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STUDY ABROAD FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQ):
1. Is study abroad possible at Duke? Yes. Studying abroad is an increasingly popular option for Duke students who want to expand their educational horizons. Duke University is committed to providing an internationally grounded liberal education that will enable its students to understand the world better, appreciate the international contributions to knowledge, and to cope effectively with an increasingly intercultural environment. Duke strongly encourages its students to study abroad: direct experience of another culture is the best way of communication across barriers of custom, language, geography, and politics. An encounter with different values, educational methods, and with a foreign culture can broaden the student's understanding of the world. To see who is studying abroad and where, please review our statistics. 2. Why should I study abroad?Everyone will give different answers to this question. Duke students who have studied abroad enthusiastically agree about its advantages. They find class work in a foreign country stimulating and their encounters outside the classroom educational and exciting. They come back with a broader, deeper understanding both of another country and of their own cultural background. Entering Duke students should start planning early to enjoy this unique opportunity. 3. When should I study abroad? Students should explore the opportunities for study abroad during their first two years and plan their Duke course work to permit them to study abroad in their 4th, 5th, 6th, or 7th semester (second semester sophomores, juniors, and first semester seniors). In many cases, students will need to complete prerequisites in a foreign language. Students interested in studying abroad for a semester or academic year need to make plans for completing their major requirements by identifying programs which provide instruction in the major field, by doubling up on major courses during the semester or by taking major courses in the summer on campus. It is possible to complete a pre-medical or engineering program and incorporate a semester abroad; it simply takes planning from the start. It is possible to start a new language upon arriving at Duke and then to study abroad in that language. 4. What if my parents and I become nervous about my study abroad plans due to world events? Each situation has its own circumstances, but for starters, please consult our World Situation Frequently Asked Questions , which includes information about study abroad program cancellation and/or withdrawal. We do not operate our own programs in areas under a US Department of State travel warning. If students insist on participating in a program in an area under a travel warning, they and their parents must sign a waiver indicating they have been advised not to and absolve Duke of any responsibility for their safety. 5. What proportion of Duke undergrads go abroad? What are the percentages for the fall, spring and summer semesters? By the time a class graduates, approximately 43-46% will have studied abroad. Of those, on average, 54% go in the fall, 12% in the spring and 34% in summer 6. Don't I have to be a language major, or speak another language to study abroad? No. The opportunities for year, semester or summer study are diverse enough to meet the needs of virtually any undergraduate's course of study. Study abroad is not limited to language majors or those with knowledge of foreign languages; Duke sponsors and has identified programs providing language training as well as programs taught in English in many countries. Programs are available offering courses in humanities, social sciences, and sometimes science and engineering. 7. What happens if a student goes on a study abroad program and then has great difficulty with the language? Does this ever happen? Students who choose to go on language immersion programs generally are placed into the level most appropriate to their skills. We are not aware of any problem with students going abroad and having problems just with the language component. 8. Can students participate in a study abroad program in a foreign speaking country, but have the courses taught in English? Yes. But if they participate in such a program during the semester, they are required to take one course in the host country language. 9. I'm interested in general evaluations of different programs. Do students equally enjoy the programs? Academic quality? Academic programs? Students generally speak highly of their academic and personal experiences abroad. Evaluations are kept on file in the Office of Study Abroad and are available to all who visit our Reference Room. 10. Do most students elect to study abroad for a single semester (rather than a full year)? Yes. Very few of our students study abroad for a full academic year. In 2006-07, 546 studied abroad one semester and 11 went for the whole year. 11. Do students go abroad predominantly in the fall of their junior year or other times? Most juniors study abroad in the fall. OSA encourages students to consider second semester sophomore year as well as spring of their junior year so as not to limit their opportunities, but a culture has evolved around the fall junior year study abroad experience. Seniors may also choose to study abroad. Summer study abroad accommodates students from rising sophomores and above. 12. Do students ever participate in multiple study abroad programs? Yes. The most common combination is summer and fall, or multiple summer programs. 13. Are there a few favorite study abroad sites? In 2005-06, the most popular study abroad destinations among Duke students were the United Kingdom, Italy, Spain, and Australia. 