|
 |
| DEGREE PROGRAMS & COURSES |
|
 |
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| STUDY ABROAD |
|
|
Study Abroad
Frequestly Asked Questions
- Where can I study abroad?
Students are always encouraged to study in the country of their choice, as long as certain host institution requirements are met. However, we emphasize study abroad at one of our exchange university partners. The University of St. Thomas has exchange partners in Canada, Mexico, throughout South America, the Philippines, Spain, Ireland, and France. We are working towards partnerships in East Asia and other countries in Europe. A listing of all the universities we work with can be found on the Study Abroad website and at the Study Abroad Office, located in the Center for International Studies. If you choose to do a non-exchange program then you can study at any university in the world as long as certain requirements are met.
The Study Abroad library contains information on a host of programs throughout the world.
- What are the advantages of the exchange program?
The advantages of participating in an exchange program are that:
1) Financial aid that you are currently receiving as a student at University of St. Thomas is applicable to your study abroad courses because you pay tuition to UST, not the host institution
2) Approved courses that are taken with our exchange partners will be treated as if you had taken the course here, i.e., you receive a letter grade and grade points. Courses taken at a non-exchange institution are recorded as transfer credits that go to your hours toward degree requirements, but do not count towards your GPA
3) If the Study Abroad Office at UST approves your request to study abroad, you can consider yourself accepted to the other program. Non-exchange applicants must be approved by the host institution or program
4) The UST Study Abroad Office maintains close contact with exchange partner institutions that facilitate the student application, admission, and other arrangements.
- Do I have to make my own travel and housing arrangements?
Yes, all students in exchange and non-exchange must make their own travel and housing arrangements. This includes obtaining a student visa and researching what housing arrangement suits you best. Some exchange partner institutions have readily available student housing while other do not. Additional information that you may find helpful in regards to housing can sometimes be found in the Study Abroad library and on the host university’s website.
- How can I be sure that credit from the courses I take abroad will transfer?
The first thing that you must do is figure out what courses you would potentially like to take. We recommend that you focus on taking courses that you already have some familiarity with. For example, if you want to take an economics class in South America, we would highly recommend that you successfully complete the introductory courses prior to your time abroad. After you have figured out what courses you would like to take it is then your responsibility to obtain a Course Equivalency form from the Study Abroad Office or the Study Abroad website. This form lists the courses you will take abroad and the UST course for which you will request equivalency. For example, you might take a European Politics class in France. Based on that course description, you might seek approval for this class to count towards INST Regional Study of Europe or HIST European History. After receiving counseling from the Study Abroad Office, you will then seek equivalency approval from the head of each department in which you will be taking a course.
Upon return from abroad it is the student’s responsibility to make sure that the Study Abroad Office receive your transcript in order for your grades/ transfer credits to be entered on your UST transcript.
Original sealed transcripts should be sent to:
Dr. Hans Stockton
Center for International Studies
University of St. Thomas
3800 Montrose Blvd.
Houston, TX 77006
While the UST provides insurance as part of the group programs, UST does not offer insurance for individual students who choose to study abroad. Students studying abroad in both exchange and non-exchange programs must typically provide proof of insurance in order to obtain a student visa for the destination country. Students should first check with their current health insurance provider to see if there is a supplementary policy for outside the US. If not, students can seek information on insurers specializing in study abroad from the Study Abroad Office.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
