Study Abroad Programs

Students can study abroad using one of the many Puget Sound approved study abroad programs. The following programs are intended as examples of programs of potential interest to Biology majors and minors. Students can consult with their biology advisor about options that best fit their goals.

Sample Programs:

1. CIEE Monteverde, Costa Rica - Tropical Ecology + Conservation
2. SFS South Caicos, Turks & Caicos - Marine Resource Studies
3. IFSA Dunedin, New Zealand - University of Otago
4. DIS Copenhagen - Study Abroad in Scandinavia

FAQs

• When is the best time to study abroad? We recommend studying abroad in your junior year. Summer programs are also available.
• Are there any pre-requisites? Some programs do have pre-requisites in Biology, Ecology, Environmental Studies, or related fields.
• How much and what type of credit can I earn toward my Major/Minor? All courses will be reviewed prior to the start of a program abroad to determine how the course(s) will be used for an individual student. The notes below are general guidelines to help with planning. 
  • If a course has a Biology pre-requisite, it can count as an upper-division BIOL elective. If there is no Biology pre-requisite, it can count as a science cognate.
  • Only one advanced Biology class may be applied to the upper-level electives for the Biology major. Up to one additional Biology class may apply to the science cognate class elective area.

Contact the Biology department for additional information on the major and minor requirements.

French and Francophone Studies majors are required to complete a semester of study abroad in a French speaking country. The following programs are endorsed by the French Studies department. To ensure that credit will transfer, any student who plans to apply study abroad credit to a major or minor should consult with a department academic advisor prior to enrollment.

Approved Programs for French and Francophone majors and minors:

1. IES Nantes, France - French Language Immersion and Area Studies 
2. IES Paris, France - French Studies

FAQS

• When is the best time to study abroad? We recommend studying abroad in your junior year. 
• Are there any pre-requisites? Yes, most programs require four semesters of college-level French or the equivalent, prior to studying abroad.
• How much and what type of credit can I earn toward my Major/Minor? Students should discuss their plans for studying abroad with the department. The notes below are general guidelines to help with planning. 
  • A maximum of two language classes and a maximum of two literature classes may be earned while abroad
  • Only one 300-level language course may be earned abroad
  • For FLIA majors, students can earn a maximum of two language classes and a maximum of two ancillary courses (PG, ECON, BUS) while abroad

Contact the French and Francophone Studies department for more information on requirements for the major or minor. 

Students can earn credit towards their Hispanic Studies major or minor on only the following programs (other programs that are approved by Puget Sound in Spanish-speaking countries will not be allowed to apply towards a major or minor in Hispanic Studies):

1. PLU Oaxaca, Mexico - Development, Culture, Natural Sciences and Social Change in Mexico; fall semester program
2. ILACA Granada, Spain - Spanish and Liberal Arts semester program
3. IES Quito, Ecuador - Area Studies and Language semester program
4. IES Santiago, Chile - Health Studies semester or summer program 
5. IFSA Buenos Aires, Argentina - Argentine Universities semester program
6. IFSA Buenos Aires, Argentina - Summer program
7. IFSA Havana, Cuba - Universidad de la Habana
8. USAC Bilbao, Spain - Summer program

 For more information, visit the Hispanic Studies website. 

PG students have received credit towards their major/minor on a variety of study abroad programs. Below is a sample of possible programs. 

1. IES Freiburg, Germany - European Union (semester)
2. IES Freiburg, Germany - European Union (summer)
3. DIS Copenhagen - Study Abroad in Scandinavia
4. CYA Athens, Greece - Study Abroad in Greece
5. Queen Mary University London - Direct Enroll
6. SIT South Africa - Social and Political Transformation

FAQs

How can I get a course approved for PG credit?

In order to approve a study abroad course for PG credit, you will need to submit a syllabus that includes the following for review:

1. course description
2. a list of assignments (exams, papers, how you're being evaluated)
3. a list of reading materials (bibliographic form or as part of the daily assignment list) and 
4. a description of how often, how long, and in what format the course meets

How much and what type of credit can I earn toward my Major/Minor?

When should I study abroad?

Contact the P&G Department or view the degree requirements page for additional information on the major and minor requirements.

