University Bulletin (2020-2021)

Brandeis encourages a variety of opportunities for students to enroll in specified programs abroad that provide a sound course of study to enrich and enhance the Brandeis collegiate experience. Students may receive credit toward their Brandeis degrees through participation in educational programs abroad that have been approved by the Undergraduate Curriculum Committee (UCC) on the recommendation of the Office of Study Abroad.

To be eligible to study abroad during the academic year, students must:

• Have a compelling academic reason to study off campus that relates to their overall academic plan at Brandeis.
• Have a minimum GPA of 3.0-4.0 by the Brandeis Study Abroad Application deadline.
• Have completed two semesters of study in Spanish, French, Italian, or Hebrew for study in a country where one of those is the primary spoken language.
• Be in good academic and conduct standing (not on probation). Any student in the process of a conduct case should be aware that this may impact their approval for study abroad.
• Have resolved all Incompletes on their academic record.
• Be able to finish their university requirements and those for their major in time to graduate on schedule.
• Have declared at least one major before the Brandeis Study Abroad Application deadline.
• Be a member of the junior class or a first-semester senior when they study abroad.
• Students on any leave of absence normally are required to return to Brandeis for at least one semester prior to studying abroad.
• Submit a completed Brandeis Study Abroad Application by the appropriate deadline.

The Office of Study Abroad may permit eligible students to apply credits earned if they enroll in overseas programs of American universities or pursue individual programs of study at international universities which have been approved by the UCC prior to a student going abroad. More than 200 approved programs in about 60 different countries around the world have been approved for Brandeis students' participation.

The Office of Study Abroad maintains an electronic database resource library of materials on approved programs and offers advising to undergraduates interested in enriching their Brandeis experience with a period of international study.

Students must apply to the Office of Study Abroad for approval to study abroad. Application deadlines can be found on the Office of Study Abroad website.

Credit for work completed abroad will be accepted from those programs previously approved for overseas study by Brandeis. To qualify for full-credit transfer upon return, a student must study at a full rate of work (equivalent to 15 US credits minimum) as defined by the host institution and earn grades of at least a C- or the equivalent. Such transfer of course credits will not necessarily imply that the work will be accepted for major credit by individual departments.

Off-campus study cannot be a student's final semester at Brandeis. In order to receive credit for work done abroad, students must return to Brandeis for at least one semester during the academic year at an eligible rate of work.

In all aspects of international study, Brandeis University encourages students to engage in local cultures and most importantly, through their housing. Brandeis does not permit students to secure housing independent of their study abroad program. Most approved study abroad programs are able to provide housing (apartments, residence halls, homestays, or similar) to Brandeis students on their programs. In an effort to support cultural learning, reduce legal and safety risks, utilize housing options ethically, and create a network for students; Brandeis students are required to participate in these housing options.

Outstanding students may apply for a limited number of special scholarships to aid them in completing their program of study abroad. The Undergraduate Committee for Study and Research Abroad administers a grant competition for students on need-based financial aid planning to study abroad during their undergraduate career. Awards are made on the basis of academic excellence and financial need. The Office of Study Abroad provides information and assistance in applying for these scholarships, as well as for overseas study grants available through Gilman, Boren, DAAD, Freeman-ASIA, FEA, and other competition.

Students approved to study abroad will pay Brandeis tuition and all required student fees, thereby maintaining their status as currently enrolled students, and as such, the Brandeis financial aid for which they are eligible may be portable.

Complete information on the regulations governing study abroad and assistance in preparing applications may be obtained from the Office of Study Abroad.

Students entering as first years are required to complete a minimum of seven full-time semesters from Brandeis fall/spring semesters, approved fall/spring Study Abroad programs or approved Justice Brandeis Semester programs. At most one of these seven semesters may be a Study Abroad Semester or a summer Justice Brandeis Semester.

For students wishing to complete two semesters of study abroad, or two summer Justice Brandeis Semesters, or one semester of each, the minimum number becomes eight full-time semesters.

As with semester and academic year study abroad, students may receive credit toward their Brandeis degrees over the summer through participation in educational programs abroad that have been approved by the Undergraduate Curriculum Committee (UCC) on the recommendation of the Office of Study Abroad. The application deadline can be found on the study abroad website. In order to be eligible for Summer Study Abroad, students must have a compelling academic reason to study off campus that relates to their overall academic plan at Brandeis, return to Brandeis for at least one semester at an eligible rate of work in order to receive credit, and submit a completed Brandeis Study Abroad Application by the appropriate deadline. Individual programs will have specific prerequisites as well. For the processing of credit and service students will pay a fee of $400 to Brandeis. All other costs will be billed directly to students by the individual program.

Students participating in an approved summer abroad program must earn a B- or better in order to receive credit and be provisionally approved prior to beginning their program. Students are eligible to earn credit for two courses during the summer on a program of 5 to 10 weeks, and may be able to earn credit for three courses in some cases if a program’s length exceeds 10 weeks.

Students studying in a country outside the U.S. in a country that is not their home country can earn numeric credit towards graduation. If a student has already transferred the maximum 16 credits, or wishes to study in their home country outside the U.S., they can earn purpose credit;  purpose credit allows students to complete requirements but does not count towards the 128 credits needed for graduation.

Complete information on the regulations governing summer study abroad and assistance in preparing applications may be obtained from the Office of Study Abroad.

