Handbook – Academics

As you prepare for your program, talk to your UW-Madison academic and career advisors to share your plans. Stay in contact with your advisor(s) while you are on your program. Our staff can help with general program academic questions.

You should consult your advisor(s) for questions about how your program impacts:

• the various activities and communities you are involved in at UW-Madison,
• how your program’s courses fit into your degree plan, and
• courses for the next semester.

If you have not done so already, think about declaring your major and certificates prior to leaving for your program.

Discuss with your advisor(s) your progress towards your major(s). Before meeting with them, review your DARS, your program information and your program’s course equivalent list to determine what type of courses you might take on your program. Pay attention to your degree requirements and credit rules. Use the Guide to review requirements for your degree and major(s). Some types of UW credit may be more difficult – or not possible – to earn on your program. More information about these specifics are available in your program materials and below in the Courses and Credits section.

You may find it helpful to reference the following items during your meeting with your advisor(s):

• Program handbooks, academic notes, and academic information
• Program course equivalent list
• Course descriptions for courses you are interested in taking on your program that have not already been evaluated for equivalency.
• A current copy of your DARS report
• A list of other questions and concerns you want to discuss, such as the types of courses you should take on your program and what courses you should take (and enroll for) when you return to campus

If you are a student with McBurney Accommodations, you should discuss your plans with your McBurney advisor at least six months prior to starting your program.

UW-Madison degree candidates are required to earn a minimum of 30 credits in residence at UW–Madison. You will receive UW-Madison in-residence credit for course work completed on your program; however, each school, college, and some majors have their own residency requirements, and some more specifically have senior residency requirements or on-campus requirements. See the Senior Residence Requirement section in Academic Policies for specific rules for “in residence” credit. You should refer to your specific school or college section of the Guide, your DARS, or consult with your academic advisor regarding residency questions prior to departure.

In-residence credits are different from “on campus” credits – on campus credits must be completed at UW-Madison and cannot be done on your program.

You are able to earn Honors credit abroad.  Students participating in the University College Utrecht (Netherlands) program and the Ceiba Tropical Conservation Semester (Ecuador) should consult their program academic notes to learn about the amount of honors credit they will automatically receive.

See the Honors Credit section in Academic Policies for specific information on schools and colleges and steps you need to take.

Students receive in-residence credit for coursework taken abroad and therefore students from most Schools and Colleges are able to complete their final semester and graduate abroad.  Students from the College of Engineering are not able to graduate abroad.

See the Graduating Abroad section in the Academic Policies for specific information on schools and colleges and steps you need to take.

Graduation Policy

CALS students graduate with a bachelor’s degree when they have met all the university, college, degree program, and major requirements; have earned 120 credits; and have a cumulative grade point average of 2.0 or higher on all courses carried for a grade at UW-Madison. CALS will graduate all students who complete their CALS degree requirements, regardless of whether they have completed declared certificates, additional major(s), or are planning to complete a UW-Madison study abroad program.

Certificates and additional majors are only awarded if the student has completed all of the certificate and/or additional major requirements before or at the same time as completion of their CALS degree requirements. Students should plan their coursework, UW-Madison study abroad program, experiential learning, research, internships, etc., carefully in order to align with this policy.

Refer to the CALS Graduation Policy for full information, including the appeal process for extenuating circumstances.

International Studies Requirement

Students participating on an approved UW-Madison study abroad program may be able to satisfy the CALS International Studies requirement. For more information on the CALS International Studies Requirement, visit the Guide.

College of Engineering-Sponsored Programs

All participants on programs offered in partnership with the College of Engineering (indicated by an orange gear icon in the program search and ENGR abbreviation) earn pass/fail credit unless they take program courses that fulfill degree requirements for a second major or a certificate outside of the College of Engineering, in which case A-F grades are issued for those courses.

Students from the College of Engineering do not earn in residence credits on any UW-Madison study abroad program.

Science, Engineering & Math Enrollment Requirement

Participants on ENGR programs are required to take a minimum of 50% engineering, science, or math courses on a UW-Madison study abroad program. This could be more depending on the host institution’s requirements.

