Off-Campus Study Guidelines
Off-Campus Study offers students the ability to take part in programs around the world.
Credit for Study-Abroad Semester(s)
Many English majors choose to study abroad (study-away) in their junior year.
Below is the procedure for students arranging a study-abroad through the Off Campus Study Office, who wish to be awarded English major credit for courses taken at the study-abroad institution.
Procedure:
Approval and Registration of Intent (before leaving)
Before leaving for study-abroad, the student must get approval from their advisor, who will complete and approve the online registration of intent to study off-campus form. Course(s) will be considered in light of the student's overall study plan as a Bowdoin English major.
For best consideration of approval for the course(s) to apply to the English major, the student should provide their advisor with as much information as possible (catalogue course descriptions, course syllabi, etc.)
Course Registration Confirmation (during)
The student must confirm course registration with the Off Campus Study Office once they have arrived at the study-abroad institution and their course schedule is finalized. If changes are made that require department major approval, the student should contact his/her advisor by email for a new pre-approval confirmation.
Transcript (during)
The student is responsible for ensuring that a transcript is sent from their study-abroad institution to the Registrar’s Office. Some institutions will send a transcript automatically, but other institutions require a student to submit a formal request. The student must confirm their host institution’s policy and take the necessary steps to send an official transcript to Bowdoin.
Final approval (after return)
Upon return to Bowdoin, once the student receives an email from the Registrar that credit has been awarded on Polaris, the student meets with the English department chair to have their course officially approved to apply to the English major. Final approval is determined by successful course completion, and submission of supporting materials (i.e., syllabi, papers, catalogue descriptions, etc.) to the English department chair.
The chair emails approval to the department coordinator so a Degree Progress Exception Form can be filed on the student’s behalf. A copy of the exception form submission will be emailed to the student, and the exception will be processed and applied to Polaris by the Registrar’s Office within 3-5 business days to reflect that the course(s) will be applied to the English major.