Academic Planning & Studying Abroad

Start planning your study abroad academics early! 

This process can take a while; we recommend you start about 1 year before going abroad.   

Talk to your academic advisor early in the process to make better-informed decisions about which courses to take. Make degree progress by knowing how your study abroad coursework will fulfill requirements at UMD.

Academic Planning Form

Use our Academic Planning Form to map out the courses you plan to take abroad and understand how they'll transfer back to UMD. This document only identifies your plans (actual enrollment for your course(s) abroad will be a separate process).

How should I start?

  • Meet with your academic advisor.
  • Find courses already reviewed at UMD via the Study Abroad Course Database. If a review is listed and won't expire before your program ends, you can just write the course information and the UMD equivalent course details on your Academic Planning Form.
  • Get courses reviewed at UMD by filling out the Study Abroad Course Evaluation form (you'll need to get the syllabus before doing this) if:  
    • a course abroad doesn't have an active review,
    • a course abroad has a review decision that will expire before your program, or
    • you would like to have a course reviewed by a different department.
    • For additional details about the course evaluation process, including the typical time for a course to be reviewed, see the UMD Study Abroad Course Evaluation Process Guide.
    • To request a syllabus, see your program's website for more details on how to access one. For UMD programs where syllabi are not online, complete the Syllabus Request Form.
      • While some syllabi are available online, for others, obtaining a syllabus from a foreign university can take some time, so plan accordingly!
  • Ensure classes you hope to take are offered during the particular term(s) you'll be abroad by referencing the foreign university's website.

Study Abroad Course Database

Use the Study Abroad Course Database to find courses already reviewed at UMD. This can help identify locations with courses relevant to your major or minor. You can sort the list by country, university, city, UMD department, and more. If a course you want to take is not in the database, see the Study Abroad Course Evaluation form details above.

Study Abroad Course Database >

Course Equivalents

Courses for an approved UMD program will transfer back as resident credit in one of the following ways:

  • Direct UMD course equivalent (e.g., PSYC 101 Intro to Psychology Abroad = PSY 1003 General Psychology)
  • UMD major or minor requirements (e.g.. lower/upper-division electives; MKTG 3xxx)
  • General elective credit towards graduating (e.g.,  FORS 1XXX)

Credits Abroad

Regardless of how a course is recognized at UMD, you will receive credits based on the foreign university's issuance. See each program page for details on how course credits will be adjusted for your specific program. Foreign credits cannot be adjusted by Study Abroad staff. Thus, if you take a course that is 5 credits abroad, but will come back to UMD as 2.5 credits, this is what will be posted on your UMD transcript, regardless of how credits may be assigned to courses at UMD.   

Liberal Education Global Perspectives Category

Successful completion of one of the following Study Abroad Programs fulfills the Global Perspectives category within the Liberal Education Program:

  • UMD or affiliate semester, year-long, or summer program
  • UMD Faculty-led program
  • Affiliate short-term programs can also satisfy the Global Perspectives requirement if a class is reviewed to count as the direct equivalent of a UMD course listed in the Global Perspectives category.

Petition a Course

To petition a study abroad course for a UMD liberal education requirement, check the Study Abroad Course Database to see if it’s already been reviewed.

 

To petition a course for reasons other than liberal education requirements, contact your respective college’s advising office.