Political Science Education Abroad Guide
CU Boulder Education Abroad offers over 400 programs in over 70 countries! You can go abroad for a semester, year, 2-12 weeks in the summer, or even winter break. Going abroad is strongly encouraged by the Political Science department. Use the following information as a general guideline to plan your time abroad, and connect with your academic advisor as well. Work with Education Abroad advisors to get more details on how to get started, discuss your program options, and next steps.
Quick Facts
- Go abroad sophomore or junior year
- The most common degree requirements taken abroad are upper-division PSCI electives, certain Gen Ed courses, and general elective hours
- Use the Course Approvals List to find programs that offer courses approved for the credit you need
Planning and When to Go
- First-year: Take Gen Ed and political science courses that may not be available on the education abroad program you choose (see below for more details). Start making progress on your 1000 and 2000-level PSCI courses.
- Sophomore: Finish lower-division PSCI courses so you'll have the pre-reqs needed for the upper-division PSCI classes you need upon return to CU Boulder. If needed, make sure your language abilities match the program you wish to attend. Education abroad during sophomore year is less common, but absolutely possible.
- Junior: Go abroad! Going abroad during your junior year allows you plenty of variety in your choices of classes.
- Senior: Work closely with your advisor to ensure that you can get all of your requirements completed.
Be sure that you know when the credits may be transcripted, as this can delay your official graduation date.
What Kind of Credit Can You Earn Abroad?
| Usually Doable | Tricky | Probably Not | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| General Electives | A&S Gen Ed | PSCI | A&S Gen Ed | PSCI | A&S Gen Ed | PSCI | ||
| Overall credit hours | Arts and Humanities, Natural Science (Non-Lab), Social Sciences | Upper-division PSCI electives, Comparative Politics, and Int’l Relations |
Global Diversity | Empirical Theory/Methodology | Natural Science (Lab), Written Communication | N/A | ||
Suggested Programs
Use these links to find programs that may be a good match for you and your course needs.- Show me the short list, I need PSCI credit: Suggested programs for PSCI
- I want a lot of program options, but really want PSCI credit: Programs where PSCI courses are offered
- I am not concerned with getting PSCI credit and want to see all of my options: Program search for all programs
Additional Resources
- Get Started
- Course Approvals List
- Program Search
- Major/Minor/Certificate Evaluation Form
- A&S Gen Ed/MAPS Evaluation Form
- Finances
Last Updated March 2023