Study Abroad Student Instructions
Students who plan on studying abroad and transferring courses back to PSU for Economics credits should first see if the course has already been approved through Global Programs. If the course is not pre-approved, students are required to set up a meeting with the Economics Department study abroad liaison, Austin Boyle (alb43@psu.edu). This meeting needs to occur before the study abroad trip.
Professor Boyle will evaluate the study abroad courses chosen by the student and make decisions for the level of credit that will transfer back to PSU.
Students are strongly recommended to NOT take ECON core major courses during study abroad. These courses include
- ECON302 (Intermediate Microeconomic Analysis)
- ECON304 (Intermediate Macroeconomic Analysis)
- ECON306 (Introduction to Econometrics)
The department strongly recommends that any ECON student take these courses directly from Penn State.
When searching for economics courses to take while abroad, it is preferred to enroll in elective courses instead. Many elective courses still will transfer back to Penn State and count toward the major or minor.
Setting up the Meeting
Email Austin to schedule an appointment with him. Come to your meeting prepared – You should have ideas of which courses you are interested in taking. Austin will evaluate your courses, but will not pick courses for you. You also need to provide a syllabus for the course. If the Office of Global Programs says the syllabus is not available, the student should contact the University they will be attending abroad.
Important Notes
The Economics Department has the final say in how Economics courses are transferred back for Economics credit. We may not agree with course evaluations provided by Smeal or the Office of Global Programs.
A maximum of 6 ECON credits can be transferred to PSU from study abroad. Of these 6 credits, a maximum of 3 credits can be used at the 400 level.
It is also recommended to meet with an Economics Department advisor before your journey abroad. See the Advising Schedule page for information.