Graduating While on a Program & 24 Credit Waiver

If you are a College of Engineering student and plan to take any of your last 24 credits while participating in a UW-Madison study abroad program, you must request special permission to do so and complete a 24 credit waiver form prior to your program. Approval is granted or denied on a case-by-case basis. With this permission, you can participate on a program during your second to last semester. However, you cannot graduate while on your program, and must return to UW-Madison to complete at least one full time semester before finishing your degree. Contact your Study Abroad Advisor to initiate this process.

Certificate in International Engineering

The Certificate in International Engineering demonstrates your knowledge of a specific country or region outside of the United States. This credential appears on your transcript, strengthens your resume, and testifies to your preparation for work in today’s global society. An international experience is required for this certificate and any program five weeks or longer satisfies this requirement. See International Engineering Certificate website for more details.

Common Guidance for Off-Campus Coursework

Wisconsin BBA students are advised to take no more than two courses in their major (or per major if pursuing multiple majors) off-campus. This guidance includes courses taken for transfer credit at another accredited institution as well as courses taken on any UW-Madison study abroad program offered in partnership with the Wisconsin School of Business (indicated with a blue briefcase). Due to the international emphasis of the International Business major, there is no limit on the number of courses taken towards that major while on a UW-Madison study abroad program.

The academic departments of the business school strongly recommend that all BBA students complete the core or initial course in their major(s) on campus.

You should plan to complete all prerequisites for any off-campus course, regardless of its place in the BBA curriculum, prior to taking the course off-campus. Attention to these prerequisites is crucial to ensuring BBA students are prepared for their coursework whether it is taken on or off campus. Advance academic planning is an integral part of student success and the ability to remain on track to graduate.

Semester Programs

Students participating on a semester duration UW-Madison study abroad business program are expected to enroll in at least six UW-Madison credits of business courses. Generally, this means that you would need to take two business courses while on your program.

Some programs will indicate that they utilize an alternate course equivalency process: bundling. Bundling is used when the credit for individual program courses may consistently be less than 3 UW-Madison credits, thereby not offering the most meaningful credit at UW-Madison. On these programs, two or more individual program courses are bundled together into one UW-Madison course. Credit is most often a “365” or “topics” course within a particular business department. The grade awarded for this bundled equivalency will be a weighted average of the foreign courses. For programs that bundle course equivalencies, your Study Abroad Advisor will work closely with you to determine the credit to be received. More information on the course bundling process can be found in program handbooks and/or academic notes.

International Business Major

To develop perspectives on regional and local cultural issues, international business majors select a geographic region of emphasis and select language and area studies courses accordingly. Participating on a UW-Madison study abroad program in the selected region of emphasis for one fall or spring semester is also required for the major. Additional details are available in the UW-Madison Guide.

Applying to the Wisconsin BBA Program

There are multiple admission paths to the Wisconsin BBA Program. Students who are already enrolled at UW–Madison can apply through the pre-business admissions process. More details about this process can be found in the UW-Madison Guide. If you plan to apply for admission to the Wisconsin BBA Program while on your UW-Madison study abroad program, you should consult with the admissions team before travelling.

All participants on programs in the U.S. and abroad are automatically enrolled for a single “Study Abroad Course” for your program’s term. This acts as a placeholder and allows you to maintain continuous enrollment at UW-Madison.

The placeholder appears on your student record in a few different ways, depending on the type of program, but serves the same purpose regardless of the course number. You’ll see one of the following placeholder courses on your record:

AdminUse 100 Study Abroad

AdminUse 200 Exchange Program

AdminUse 910 Graduate-Level Study Abroad

The following chart lists the amount of credits you will be enrolled for with the placeholder, which varies by term.

Here’s an example of how this might look on your student record:

The placeholder is replaced with the actual course equivalents, credits and grades earned after the completion of your program, receipt of your transcript, and course equivalencies have been finalized.  When calculating your remaining credits to graduate, note that your actual credits earned will vary based on the classes you take on your program, and in many cases will not exactly match your placeholder credits.

See the Enrollment section in Academic Policies for specific information on procedures so we can enroll you and specific details for summer, spring break, or winter programs.

Credit Load

See the Credit Load section in Academic Policies for specific information on credit load minimums and maximums, as well as information on Pre-Session courses.

