Study Abroad Guidelines

The Department of History strongly endorses study abroad as a valuable component of a History major at Holy Cross.  We offer the following guidelines in order to assist students selecting courses in Study Abroad programs. 

• No more than four History courses taken outside the department can be applied to the History major.  A student who is abroad for a full year may request credit for a maximum of four courses to the History major.  A student who is abroad for only one semester may request credit for a maximum of two courses.  There is no automatic transfer of credits to the major; courses taken abroad must be approved by the student’s academic advisor and by the History Department Chair. 
  
  
• Students are encouraged to take courses on the history of the nation or area in which they are studying, as for example, the History of Tuscany at the University of Florence, or the British Empire at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland, or comparative and thematic history, such as Economic History at the University of Melbourne in Australia. Thus, for example, a United States history course taken abroad will normally not be credited toward the minimum of ten courses for the major.  
  
  
• In order to receive the approval of their academic advisor and the History Department Chair, a student must submit the syllabus or course outline for the course for which the student is seeking approval; in addition to a description of the aims of the course and/or main topics covered, the syllabus must include a list of assigned readings and an indication of examinations and writing assignments.  Courses which are taught outside of the History Department at the institution at which the student is studying, or courses taught by an instructor who does not have a degree in History, will normally not be credited for the History major. 
  
  
• Courses taken in Study Abroad programs can only be used to fulfill distribution areas within the major with the approval of the History Department Chair. 

• All waivers to these guidelines are at the discretion of the History Department Chair.