For a quick overview of the Humanities study abroad process, please review the slideshow above. For more details on this process and the steps required as you begin your study abroad journey, please review the information below. 

BEFORE DEPARTURE

 

KNOW YOUR OPTIONS

There are 4 types of study abroad program options: UC Education Abroad Programs (UCEAP), UCI Programs, Other UC Programs, and Independent Programs.

UCEAP is the most common form of study abroad program Humanities students participate in. These programs are considered "in residence" at UCI (as are UCI and Other UC Programs) and do not violate Senior Residency which limits the number of units that can be taken outside of UCI. Units automatically transfer over, but courses must be petitioned for specific course requirements.

Independent Programs (IP) can violate residency and units are not guaranteed to transfer back to UCI, but don't let this dissuade you. Many students still participate in IP and earn unit and course credit for their requirements, upon petition.

Explore your options for programs by visiting the Study Abroad Center office or website. Use the Study Abroad Center's Choose Your Program page to help narrow down your program search.

 

KNOW YOUR REQUIREMENTS

Review your degree requirements in the General Catalogue and check your DegreeWorks. Take note of both course requirements and major or minor residency requirements which specify how many and which courses must be completed at UCI.

Meet with an Academic Counselor or Peer Academic Advisor in the Humanities Office of Undergraduate Study if you have questions about your requirements and how they can work with your study abroad goals.

 

LOCATE YOUR STUDY ABROAD COURSE OFFERINGS

Check course descriptions and determine if the courses offered seem roughly equivalent to the courses you need to fulfill requirements. Compare course titles, course descriptions, levels (i.e., upper- or lower-division), etc. 

o   For UCEAP, use the UCEAP Course Catalogue to look up course descriptions.

o   For Independent Programs, most course descriptions are available through the program's website.

Remember that in order for courses to be approved for use in your major, the content must be approved by the department and Humanities Office of Undergraduate Study, and the courses must be at least 4 quarter units, upper-division (if needed for an upper-division requirement) and taken for a letter grade.

All Humanities majors and minors are welcome and encouraged to run course descriptions by Ashlee Walker (ashleemw@uci.edu) in the Humanities Office of Undergraduate Study or by an appropriate department faculty for preliminary review of course content. All courses must still be formally petitioned upon return once coursework posts to UCI transcripts.

If you cannot find the course offerings for your program, you are encouraged to contact a Study Abroad Advisor for assistance.
 

SUBMIT YOUR APPLICATION
While the application process is handled by the Study Abroad Center, you will be asked for academic counselor approval within the application. For this, please review the information provided on this page in detail and then submit the Humanities Study Abroad Form. This form is for Humanities majors only. Humanities minors do not need to submit this form but should still review this page in detail. 

After submitting, you will see a confirmation page – screenshot this page! This confirmation must be included with your application as Humanities counselor approval. If there are any issues with your study abroad plans, a counselor will email you upon receipt of your EAP Guidelines form. 

For Independent Programs - You will need to fill out and submit an International Study Advance Contract. This process can take up to 8 weeks. Check your UCI Abroad Portal for more information.

Optional: Make an appointment to meet with an Academic Counselor in the Humanities Office of Undergraduate Study to review your proposed study plan.

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WHILE ABROAD

Have fun and learn lots!
Keep course descriptions, syllabi, and reading lists for your courses. Bring all of the above back to UCI with you to submit with your petitions upon return.

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UPON RETURN

 

PETITION YOUR COURSES
After credit has posted to your UCI transcript, submit any necessary petitions with the appropriate departments.

· Download the Humanities Study Abroad Petition.

· Submit your petition to the appropriate department (e.g. department of your major, minor, or language course) for preliminary review. Be sure to include syllabi and reading lists with the petition.

· Once the academic department completes their review, your petition will come to the Humanities Office of Undergraduate Study for final review. Upon final review, you will be contacted via UCI email with the status of your petition and your DegreeWorks will be updated accordingly.

· Remember that for courses to be approved for use in your major, the courses must be at least 4 quarter units, upper-division (if needed for an upper-division requirement) and taken for a letter grade.

Please contact Ashlee Walker (ashleemw@uci.edu) in the Humanities Office of Undergraduate Study with any questions regarding your Humanities degree and plans to study abroad.