14. Do I have to declare my major by a certain deadline in order to study abroad? Students who plan to study abroad for a semester must declare their major and submit their Long-Range Plan before their study abroad paperwork is considered complete. First-year students must declare their major by the end of classes in the spring semester of their first year. (First-year students who wish to study abroad in the summer between their first and second years do not need to declare their major.) Sophomores must declare their major by the Sophomore Declaration Deadline (the end of the eighth full week of their fourth academic semester). Sophomores are strongly encouraged (but are not required) to declare their major by the Early Declaration Deadline (the end of the third full week of the semester) if they want to study abroad as juniors. Early Declaration will result in the transfer of your academic file to your new department before you make final plans to study abroad, giving you enough time to meet with your major advisor to ensure that whatever courses you take while abroad will keep you on track for graduation. 15. Is study abroad a question that should come up in the first meeting with my pre-major advisor in September of my freshman year, or can it be decided on a spontaneous basis during my sophomore year? It is best to discuss the possibility of study abroad at the first meeting. Planning for the experience to complement the academic plan is easiest if incorporated early in the process. Nevertheless, if it is an issue that arises in later discussions, it generally still can be accommodated. 16. Who signs the advisor forms for my study abroad applications? All study abroad applications forms that require an advisor's or university official's signature should be brought to the Office of Study Abroad (2016 Campus Drive). Please be sure to complete any portions of the forms requiring student information or signatures before dropping off the forms. 17. Is there a minimum GPA for study abroad? Duke requires that students who wish to study abroad for a semester or academic year have a minimum GPA of 2.7; for summer study abroad, you must meet the academic requirements for continuation at Duke. Many programs, however, require that students have a 3.0 minimum, and can have quite competitive applicant pools. 18. What types of programs are available to Duke students? There are two types of programs: those administered directly by Duke ("Duke-in" programs), and those sponsored by other American and foreign universities which are approved by Duke. Click here for the Duke Approved List for Undergraduate Study Abroad. 19. What is a Duke-administered program? These are programs administered and supervised by Duke. Duke faculty are directly involved, and the courses receive Duke credit and grades like courses on campus. Duke-administered programs appear in the upper portion of the programs menu at SA Home. Direct programs are not Duke-administered programs. 20. What is a Duke-approved program? These programs are sponsored by other American and foreign universities and are approved for Duke students by the Duke Study Abroad Committee. Over 120 programs are approved for Duke student participation in Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America, the Middle East and Oceania. Students receive transfer credit toward their degrees. Grades are not recorded on the Duke transcript. Click here for a list of Duke-approved programs. 21. What about other programs, not in these categories? There are more than a hundred study abroad programs on the Duke-approved list. If a student is interested in a program not approved or administered by Duke, s/he must meet with a study abroad advisor to discuss the viability of that program. If it appears to be a viable program, a petition packet will be provided. The student must complete this packet, which involves providing more complete information for the program, obtaining DUS approval for the courses they wish to take, and writing an essay describing the academic reason this program meets their needs. The packet is submitted to the OSA, and reviewed by the Faculty Study Abroad Committee, where the petition will either be approved or not. Students interested in studying at foreign universities by direct enrollment (without a U.S. college program's sponsorship) may apply directly to these universities in order to attend regular university courses. Direct enrollment must also be approved by the Study Abroad Committee. 22. How many Duke-In study abroad programs do we currently have? What are they and how many students attend each year? There are 12 Duke-in programs and about 20 summer programs. Among Duke students, the most popular semester Duke program is Duke in Madrid and the most popular summer program is Duke in Oxford. You may view OSA statistics at http://studyabroad.duke.edu/statistics.html. 23. Are there students who really should go abroad and are there some who shouldn't? While some might argue that every student should study abroad, we realize that is not really the case. Some find it impossible due to their schedules (athletes or students with multiple majors) and others who have fragile physical or mental situations. Also, students on disciplinary and/or academic probation are not allowed to study abroad. 24. Are there any special requirements/suggestions for students with chronic medical or psychological problems? Students should consult with their physicians, psychologists and counselors extensively regarding study abroad plans. They should also self disclose to the program administrators about their circumstances. This will allow the program administrators to appropriately assist the students. Students should also continue their prescribed medications while abroad, which may mean bringing a supply sufficient for the duration of their sojourn. 