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English Education Abroad Guide

River View by Gabrielle Banayan Florence Italy
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 English 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 ENGL electives, certain gen eds, 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: Start planning to study abroad! Take Gen Ed courses that may not be available on the education abroad program you choose (see below for more details). 
  • Sophomore: Finish lower-division ENGL courses so you'll have the pre-reqs needed for the upper-division ENGL 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 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 ENGL A&S Gen Ed ENGL A&S Gen Ed ENGL
Overall credit hours  Gen Ed: Arts and Humanities, Natural Science (Non-Lab), Social Sciences

Core: Contemporary Societies,
Historical Context, Literature & the Arts		 Upper-division ENGL electives Gen Ed: Global Diversity

Core: Human Diversity,
Ideals & Values, U.S. Context,		 N/A 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.  

Additional Resources

Last Updated June 2024