Global Education & Partnerships: Academic

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Academic Considerations

Study abroad is one of the most rewarding and exciting experiences you can pursue during your time here at Millersville. Yet while you may have always dreamed about studying in London or Paris or Tokyo, there are some "real world" considerations at Millersville, which you must take into account before deciding (and we strongly suggest that you share these considerations with your family as well):

The Office of Global Education & Partnerships is here to facilitate the study abroad process for you. However, during the semester prior to your departure, there is a major time commitment and many deadlines associated with completing the application, numerous study abroad forms, working with your home department and actors on and off campus (loan agencies, embassies, airlines, etc.). Failure to complete your arrangements satisfactorily and according to deadlines may jeopardize your study abroad.

It is very possible for students to make academic progress while studying abroad. Yet you will want to keep the following in mind as you make your academic plans:

You must plan your academic program at the international institution in conjunction with your home department, and specifically your academic advisor.* Global Education & Partnerships cannot assist you with academic planning. It is important that you take your course planning seriously from the beginning. Making later changes will involve lengthy international communications and course acceptability may be in doubt.
Most international programs recommend that you take 12 (minimum full-time here at MU) rather than 15 credits. Failure to maintain and complete the minimum 12 credits can affect a variety of other situations such as, financial aid, visa requirements and medical insurance.
Studying abroad for one semester waives your perspectives (“P”) requirement, but not the actual credits. You will still need 120 credits to graduate.
With the exception of the London and the Marburg programs, your courses taken abroad will come back to Millersville as transfer courses, as if you had taken them at another U.S. institution. Millersville's transfer policy from the Undergraduate Catalog for 2005-2006 states:
- Evaluation of credits from other institutions for possible transfer to Millersville is done by the Registrar's office, Lyle Hall, after a student has been admitted. In general, transfer credit is awarded for courses in fields of study offered at Millersville that were completed with a C- or higher on the campus of a regionally accredited institution. For institutions with other grading scales, courses in which the applicant has earned a grade above the lowest passing grade are accepted.
- Courses failed at Millersville must be repeated at Millersville in order to earn credit toward graduation. Students may not transfer credit for any course taken at another institution that is the equivalent of a course previously taken at Millersville; this policy applies whether the course was passed or failed at Millersville University. Students may repeat courses at Millersville that they have received transferred credit, but they will forfeit the transfer credit. Transfer credits are not used in computing Millersville GPAs except when determining graduation honors.
- (For MU students only) there is no limit for the number of transfer credits accepted as long as a minimum of 30 credits and 50% major / 50% minor / 50% option rule are completed in residence at MU. This option rule is dictated by "Academic Major Programs" and "Academic Minor Programs" sections of the University Governance Manual. Please discuss this policy with your academic advisor during your preparations to study abroad.
If you are participating in the London and Marburg programs, all Millersville University academic policies (impact on G.P.A., incompletes, etc.) directly apply, as if you were actually at Millersville.
Always pay close attention that courses taken abroad will fit into your major, minor, option or Gen Ed. For instance, if you take International Law abroad, which would transfer back to Millersville as GOVT 351: International Law, GOVT 351 is not a G3, so you would not be able to count it as a G3. Neither the Office of Global Education & Partnerships nor the international institution will manipulate or change courses so that they will fulfill your academic program. Nor can the Office of Global Education & Partnerships or the study abroad institution advise you about your specific academic program; only your home department can authorize how your courses will count toward your academic program.
If you make any changes to your course schedule while studying abroad, you must notify your academic advisor and the Office of Global Education & Partnerships immediately, in order to determine how your academic progress will be impacted.

Transcripts from abroad for completed Fall semester study will typically not arrive to Millersville until late March or April of the following semester. Without the receipt of the transcript, Millersville will only recognize credits completed prior to your study abroad experience. Lesser credits will impact your pre-registration status for the following Fall as well as for other situations where credit status is important.