25. Do most students get accepted into the program they want? This depends on their academic record and whether they meet the admission requirements. Some programs are more selective and competitive than others, but generally Duke students fare very well in the admissions process. 26. What about engineering students who want to go abroad? We have various programs for engineers, most of them for transfer credit. Engineers are able to study abroad! Among the Duke-administered programs, Duke In Berlin offers a special program for the winter/spring semester. For more information, contact our office. 27. Are pre-med students able to study abroad? They may study abroad, but they should take their core classes at Duke. FAQs regarding studying abroad in pre-health are found on the Health Professions Advising Center website. 28. Are the summer study abroad programs just like fall/spring programs only shorter and with fewer classes? Are there advantages/disadvantages to summer and semester? The GPA requirement is more flexible for summer programs and admission requirements can be less stringent. More summer term classes are taught in English versus a foreign language. Also, the Duke summer programs are led by Duke faculty who teach at least one of the courses abroad, whereas most of our semester programs are administered and taught by host nationals. A disadvantage to a summer program is that the students do not have as much time to fully immerse themselves in the host culture. 29. How can I find out what programs offer what classes? The study abroad website includes a list of all the approved programs, with links to those programs that generally include the academic courses available. Another resource is the Database of Approved Courses on the study abroad website. This lists courses that have been approved and is searchable by department, country, and program. This is NOT a comprehensive list of available courses. It represents only those courses that have been approved. Additional courses can be approved by working with Cathy Penny in the OSA. She works in conjunction with department DUSes to obtain course approvals. 30. Can I fulfill my sciences and study abroad? Yes. There are programs and locations with science classes, as well as science themes. Students may take science classes abroad. They should discuss their interests and options with a study abroad advisor. 31. Do study abroad programs generally run August-December and January-May like our semesters, or can they overlap with existing semesters here? Program beginning and ending dates vary considerably, and can certainly overlap and cross terms at Duke. Programs in the southern hemisphere (e.g. Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, South America) start in early July and run through November/December and then from February until June. Many European universities continue the fall semester into late January, limiting direct enrollment options. Program dates are available on the web. 32. What about Semester at Sea, or other programs that visit many places in one semester? Duke considers programs such as Semester at Sea and the Scholar Ship to be domestic programs, which means Trinity students can only transfer up to two course credits for a semester program, and Pratt students up to four. Domestic transfer credit is handled by a student's academic dean, and not the Office of Study Abroad. The rationale behind this policy is that the programs do not provide an immersion experience abroad. 33. Where can I find more information about study abroad programs? The first step for any Duke student who wants to study abroad is to read this website thoroughly and visit the Office of Study Abroad, 2016 Campus Drive. At the office, you will be able to browse the following information:
The Office of Study Abroad assists students in clearing their study abroad plans through Duke and in understanding Duke's policies on study abroad. After initial visits, students may schedule appointments with the office staff or the Associate Dean for Study Abroad to receive individualized guidance in their planning for the best possible international educational experience. All Duke students should submit a Duke Abroad On-line Application, regardless of whether they intend to study with a Duke-administered program or a non-Duke program. This will inform Duke of their study abroad intentions and allow the Office of Study Abroad to assist them with their plans. Students will still need to apply directly to individual non-Duke programs per the instructions of each program. Non-Duke students will need to apply to Duke-administered programs using the on-line application process. 35. What are procedural deadlines for sophomores? Deadlines vary depending on the program. All Duke deadlines are posted on the study abroad website. Students should be aware that Duke-approved programs might have different deadlines than the Duke-In deadlines. 36. Are there eligibility requirements? How do students receive credit for their coursework abroad? Is it one course to one course in all programs? Each program has its own eligibility requirements that must be met, in addition to our minimum GPA. If the course students want credit for is in the OSA Database of Approved Courses they don't need to apply for additional approval. If the course is not in the database, they will need to contact Cathy Penny in the OSA to request assistance obtaining DUS course approval. This should be done before going abroad. Several departments require approval directly from the department. There is not always a 1-for-1-course equivalency. We expect a student to take a "full load" abroad. This often means taking five courses, which, if all are successfully completed, can count towards major, minor and curriculum requirements, but only four courses will count towards graduation. 