Academics Abroad: How to Register for Classes
In her study abroad blog, AZI intern Kylie shares her experiences and advice for students studying abroad.
One of the best parts of studying abroad is the unique academic opportunities that schools abroad offer. These programs allow exposure to diverse faculty, peers, and resources that you may have never encountered otherwise. Additionally, many institutions offer specialized or immersive courses which may involve more hands-on activities and field trips.
I studied at UA Barcelona during my second semester as an upper-division student in the Eller College of Management. This program fit into my schedule very well as UA Barcelona offers a global track for business majors. With the help of the global track, I was able to receive major-specific upper-division credit for four of my five classes abroad along with general education credit for an art course.
Major-specific courses are important, but you may also be surprised just how much you can learn from courses that are unique to your location. My most unique study abroad course ended up being my art class: Picasso, Matisse, Dali and the Mediterranean. My professor Marta was incredibly kind and knowledgeable, and we explored a new art museum in Barcelona each class. I’m not someone who’s ever considered myself artsy, but this class really challenged me to consider art and its deeper meaning differently.
Painting in the Picasso Museo
When talking to Professor Marta one day about my future aspirations as a marketer, she contested my claim that I was “not an artist.” She helped me see that everyone is an artist; we all just express it differently. This conversation really stuck with me and overall the class fostered a much deeper appreciation for art in me. It was a great and unexpected takeaway from my time expanding my academic horizons in Spain.
Before you can experience these awesome classes though, there is the very important process of selecting and registering for study abroad classes. As I prepare to embark for UA Sydney, I’ve recently completed study abroad class registration for a second time and want to share my best advice for a smooth and easy registration process:
Getting Started
If you’re not set on a location yet, I recommend exploring the UA Study Abroad Global Tracks for your major! Typically, these offer the most flexibility for you to accomplish numerous major-specific courses while abroad. Additionally, many majors offer Faculty-Led programs where smaller groups of students are accompanied abroad by University of Arizona faculty and receive direct academic credit for studying with them.
However, if you don’t see a Global Track or Faculty-Led program for your major in the location you’d like to study, that’s totally okay! You can certainly still go abroad to this location and work individually with your academic advisor for your major to pick courses that will help you reach your academic goals.
If you’re still not sure where you’d like to go after exploring programs on the University of Arizona Study Abroad website, consider meeting with a study abroad peer advisor to learn what programs may suit your interests and/or an academic advisor to learn what programs may fit your academic needs best.
After you've decided on your dream program, visit the Academics tab on your program's webpage to determine what courses are offered through your chosen program.
Course Applicability to Degree Forms
Study Abroad Course Applicability to Degree worksheet
For most program types, you will have access to your Course Applicability to Degree Worksheet early in the study abroad application process, so that you can have it ready during conversations with your academic advisor. While applying for your program, you'll select the courses you wish to take and will work with your major advisor so they can indicate how each course will apply towards your degree.
In some cases, you may need to provide a course description or syllabus for the courses you want to take so that your advisor has the necessary information to approve the courses for you. Other times, like for Faculty-Led programs, a Course Applicability to Degree Form may not be required as you receive direct credit.
The class registration process varies for each program type, but your program’s study abroad coordinator is always a resource to help you navigate it! Specifically, they can help you navigate the course catalogs, understand the exact class registration process for your specific program, and find any information that your academic advisor requests.
Course Registration and Selection
Look out for emails from your host institution as you will follow their instructions on how to register for the classes you wish to enroll in. Your Course Applicability to Degree Worksheet will be a guide for you during this process. There are plenty of lines on the worksheet for you to seek pre-approval from your advisor for more courses than you intend to take, so that you have back up options if you encounter any issues when registering, such as time conflicts or full courses.
Depending on your host institution, you may also have the ability to select your specific course sections. This was not the case for me at UA Barcelona, however I was able to choose my course times for UA Sydney. One important consideration when selecting courses is the time change; class selection opened at 8am on Monday morning for UA Sydney which was actually 4pm on Sunday afternoon in Arizona for me.
Additional Class Registration Tips
Another thing to consider is doing some research on what college academics abroad look like in the country where you will be studying. In doing so, I learned that courses in Australia can be structured very differently and frequently require both lecture and tutorial components. This was important to understand, so I ensured I registered appropriately for both portions of each class.
As I had the option, I also intentionally picked courses in the middle of the week to allow myself long weekends for additional travel. For students who have the choice and are hoping to travel while abroad, I would recommend this!
If you don’t have the ability to choose your course times, you will still have plenty of time to explore the country you are in, don't worry! When I studied at UA Barcelona, I had classes Monday through Thursday, and still was able to travel through Europe extensively during my weekends, over a long Spring Break, and after my program ended.
I know this class registration process can sound complicated, but I assure you your study abroad coordinator and academic advisor will be there to support you through the process. If you do need additional support, just ensure you are communicating any questions and concerns with them well before any upcoming class registration deadlines approach!
Start your study abroad journey by making a general advising appointment with a peer advisor.
To access all of the study abroad blog entries, visit the Kylie Goes Global webpage.