If you are a pre-health student who is interested in studying abroad, it is important to work closely with the health professions advisor, your faculty advisor, and a study abroad advisor. Some programs that may be of interest to you include:

semester options

• DIS Copenhagen
• IES Santiago, Chile - Health Studies
• SIT New Delhi, India - Public Health, Gender and Community Action
• SIT Kenya - Global Health and Human Rights

summer options

• IES Santiago, Chile - Summer Health Studies
• SIT New Delhi, India - Traditional Medicine and Healthcare Practices
• SIT Madagascar - Traditional Medicine and Healthcare Systems

Students should not plan to take any professional health program prerequisites while abroad. Please contact Nova Fergueson (nfergueson@pugetsound.edu) to discuss your pre-health plans.

The following programs are just some examples of the programs you could participate in and earn credit towards a Psychology major. 

1. DIS Copenhagen, Denmark - Psychology or Neuroscience
2. IES Vienna, Austria - Psychology and the Sciences
3. IFSA Dunedin, New Zealand - University of Otago
4. IES Amsterdam, Netherlands - Psychology and Sciences

FAQs

• When is the best time to study abroad for Psychology majors?
• How much and what type of credit can I earn toward a Psychology major? All courses will be reviewed by the registrar’s office prior to the start of a program abroad to determine how the course will be used for an individual student. The notes below are general guidelines to help with planning but do not constitute a guarantee. Psychology faculty members can also assist in determining exactly how any courses taken on an approve program abroad will count towards the major/minor
• Are there specific courses that can be taken abroad? Specific courses that cannot be taken abroad?
• Can I count  a Research Project or Internship (completed as part of an approved program) abroad towards my Psychology major?

SoAn students are encouraged to study abroad with any approved program, and majors often incorporate research and reflections from their international experience into their senior thesis or other coursework on their return to campus. The programs below have proven popular with SoAn majors, and feature coursework that can count toward our major and minor requirements. But our students study in a great variety of countries and programs, so consult your advisor and the International Programs staff to find the program for you!

Popular Programs with SoAn Students:

1. SIT Vietnam
2. SIT Morocco
3. SIT South Africa
4. DIS Copenhagen
5. IES London (University College London)
6. IES Christchurch, New Zealand (University of Canterbury) 
7. IES Vienna
8. AIFS Prague
9. IFSA-Butler Otago, New Zealand (University of Otago)
10. Puget Sound Pacific Rim Study Abroad Program (coursework varies)

FAQ

When is the best time to study abroad?

We recommend studying abroad in your junior year, especially in the spring semester, which allows students to fold their experiences and any research they’ve done abroad into their senior thesis work. But students sometimes study abroad their senior year or even their sophomore year, if they can’t go junior year. Summer programs including some faculty-led programs are also available. We support our students and are as flexible as possible to ensure everyone who wants to study abroad can go!

What if I don't know where I want to go?

There are a lot of great programs available, so it depends on your interests, but we have found SIT programs to work well with the SoAn major, since they include a significant, independent research project which can inform students’ senior year work. SIT offers programs around the world, from Morocco to the Netherlands to Argentina. Direct-enrollment programs like IES London and Christchurch are also recommended for greater local immersion. If you have language proficiencies, studying abroad in an appropriate destination can significantly improve those while allowing for a more immersive experience. Finally, we recommend Puget Sound’s own faculty-led PacRim program, which often includes one or more SoAn courses.

How much and what type of credit can I earn toward my Major/Minor? Most courses related to anthropology or sociology will count as electives in the SoAn major or minor. Many courses (especially on the programs listed above) have already been vetted by the SoAn Department, and the Office of International Programs will be able to show you courses on those programs that count as SoAn electives (lower and upper-division). A few programs (e.g. SIT Vietnam, IFSA-Butler Wellington) have also offered courses that have been approved as specific SoAn major requirements (i.e. SoAn 299, SoAn 296, respectively). International Programs can share the latest with you. There is no limit to the number of courses taught abroad that can be applied toward SoAn major/minor requirements.

Contact the Sociology & Anthropology Department or view our degree requirements page additional information on the major and minor requirements.