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Frequently Asked Questions

If you complete a UCEAP program all courses count towards your units. In order to have courses count for specific requirements in your major, minor, or for GEs they must be petitioned. Once your study abroad courses have been posted to your official transcript complete the Humanities Study Abroad Petition

Carefully read the instructions on the petition form and make sure you include the course syllabi, major written assignments, and any other relevant course materials with your petition. If you are petitioning for a major requirement the petition needs to be submitted to the department of your major first and then taken to the Humanities Office of Undergraduate Study. If you need help with your petition or are not sure where to submit it, feel free to meet with an advisor in the Humanities Office of Undergraduate Study with your petition materials.
Study abroad courses do not need to be an exact match for UCI courses, however study abroad courses should match UCI courses to meet requirements in the following ways:
  • Course level: Humanities does not approve upper-division courses to be used in place of lower-division courses/lower-division requirements and vice versa. For example, “Introduction to Philosophy” could not be used as an upper-division Philosophy major course but it could be used for GE IV or Humanities Core Alternative.
  • Course content: Study abroad courses should match the subject content of the UCI course it is being petitioned to replace. For example, English 102A courses at UCI cover Medieval and Renaissance Literature. English 124 “Victorian Literature and Culture” at Yonsei University would not be appropriate to petition for English 102A because it does not cover the specified time period.
  • Number of units: Study Abroad courses should match the minimum number of units a course needs to be to meet the requirement at UCI. For example, a 1 semester unit language course on grammar could not be used to meet a 4 quarter unit language course at UCI. Most major-required courses must be at least 4 quarter units. Courses may be combined to meet this requirement. For example, Three 1.5 semester unit Beginning Japanese courses could be combined to meet Japanese 1A at UCI (if petitioned and approved by UCI’s East Asian Studies Department).
  • Grade option/minimum course grade: Courses petitioned to meet major or school requirements must be taken for a letter grade. Courses petitioned to meet GE requirements can be taken for a letter grade or pass/no pass but must be a pass/D- to be applied.

The School of Humanities requires all Humanities majors complete up to level 2C (6th quarter or 4th semester) of a language other than English with a letter grade of C or better. Any study abroad course taken to fulfill this requirement must be completed for a letter grade and must cover an intermediate level knowledge or higher of a language other than English.

1) Check the UCI School of Humanities Language Other Than English Placement chart to review the placement requirements for the language you wish to pursue to determine which level you need to start with.
2) Look for course titles that reflect the level of the course, e.g. – “Beginning”, “Fundamental”, “Introduction to” would likely only cover a 1A level language course at UCI. “Intermediate”, “Level II” may satisfy 2B or 2C level courses. “Advanced” or upper division language courses may satisfy 2C.
3) Check the pre-requisite or placement requirements for the study abroad language course you wish to complete. If the course has no pre-requisites, it is likely a beginning/1A course.
Completing a placement exam upon return from study abroad may also be an option if no previous exam was completed for the same language before the study abroad term. Carefully review the Language Other Than English progression policies for more information:

https://www.humanities.uci.edu/undergrad/academics/lang.php
Submit the course information (syllabus, course description, study abroad program information) to the department offering the course you need to be authorized into. For example, if you are taking a course equivalent to UCI’s Japanese 2A in your study abroad program contact the East Asian Studies Department for authorization for Japanese 2B. If you are not sure which level you should be authorized for, contact the department offering the course with your course materials and ask what that course might be equivalent to at UCI. Please note – some languages require oral interviews to determine placement level. Plan carefully and reach out to the department as soon as you have a course syllabus and are enrolled in the course.
While there are several requirements that can be fulfilled with study abroad courses there are certain courses that must be completed at UCI. Lower division writing must be completed before studying abroad and Upper division writing must be complete at the UC Irvine campus. Additionally, each major and minor have specific residency requirements that state how many courses from study abroad programs can be applied. Carefully check the course catalogue for specific requirements and consult with an academic advisor for more information.
Check the Study Abroad Center website for more information about financial aid options: https://studyabroad.uci.edu/finances/

Check with the Study Abroad Office (https://studyabroad.uci.edu/) or contact a Humanities advisor: https://www.humanities.uci.edu/undergrad/contact-us