For Students

Obtaining course equivalents

Aisle de Buobabs, South Africa

Course Equivalency Request Form: This form should be filled out and turned into Sue Gisler (116 Agriculture Hall) for all courses taken while abroad.

Syllabus Form: This form can be used if an overseas course did not have a syllabus or it can be used to supplement the official syllabus for a course. Remeber to save as much documentation (assignments, reading material, quizzes, tests, etc.) from the course as possible.

CONTACT: Sue Gisler in CALS Academic Program Office
(608) 262-3037
sgisler@cals.wisc.edu

What is a course equivalent?
A course equivalent is a course taken abroad which is recorded on your transcript using a UW-Madison department, course number, and title. For the University of the West Indies program, there is a comprehensive list of courses available with the UW equivalency listed. IP has this information. For other programs, CALS is beginning to develop these lists. If there is no established course equivalency list for your study abroad program, it is advisable to explore how these courses will "count" towards your UW-Madison degree.

What can you do to investigate course equivalents before you go?
Check with your CALS Study Abroad Advisor or with staff in IP to see what courses other students studying at your site have taken and if there are established UW-Madison course equivalencies. If you select courses not previously taken by a UW student, see if IP has a course catalog or bulletin of courses for your program site. Also, check to see if your program site has a web page and what type of information is available from there. Check with IP to see if they can assist you in obtaining a course syllabus (study guide) from the study abroad university. Complete the CALS Course Equivalency Form and then take all relevant information to IP for review. If the information is complete, IP will recommend that you go to the academic department offering the course to determine if that department will approve the course equivalency. If you do not have sufficient information to make a course equivalency determination before your departure, you will have to take care of this after you arrive at your study abroad site.

How do you get course equivalents once you are on-site?
After you arrive at your study abroad site, review their course catalog. Choose courses that you think are appropriate for your degree program. With the E-mail assistance of your CALS Study Abroad Advisor and information available to you in the University of Wisconsin Undergraduate Catalog, you can identify courses to suggest as possible equivalents. The UW catalog is available on the World Wide Web. However, you may want to take a hard copy with you in case you have limited access to the Web.

NOTE: A CALS advisor can approve course equivalents only for courses in his/her academic department. For all courses outside a CALS advisor's department, the approval can only be given by the relevant UW-Madison academic department (department offering the course).

After you and your CALS Study Abroad Advisor have determined the courses you will take at your study abroad site and you both feel you have identified possible UW course equivalents, the next step is to complete the Course Equivalents Request Form and return it to IP. This should be done as soon as possible after classes begin but no later than four weeks after classes at your study abroad site have begun.

Please remember, if you are requesting new equivalents for: 1) a course that has not been taken previously and, therefore, lacks an equivalent; or, 2) a course for which you want a new equivalent established, you must attach documentation indicating course content, contact hours per week, and requirements (e.g., course syllabus, description, etc.) to the Course Equivalents Request Form. Make sure that this information is in English (a translation or synopsis) unless for a language department. All this information should be express mailed or faxed to IP. This documentation must be submitted for each course equivalency you are requesting.

IP will review the materials you submit and will notify you if any information is missing. If the Course Equivalents Request Form(s) are complete, including all attached supporting material, IP will forward each request to the appropriate academic department for approval. This approval process can take several months. In general, if IP receives your Course Equivalent Request Form within the first four weeks that you began classes at your study abroad site, you can expect to have your course equivalency process completed in the following semester. This means that if your program runs for an academic year, you will probably not find out about new course equivalents for your first semester until after you have selected the courses for your second semester abroad. If you are graduating at the end of your study abroad program and need to find out your first semester equivalents to assure your graduation, your request will be given priority.

NOTE: BRING BACK IMPORTANT DOCUMENTS e.g. syllabi, papers you submitted, reading lists, and exams. These provide a record of what you learned in the course and are needed if you change your mind about a course equivalency or if course equivalency is not settled prior to your return. Also, indicate how many hours of instruction (number of classes/week; length of each class; and length of semester).

If you are going to take care of course equivalencies after you return to campus, follow the course equivalents request form instructions carefully. Pleae note: The UW Registrar has indicated that the course equivalency process should be completed within one year from the date the student returns to campus.