It is sometimes possible to take an on-line course, in addition to your on-site courses. Any on-line courses would be at an additional cost. See the Online and Distance Learning section in Academic Policies for specific information on the policy and procedure for online courses.

Directed Study with UW-Madison Instructor

A directed study is a one-on-one learning experience where your learning is “directed” by a UW-Madison instructor.  You work with the instructor on a topic that you both agree on, outlining the assessment parameters together.  How often you meet and what you do is contingent on the topic you study, the instructor and what you outline together.  You are permitted to complete a directed study course while participating on your program only in addition to the minimum program course enrollment requirement.

See the Directed Study section in Academic Policies for specific information on the policy and procedure for directed study courses.

Auditing a course allows you to take a class without the benefit of a grade or credit for the purposes of self-enrichment and academic exploration. You can only audit courses on semester or yearlong programs, and you may audit a course only if the instructor for the course consents. Any program sponsor (foreign institutions, study abroad provider organizations, etc.) procedures and policies for auditing a course must be followed and regular attendance is expected. Audited courses are not posted to your UW-Madison transcript nor will they count towards the minimum number of credits as a full-time student on the program.

If allowed, you may add or drop courses up to the specific add/drop deadlines established by your program which will differ from those dates at UW-Madison.  If you choose to drop a course, ensure that you will remain full-time and in compliance with in-country visa regulations after you drop.

See the Adding/Dropping Classes section in Academic Policies for specific information on the policy and procedure.

The rules for pass/fail eligibility are complex.

See the Pass/Fail section in Academic Policies for specific information on the policy and procedure.

Each course taken on your program is matched with one in the UW-Madison course catalog, which we refer to as a course equivalent. Course equivalents are based on content and level matches between a program course and an existing UW-Madison course. The Academics tab of each of the program pages on our website lists established course equivalents.

You must request UW-Madison course equivalents for each course completed on your program. After your program, these equivalents are reported on your UW-Madison transcript with the corresponding grades and credits earned. This is true for Special Students (non-UW-Madison students) as well, although you may also need to work with your home institution to determine how your UW-Madison courses will appear on your transcript.

See the Course Equivalents section in Academic Policies for specific information on the policy and procedure.

Credit Conversion

Programs have their own credit conversion scales. Check your Program Handbook or Academic page in MySA to see the scale. In general, one class hour per week for a 15-week semester equals approximately one credit; two laboratory, discussion, or tutorial hours per week for the semester equals approximately one credit. There are exceptions to this formula in determining credits for work completed.

See the Credit Load section in Academic Policies for specific information on the policy and procedure.

Grade Conversion

International academic systems use different grading scales and the way that grades are reported varies by program. Some programs use numerical grade scales while others use letter grades. Each program has a specific scale to show how grades from your program will be converted to UW-Madison letter grades. This scale is located in the Academics page of your MySA account. See the Grades section in Academic Policies for specific information on the policy and procedure.

Step 1

Your grades are processed after your transcript or grade report is received from your program. All your course equivalents need to be approved and you need to have completed the online program evaluation in order for staff to process your grades.

Worried about grade processing time? Ensuring that the courses in your approved CER list match the courses that you took on your program (and recorded on your program transcript or grade report) will help move things along!

Step 2

Our staff will confirm that you have submitted all required CERs by matching the program courses from your equivalents to the courses recorded on your program transcript or grade report. If you are missing equivalents, you will be sent a notification requesting that you complete them within 2 weeks. If you fail to submit a CER by the 2-week deadline, a hold is placed on your UW-Madison account. This hold will prevent you from any future enrollment for courses at UW-Madison. To clear a hold, all missing CERs from your program must be submitted.

For academic year and calendar year participants, your first semester grades will not appear on your UW-Madison transcript until your grades for both semesters have been received.

Step 3

When you have approved equivalents in your MySA for all enrolled courses on your program your grades are entered, you will receive an email asking you to review your Final Grade Report through your MySA account.

If there are no errors in your grades, credits, or equivalents, approve the Final Grade Report in your MySA account within 30 days following the notification date. The sooner you approve your Grade Report, the sooner your grades post to your UW-Madison transcript.