Brandeis offers summer study abroad programs led by Brandeis faculty and coordinated by the Office of Study Abroad. These programs are subject to change but currently include Brandeis in Copenhagen and Brandeis in Siena. These programs allow for students to earn Brandeis credit while abroad. Fees, application process, and other relevant information on these programs are available at the Office of Study Abroad website. Please note that these programs do not count as a semester of residency needed for graduation.

Students in the Brandeis Midyear Program enter Brandeis as a cohort at the beginning of the spring semester. Although these students do not matriculate at Brandeis until their first day of classes in January, the Office of Study Abroad works with external program providers to create custom opportunities for students looking to take courses that will transfer towards coursework requirements at Brandeis. Programs are subject to change but currently include Arcadia/Midyear in London and CET/Midyear in Florence. Students pay all program fees to program providers directly and courses transfer as pre-matriculation transfer credits but are pre-articulated to fulfill certain Brandeis Core requirements which students will not need to repeat upon matriculation at Brandeis.

Brandeis students also have the opportunity to participate on semester programs at institutions based in the United States that have been approved by the Undergraduate Curriculum Committee. The application process, eligibility criteria and credit transfer policies are the same as those for Study Abroad.

Students approved for domestic off-campus study will pay Brandeis tuition and certain fees, thereby maintaining their status as currently enrolled students, and as such, the Brandeis financial aid for which they are eligible may be portable.

Complete information on the regulations governing this program and assistance in preparing proposals may be obtained from the Office of Study Abroad.

A student may complete courses at summer schools conducted by regionally accredited colleges and universities for placement purposes, general degree requirements (except academic residency), and major/minor requirements as allowed by individual departments/programs. In order to be assured that credit will be granted upon satisfactory completion, students should obtain approval in advance from the Office of the University Registrar. Courses must be taken at summer programs of at least five weeks in duration with a minimum of thirty-seven contact hours. For summer work taken at institutions other than Brandeis, only grades of B– or higher will receive credit. A student may earn credit for no more than three semester courses in one summer.

Summer school taken outside of Brandeis is earned for purpose credit only and does not count towards the 128 numeric credits required for graduation.

Full-time Brandeis students enjoy cross-registration privileges with Babson College, Bentley University and Wellesley College, as well as with Olin College of Engineering, and the undergraduate schools of arts and sciences at Boston College, Boston University and Tufts University. Under this program students may earn credit toward the Brandeis degree without payment of additional tuition through satisfactory completion of courses taken on these neighboring campuses.

Brandeis is supportive of students' supplementing their academic experience by cross-registering at these schools. Although Brandeis will provide academic advising, it cannot provide transportation to these campuses.

A cross-registration course may be the fourth or fifth course in a student's semester of study. A student must be enrolled in a minimum of 12 credit-hours in Brandeis courses to be eligible to cross-register. Cross-registration courses do not count toward the courses required for academic residency. Cross-registration courses and grades appear on Brandeis transcripts. Grades earned in cross-registered courses are not used in the calculation of the GPA. Additional information may be obtained from the Office of the University Registrar.

Due to differences in academic calendars among the colleges in the consortium, it is not advisable for graduating seniors to enroll in a cross-registered course in their final semester.

During junior or senior year, undergraduates may undertake a substantial research project in certain majors in lieu of four semester courses. Research may be conducted either on campus or in the field. Execution of the project may involve prolonged absence from the Brandeis campus at another institution, government agency or other organization.

The field study project must have the approval of the student's department of major. The project will be supervised by a faculty adviser assigned by the department, and a second member of the faculty will participate in evaluation of the student's work and the assignment of a grade. Work in the project may occupy a full semester or it may be of two semesters' duration. In the latter case, the two semesters must be consecutive.

Students may receive no more than four semester-course credits for field study, and may offer no more than two semester-course credits from the field study course toward the department's major requirements. Interested students should explore the possibility of field study in their majors with a faculty member in their major department.

Through affiliation with the School for Field Studies, up to four semester course credits may be earned for work at one of five environmentally-oriented study centers abroad. SIT Study Abroad also offers field study options off-campus.

Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps is an educational and leadership program designed to provide young men and women with the opportunity to become Air Force officers while completing a bachelor's or master's degree. The Air Force ROTC program prepares students to assume challenging positions of responsibility and importance in the Air Force.

Through a program with Boston University, interested Brandeis students may participate in the Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps Program. Requirements include yearly aerospace studies classes, leadership laboratory classes and physical fitness training. Mandatory weekly time commitments range from five to seven hours.

Once students complete their degree, the Air Force offers a wide variety of career fields from which to choose, including flying opportunities as a pilot, navigator or weapons controller.

In addition to the leadership and management training that cadets receive, they can also benefit from several scholarship programs.

Please contact the ROTC programs for information on how to apply for four- and three-year scholarships. The scholarship range includes full- and partial-tuition. Scholarship winners also receive a stipend per month, a book allowance and uniforms. Applications for scholarships are due by Dec. 1 of senior year.

Freshmen and sophomores already in college can compete for two-, three- and three-and-one-half-year scholarships, some of which cover full tuition; others cover partial tuition per academic year. All scholarship winners receive a stipend per month, a book allowance and uniforms.

For more information, contact the Department of Aerospace Studies, Boston University, 118 Bay State Road Boston, MA 02215 at 617-353-6316 or 4705. Classes are held at Boston University. Additional information is also available at www.bu.edu/rotc/air-force.

Interested Brandeis students may also participate in the Army ROTC program. For more information, contact the Enrollment and Scholarship Officer, Boston University, 118 Bay State Road Boston, MA 02215 at 617-353-4025.