Planning Stage
Make a list of your remaining Appalachian major, minor, and general education requirements to see where your course flexibility may be for your study abroad term.
Meet with an advisor in OIP to discuss program options that match with your course needs.
Students should consult with DegreeWorks to verify remaining requirements. They may also want to have an initial discussion with their advisor about any course requirements that they need to be aware of (i.e. two part courses, courses that students can only fulfill at Appalachian or in the US, etc.).
Prior to Departure
Visit the website of the university or program where you will study and print off syllabi/course descriptions of each course you are interested in taking. Identify more courses than you actually need to take in case a desired class is not available.
Review the credit conversions for your program on the Credit and Grade Conversion by University webpage.
Take syllabi/course descriptions and the Course Approval Form to your advisor in OIP to complete the AppState Credit column.
Take the Course Approval Form to the appropriate Appalachian department to determine if equivalencies are possible. If approved the Chair or Assistant Chair will enter the Appalachian equivalent course information and will sign and date the form. You will need to go to each department where credit is to be issued (i.e. major, minor, general education). Once the courses have been approved please have your Advisor sign off on the form.
Return the completed form to OIP; we will file a digital copy in your online application. It is also a good idea to make a copy for yourself and leave a copy on file with your department.
While Abroad
Complete the Enrollment Verification Form (PDF, 297K) and have the advisor/coordinator at your host university/program sign and email it to studyabroad@appstate.edu.
Request approval from the relevant Appalachian academic departments by email for any courses not listed on the original Course Approval Form (See below for a sample email).
Ensure that the host university/program will send an official transcript to OIP after the completion of your program. In many countries it is the responsibility of the student to request transcripts and this can be a very manual process.
If completing a language course abroad in which a certificate of completion is issued rather than a transcript, please have the host institution send the original certificate in a signed and sealed envelope to the OIP.
Keep EVERYTHING related to your course work: course descriptions, syllabi, class notes, texts, papers, tests, etc.
Upon Return
We will let students know when their transcript has arrived by uploading it to the documents section of their online study abroad application. It may take up to 3-4 months to receive your transcript from the foreign institution.
If all course approvals are in place we will forward a credit report along with the official transcript and course approval forms to the Registrar for posting. To receive credit students must receive the equivalent of a C or above.
If you are missing any course approvals take the copy of the transcript along with the Course Approval Form and any syllabi/course descriptions to the appropriate Chair or Assistant Chair. Have them review and if approved, sign off on the new courses. The form should then be returned to OIP.
After giving enough administrative time for all these things to fall into place, you should check with the Dean’s office where your records are housed (where your graduation check will be done) and request a student copy of your transcript from the registrar’s office. If the credit has shown up in both places, the process is complete.
How courses fulfill degree requirements are under the purview of each relevant academic unit. OIP works to facilitate the process, but decisions are made by the academic units. The process for courses to appear on a student’s transcript may take up to four months from the end of the program. If courses have not been previously approved by the academic unit, the transfer credit process may take longer. It is the student’s responsibility to obtain these approvals and delaying may affect a student’s financial aid, ability to register for courses, or graduate.
Sample Course Approval Email Template
Listed below is a template that you may use for course approval emails (Edit as necessary if you have already returned from your study abroad program).
SUBJECT LINE: Last Name – Education Abroad Course Approval Request
Dear Dr. _______
I am a (MAJOR/MINOR) student who is currently studying abroad in (CITY, COUNTRY) at/with (UNIVERSITY/PROGRAM).
Upon my arrival, I learned that the course offerings have changed. I hope to enroll in (COURSE NUMBER - COURSE NAME) for this term. Since this new course is not listed on my Course Pre-Approval Form, I would like to ask for your help in reviewing this new course in hopes of receiving Appalachian State University credit.
Please find attached the relevant (SYLLABI (preferred) or COURSE DESCRIPTION) with the relevant course information and local credit amount. I have checked with my advisor in OIP and the course will transfer back as (___) Appalachian credits.
Would I be able to ask you to review this new course to see if it will satisfy a _______ requirement? If you are able to approve this new course could I also ask that you send an email copying studyabroad@appstate.edu with the appropriate App State course? If you require any additional information to review this course please let me know and I will be happy to provide it to you.
Thank you,