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Geography Education Abroad Guide

Students standing on the hillside looking out at Lecco, Italy
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 Geography 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

  • GEOG majors are encouraged to go abroad for at least one semester! Sophomore and Junior year are the most common semester to study abroad
  • GEOG students often choose research and field-based programs or university settings
  • The most common degree requirements taken abroad are upper-division GEOG 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: Start planning for education abroad! Take Gen Ed and geography courses that may not be available on the education abroad program you choose (see below for more details). 
  • Sophomore: Finish lower-division GEOG courses so you'll have the pre-reqs needed for the upper-division GEOG classes you need upon return to CU Boulder. Education abroad during sophomore year is absolutely possible and sets you up well for junior and senior year major classes. If you are a GIS track student, consult your advisor to see if you should take GEOG 3053 and 3023 in the spring semester.
  • Junior: Go abroad! Going abroad during your junior year allows you plenty of variety in your choices of classes. Plan to take GEOG 3053 and 3023 in the semester that you don’t study abroad.
  • 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 GEOG A&S Gen Ed GEOG A&S Gen Ed GEOG
Overall credit hours  Arts and Humanities, Natural Science (Non-Lab), Social Sciences Upper-division GEOG electives Global Diversity Statistics, Methods,
Mapping		 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 March 2023