Peace, Conflict and Security Studies Education Abroad Guide
CU Boulder Education Abroad offers over 400 programs in over 60 countries! You can go abroad for a semester, year, and/or 2-12 weeks in the summer. Going abroad is strongly encouraged by the Peace, Conflict and Security 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
- Take courses abroad to fulfill PACS certificate requirements
- Study in a topic-based program that addresses an area of particular interest to you (location may be secondary if choosing this option)
- Use the Course Approvals List to find programs that offer courses approved for the credit you need or submit courses for evaluation that could be approved for PACS credit
Planning and When to Go
- First-year: Take Gen Ed and major courses that may not be available on the education abroad program you choose.
- Sophomore: If needed, make sure your language abilities match the program you wish to attend.
- Junior: Go abroad! Going abroad during your junior year allows you plenty of variety in your choices of classes. This is a good year for education abroad as you will likely be fairly proficient in a foreign language and/or be well along in completing your A&S Gen Ed, PACS, and major requirements
- 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 | PACS | A&S Gen Ed | PACS | A&S Gen Ed | PACS | ||
| Overall credit hours | Arts and Humanities, Natural Science (Non-Lab), Social Sciences | Outside PACS Electives | Global Diversity | PACS Electives | Natural Science (Lab), Written Communication | PACS Required Courses | ||
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 PACS credit: Suggested programs for PACS
- I want a lot of program options, but really want PACS credit: Programs where PACS courses are offered
- I am not concerned with getting PACS 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 Evaluation Form
- Finances
Last Updated June 2024