Year or Term Abroad
With the approval of the Committee on the Year or Term Abroad and the department of his or her major, a student who has at least a B average may study in a foreign country. Such study may be undertaken for an academic year or for a term, either by enrolling in a program sponsored by Yale or another American college or university or by enrolling directly and independently at a foreign university. A term abroad may be taken during the second term of the sophomore year, or during either the fall or spring term of the junior year. A year abroad may be taken during the junior year. Details on the Year or Term Abroad are given in chapter II of the YCPS. The chief areas of concern for the DUS are:
(1) giving advice for the Year or Term Abroad and approving the plans of prospective majors. Applicants for a Year or Term Abroad will consult the DUS of their intended major(s) about the feasibility of their plans for foreign study. The committee has prepared a form for the DUS to complete and sign as part of the student's application. The committee wishes to be certain that the applicant's plans for foreign study make academic sense and that they meet the expectations of the student's prospective major. As DUS, you are asked to discuss the student's plans, review his or her transcript, and determine whether or not the proposed course of study will interfere with completing the major. If the student hopes to receive credit toward the major from study abroad, explain your expectations (e.g., amount of class time, number and length of papers). The student should contact you if he or she deviates significantly from the proposed course of study.
(2) giving advice for the Year or Term Abroad to students not intending to major in your discipline. Some students who intend to major in other departments will consult you about courses in your discipline that they might wish to take abroad.
(3) approving the award of credit for students in any majors who have completed foreign study on an "independent" Year or Term Abroad. If a student enrolls in a Year or Term Abroad program sponsored by another American college, such as the Sweet Briar College program in Spain, the committee will usually give credit toward the 36-course-credit requirement for graduation on the strength of the student's transcript. In some cases the relevant DUS will be consulted. A student who wishes to receive credit toward the major should supply a copy of his or her transcript and any written work you require. If a student takes an "independent" Year or Term Abroad, i.e., if the student enrolls directly in a foreign university, then he or she must seek approval from the relevant DUSes both for credit toward the major and for credit toward the 36-course-credit requirement. Thus a student who takes courses in three different disciplines must seek approval for credit from the three appropriate directors of undergraduate studies. On approving credit from outside Yale, see section O of the Academic Regulations, chapter II of the YCPS, and "Endorsement of a Student's Request for Credit for Course Work Done outside Yale" under the heading "The Committee on Honors and Academic Standing" in this Handbook.
Finally, a student in any major, with the approval of the DUS and the committee, is eligible for a Year or Term Abroad. Directors of undergraduate studies should note particularly the following description of the Year or Term Abroad (chapter I, YCPS):
In recognition of the special value of formal study abroad, Yale College allows juniors and second-term sophomores to earn a full year or term of credit toward the bachelor's degree through the Year or Term Abroad program. Participation in the program provides students the opportunity to approach academic study through a different cultural perspective and, most significantly, to speak, write, and learn in a foreign language.
Questions about the Year or Term Abroad may be addressed to the director of study abroad, Ms. Karyn Jones, 55 Whitney Avenue, 432-8684.
