad Coordinator for pre-registration. First, consult the on-line Schedule of Classes. After you have decided which classes you would like to enroll in, simply contact the Study Abroad Coordinator through e-mail, regular mail or by phone and let them know. He will attempt to register you for your classes. It is always important to have a back up class for each class in which you wish to enroll, as space is not always available for your first choice classes. Also, the Study Abroad Coordinator cannot register you for classes that are restricted entry. If you do not have access to the Internet while you are abroad, arrange to have a friend mail you a copy of the schedule of classes.
Student Status
It is necessary for you to be a full-time student while on your program. It is your responsibility to find out from your host institution what is an appropriate full-time course load for students at that institution. "Full-time" at Montana State University means taking a minimum of twelve undergraduate or nine graduate credits per semester. If you are on financial aid and fail to maintain full-time status, you will be required to pay back part of your disbursement upon your return.
Courses for Study Abroad
The current credit transfer policy at MSU is to transfer all letter grades, but not GPA. Therefore, you will receive letter grades for all courses taken overseas (equivalent letter grades will be assigned if your host institution does not have an A-B-C-D-F grading system), but these grades will not be factored into your overall GPA, unless you fail a course. If you have questions or concerns about this, discuss it with the Study Abroad Advisor at the Office of International Programs.
Transferring Credit
This is perhaps the most important academic concern you should have as a study abroad participant. Please pay close attention to the following issues:
Who is responsible for credit transfer?
YOU are ultimately responsible for the courses you take, providing proper transcripts to MSU for evaluation, and for any other documentation needed for the proper transfer and placement of credits earned abroad. It is an important responsibility and one that should not be taken lightly. All courses successfully completed at the host institution for academic credit can be transferred into your degree at MSU. Whether it is an elective credit or a specific course substitution is up to you and your advisor(s). If you want to use any courses toward your core curriculum requirements, you should contact the Registrar. This is where general education determinations are made for transfer courses and where transfer credit is ultimately recorded on your MSU transcript.
Study Abroad Course Approval
Before you leave you must complete a Study Abroad Course Approval Form with your advisor. The Office of International Programs in Culbertson Hall provides this form. It is the same form that needs to go to the Financial Aid office if you are receiving financial aid. This form needs to be signed by your advisor and needs to be signed by the Registrar's Office. This form does not guarantee anything. It simply allows you to plan your courses while leaving room for unexpected events. This means getting as many courses pre-approved as possible, even though you may not be sure if you will take all of them.
Who needs a copy of the Study Abroad Course Approval Form?
- Your academic advisor
- Office of International Programs
- Financial Aid Office (if receiving Financial Aid)
- Office of the Registrar (if receiving credit for Core Courses)
- Take a copy with you
Credit and Grade Transferability
- Only those courses that have been passed according to the host institution's grading policy (whether it be numbers, letter grades, or simply pass/fail) will be considered for transferability.
- Total credits awarded will usually not be greater than what you would normally take in the same time period at MSU.
- If a course taken abroad is viewed to have the same course content as a course previously taken at MSU, your original MSU credits for the course will be deleted.
- BE AWARE OF MSU GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS! Check the MSU catalog on the MSU web page or see the Registrar's Office if you have questions or concerns.
- Keep copies of course descriptions, syllabi, and any other records you feel may be important for the proper evaluation of your courses.
Use of credits in major, minor and core curriculum requirements
- For courses to be used in your major they must be approved by your advisor and the department head or chair. This approval should be indicated in writing on your Study Abroad Course Approval Form and a copy kept in your file at the Office of International Programs.
- For a course to be used to satisfy one of the core curriculum requirements, it must fulfill the spirit of the MSU requirement. Courses may be pre-approved for general education requirements by meeting with the Registrar.
Obtaining a Transcript
Before you leave your host institution, make sure that you make arrangements for an official copy of your transcript to be sent to the Registrar's Office. Make certain that you fill out the transcript form for the Registrar's office that can be picked up at the Office of International Programs. Many students assume that a transcript will automatically be sent. This is most often NOT the case, so check with OIP about the correct procedure for receiving a transcript. You may also want to obtain two or more personal copies of your foreign transcript. Obtaining official copies in the future may be difficult, and these would be needed if you transfer to another school for graduate or undergraduate work. MSU will not make copies of your international transcript. This transcript along with all others in your file (except MSU’s) is destroyed five years after your last course is taken at MSU.
Applying for Graduation
Because extra time is needed to provide transcripts and to have the work evaluated and posted, students enrolled at another university will usually graduate the semester following the completion of the exchange program. This means that if you are taking your last courses overseas during fall semester, you would graduate spring semester. You must apply for graduation one semester before you plan on graduating. Application deadlines for graduation are the end of the second week of the semester prior to your final semester.
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