If you feel there is an error in your Grade Report, do not approve it. Contact your Enrollment Manager regarding the issue(s) within 30 days of receipt of the email notification.

Step 4

After you approve your Final Grade Report, allow 14 days for the grades to post on UW-Madison transcript. Consult your MyUW to confirm your program coursework has posted.

If you do not approve your Grade Report within 30 days of receipt, your grade and course equivalent information will be sent to the Office of the Registrar for posting to your UW-Madison transcript without your review.

Once posted to your UW-Madison transcript, grades and equivalents cannot be changed.

Dean’s List

A notation is added to your UW-Madison student record if you earn a GPA that makes you Dean’s List eligible. See the Dean’s List section in Academic Policies for specific information on the policy and procedure.

If you attend another U.S. institution and participated on a UW-Madison study abroad program as a Special student, you will need to make a request to the UW-Madison Office of the Registrar in order to have the transcript sent to your home institution. Make sure your program’s grades have posted before ordering your transcript by checking grades through your MyUW account. See the Transcripts for Non-UW-Madison Students section in Academic Policies for specific information on the policy and procedure.

Ethnic Studies

The ethnic studies requirement is intended for courses that cover the culture and contributions of marginalized racial or ethnic groups in the United States. This course content can be difficult to find as part of a UW-Madison study abroad program. We cannot guarantee that the few ethnic studies (‘e’ designated) equivalents that you may find in your program’s course equivalent list will be offered for the term that you plan to take classes on a program offered by your UW-Madison study abroad office.

Communications B

To receive a UW-Madison equivalent with the Communications B (Comm B) designation (‘b’), the course taken on a program offered by a UW-Madison study abroad office must contain the same literacy proficiency component as Communications B courses offered at UW-Madison.  Few courses will meet this requirement. The language of instruction for the course must be in English. While an intermediate or advanced English writing course might equate to a similar Comm B course taught on campus, few courses in other disciplines will have the required intensive emphasis on writing and speaking to qualify for acceptance as Comm B.

For most programs with a language component, you will receive credit for the next course(s) in the UW-Madison language sequence. These UW-Madison language equivalents are listed on your program’s course equivalent list. If you have taken prior language coursework in high school or have language experience, but have not taken that language at the college level and would like to earn more than the first semester in that language abroad, please take the UW Madison placement test before studying abroad. This will establish the next course in your language sequence.

You cannot take foreign language courses abroad in languages other than the host country’s official language(s) unless you have received approval from the appropriate foreign language department at UW-Madison prior to departure. This approval must be verified by email and sent to your Enrollment Manager. For example, students who wish to study Spanish while in Ireland need the approval of the Department of Spanish & Portuguese at UW-Madison prior to going abroad.

If you are interested in taking a language not taught at UW-Madison, and is not the country’s official language, you should contact your Enrollment Manager (e.g. you would like to take Berber while studying on a program in France). You will submit a course syllabus to your Enrollment Manager who will work to have the course evaluated for UW-Madison credit in a related department (e.g., African Cultural Studies for Berber). If a departmental equivalent cannot be given, a study abroad elective course equivalent (department listed as STDYABRD) will be assigned.

Students taking language courses to fulfill the UW-Madison foreign language requirement cannot take the courses pass/fail.

In many universities outside of the U.S., music performance classes are not taught at a university. Universities might offer courses in music theory, whereas conservatories or music schools offer performance classes and sometimes theoretical/general music classes. Most music courses taken abroad are at the elementary level. You should not plan to receive intermediate or advanced credit.

The School of Music determines credit and course equivalents for music performance and lesson courses taken abroad. If you take a band, choir, or orchestra performance course abroad, you will not receive more than 1 credit per semester course. If you take an instrument lesson course, you will receive 1-2 credits.

If you are a UW-Madison music major, you must check with your academic advisor prior to going abroad. Upon return, UW-Madison music majors who took performance courses abroad are required to meet with the School of Music to determine appropriate course equivalents and credit.

Some universities outside of the U.S. may offer physical activity or sport courses for credit (e.g. Badminton, Soccer, Diving, and Yoga). These types of classes are not taught at UW-Madison; therefore, a study abroad elective course equivalent (department listed as STDYABRD) will be assigned.