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Academic Credit
General Liberal Arts Credit:
Study Away on a third-party program is considered an academic leave. Participation on the Williams-Mystic or Williams-Exeter Programme at Oxford semester programs are considered Williams College courses.
All courses taken while studying away must be in the liberal arts and similar to those offered here at Williams. We will not accept credit for any business or pre-professional courses or online coursework. To receive credit toward your Williams degree for your study away experience, you must take the full course load of the program in which you are studying and take a minimum of 15 U.S. credits (per semester they plan to study away for). This is usually 5 courses per semester (equal to 4 courses at Williams), although at some programs it is 3 or 4 courses or even as many as 6. Most departments will accept between l and 3 courses toward your major, with prior written approval (typically via email).
A student must obtain a “C-” or above for the general course credit to transfer toward the Williams degree. Courses taken on an approved program will not appear on a Williams transcript or factor into the Williams GPA. Courses taken on the Williams-Exeter Programme at Oxford or Williams-Mystic will appear on the Williams transcript and factor into the Williams GPA. We do not give credit for internships or practicums without prior approval.
Williams requires that each course meets for at least 12 weeks. One term out of a three-term calendar (e.g., in the UK) is not a sufficient period of classroom instruction. Students should plan to attend two terms in spring or choose a program on a semester calendar. The final assessment must be by examination or a final paper. You must sit all examinations at the same normally scheduled time as those host country students working toward the degree. Special exam arrangements are not acceptable unless the same options are offered to host country degree candidates.
*NOTE: As soon as you are officially enrolled in courses on your program, email your courses to studyaway@williams.edu for approval for Williams credit toward the degree.
Internships:
In 2016, the Committee on Educational Affairs (CEA) approved internships for credit. Not all internships qualify. Here are the parameters:
Beginning with the class of 2022, DPE replaces the EDI requirement. Students studying away in fall 2018 or later may fulfill this requirement with a course taken away from campus. Students must petition the Committee on Educational Affairs (CEA) upon their return providing a clear and detailed explanation of how the course fulfills the Williams DPE requirement. The petition form can be found here.
Major Credit:
Students can get major credit when they study away. Approval for major credit happens at the departmental level once a student knows the classes they will be taking when they are away from Williams. See the chart below to see more information about study away within the major. If your major/concentration is not listed, that means we have not found any information online about study away credit for that particular major, and you should contact the department/major advisor directly.
Study Away Program Transcript:
It is your responsibility to request a transcript from your program and see that it is sent to:
Deadline for transcripts: No later than the last day of classes the semester following semester away. Typically it takes 2-3 months for transcripts to be released from third-party programs.
The College will review and apply all coursework based solely on the official transcript. Students needing an extension should disclose the reason and the extension timeline with the Dean of Global Education before the end of the term following the study away semester.
Study Away on a third-party program is considered an academic leave. Participation on the Williams-Mystic or Williams-Exeter Programme at Oxford semester programs are considered Williams College courses.
All courses taken while studying away must be in the liberal arts and similar to those offered here at Williams. We will not accept credit for any business or pre-professional courses or online coursework. To receive credit toward your Williams degree for your study away experience, you must take the full course load of the program in which you are studying and take a minimum of 15 U.S. credits (per semester they plan to study away for). This is usually 5 courses per semester (equal to 4 courses at Williams), although at some programs it is 3 or 4 courses or even as many as 6. Most departments will accept between l and 3 courses toward your major, with prior written approval (typically via email).
A student must obtain a “C-” or above for the general course credit to transfer toward the Williams degree. Courses taken on an approved program will not appear on a Williams transcript or factor into the Williams GPA. Courses taken on the Williams-Exeter Programme at Oxford or Williams-Mystic will appear on the Williams transcript and factor into the Williams GPA. We do not give credit for internships or practicums without prior approval.
Williams requires that each course meets for at least 12 weeks. One term out of a three-term calendar (e.g., in the UK) is not a sufficient period of classroom instruction. