Study Abroad and Transfer Credits

Initial Procedures

Studying at a US institution or Studying abroad during JanPlan and Summer

Students planning to transfer academic credits from other U.S. institutions or from summer or JanPlan courses at foreign institutions must request pre-approval from the Economics Department Associate Chair using the Application for Transfer of Credit form. Approval must be obtained before taking course(s) and requires course catalog descriptions.

Study Abroad During the Academic Year

Students planning to study abroad during the academic year need departmental and college approval for the proposed courses and academic institution.

Step 1: Explore the college’s Off-Campus Study website where you will find information about Colby-approved programs and the College’s study-abroad application process.

Step 2: Make an advising appointment with the Off-Campus Study office located in DavisConnects if you have additional questions.

Step 3: Submit the appropriate applications following the Off-Campus study timeline. You must submit the “Statement of Intent” by November 15 and the Colby Course Approval Form for Off-Campus Study by February 20 of the academic year before your proposed abroad experience.

The Colby Course Approval Form for Off-Campus Study indicates the program that you hope to attend and requires the approval of your academic advisor. You will also need to list the courses you hope to take abroad and receive pre-approval for their transfer to Colby. General-credit courses toward the 128 credits required for graduation can be approved by your academic advisor. Economics courses can be approved by your Economics academic advisor or the Economics Department Associate Chair. Courses that you wish to count toward other majors or minors or toward distribution requirements must be approved by the OCS faculty liaison in the appropriate department.

Getting Credit Toward the Economics Major or Minor

Students may receive credit at the 200-level or above toward the Economics or Economics-Financial Markets majors or the Economics minor for up to three courses taken off campus. For majors, one of the four upper-level core courses (EC223, EC224, EC293, and EC393) may be completed elsewhere. Senior seminars need to be taken at Colby. EC121, EC133, and EC134 may also be taken elsewhere and do not count toward the three-course transfer limit.

It is most common for students to receive elective credit at the 200 or 300 level for abroad courses. This is an excellent opportunity to broaden your exposure to topics not offered in our curriculum.

A course with only introductory level prerequisites – the equivalent of EC133 and/or EC134 – will transfer as 200-level elective credit. To earn 300-level elective credit, a course must have prerequisites equivalent to Micro and/or Macro Theory (EC223, EC224) and demonstrate a sufficiently high level of rigor.

The same standards apply to economics courses taught in a language other than English.

Students can receive pre-approval for Economics credit using the Colby Course Approval Form for Off-Campus study. Economics majors should present this form to their Economics academic advisor. Economics minors should present the form to the Economics Department Associate Chair. Course catalog descriptions, including prerequisites, are required to pre-approve a course.

Credit will be earned only for fully completed courses, including final exams. For example, in British universities where both “class grades” and “exam grades” are given, no credits will be given for a course in which an exam grade is not received.

Not all courses with the word “economics” in the title can transfer to fulfill a major or minor requirement. Courses taught outside an institution’s Economics department in business, marketing, or management disciplines often do not have sufficient economics content to warrant credit

It is normal for students’ plans to change between submitting the application for approval and enrolling at the study abroad institution. There is no need to re-submit the Application for Course Approval; instead, you may request credit upon your return to Colby by contacting your academic advisor or the Associate Chair in conjunction with the Registrar.

The Registrar’s office will process Economics equivalence credit after courses are completed and the College has received transcripts from the host institution. It is your responsibility to submit the course approval form and to confirm that the Registrar’s office has processed it and that Economics course equivalence is noted on your Colby transcript.

Questions?

For further information contact the Economics Department Associate Chair:

Professor Dan LaFave
Diamond 351
[email protected]