37. I've heard that I will only get 2 credits for non-Duke study abroad programs, instead of 4 for the Duke-in programs. Is this the case? No. There is a two course limit is for domestic transfer credit for Trinity students. Pratt students may transfer up to four domestic courses. For study abroad, or a combination of study abroad and domestic transfer, the total can't exceed ten. This would allow a student a full year plus a summer of study abroad in approved programs. If they study on a Duke administered (Duke-in) program, generally they earn Duke credit, so the transfer limit doesn't apply--they aren't transferring courses. Exceptions to this are Duke in Glasgow, Duke in Berlin (second semester) and Duke in France-EDUCO, which are "hybrid" programs in which students receive a combination of Duke credits and transfer credits. 38. How much will it cost to study abroad? Program costs vary greatly. Participants on Duke-administered programs pay Duke tuition and fees; students on Duke-approved programs pay tuition and fees of the host institution plus Duke's $2,350 study abroad fee per semester (2007-08). In many cases tuition and fees for study abroad are somewhat less than studying on Duke's campus. Only one non-Duke program, the McGill University exchange, charges full Duke tuition. In return, Duke students attending McGill do not pay tuition to McGill. 39. Is airfare included? Are there group flights?The cost of Duke-administered programs does not include airfare. While few of Duke's programs have mandatory group flights, some do have "designated flights," meaning that those flights will be met by a member of the program staff upon arrival in the host country. Some of the non-Duke programs' costs do include airfare for a group flight. Students attending non-Duke programs should consult that program's materials for travel information. 40. Is there financial aid?Yes. Semester financial aid is applicable for Duke students to study abroad on both Duke-administered and Duke-approved programs. Both federal and institutional aid is fully portable. Students on financial aid at Duke receive financial aid for their study abroad experience in the same proportion as for their studies on Duke's campus, but never more than their financial aid at Duke. Students eligible for financial aid during the academic year, may be eligible for summer financial aid as well, but only to attend Duke-administered summer programs. Eligible students are limited to two summer sessions of financial aid, either on the Duke campus or on a Duke study abroad program. Duke students should contact the Office of Financial Aid or visit the website at http://www.finaid.duke.edu/. Non-Duke students should contact the financial aid office at their home institutions. 41. Can I earn credit in my major abroad? Yes. Students who study on Duke-administered programs earn Duke credit just as if they were on campus. These courses fulfill the same requirements as courses on campus. Students who study on Duke-approved programs should consult the Director of Undergraduate Studies in their major department to find out if, and how many, transfer credits may be applied towards their major. More information about credits and course coding can be found on our website at http://studyabroad.duke.edu/courses.html. 42. Can I fulfill my foreign language competency abroad?Yes, on a Duke-administered or Duke-approved program in a country where the target language is spoken (i.e. French in France or Senegal, Spanish in Spain or Argentina). Students studying language on a Duke-approved program will have to request foreign language coding for their language courses taken abroad, just as they would have to request Modes of Inquiry coding for any transfer course. For more information, please visit http://studyabroad.duke.edu/courses.html. 43. Am I eligible for Dean's List during the semester I study abroad?This varies from program to program. To determine whether you are eligible to earn recognition for honors like Dean's List while participating in a study abroad program, consult the Duke Bulletin under Academic Recognition and Honors at http://www.registrar.duke.edu/bulletins/Undergraduate/ or your academic dean. 44. Do I register on ACES for the semester I'm going abroad?With the exception of summer programs, students attending Duke-administered programs will register through the Office of Study Abroad, not on ACES. Students attending non-Duke programs will register for courses on their program. If a student's registration window opens, and they have not yet been accepted for study abroad, they should register for courses (through ACES) on campus. Those courses can then be dropped once acceptance to study abroad is received. 45. What do I need to do after I've been accepted to a semester or academic year program?Once students are accepted into a program, they need to first let that program know if they will or will not be attending. If more than one program has been applied to, it is the student's responsibility to let all programs know of their final plans. Then, a study abroad packet needs to be completed and turned in to the Office of Study Abroad. These forms allow Duke to maintain a student's status within the Duke system, and ease return to campus at the conclusion of the semester or year abroad. All semester study abroad forms are available here. Duke summer program forms are available here. 46. What about housing when I come back to Duke?Students should be in touch with the Housing Office. There is a form to fill out that will alert Housing to a student's plans and ensure that there will be campus housing available when the student returns. Click here for more information. Email for information: abroad@aas.duke.edu. Last revised: 19 February 2008 |
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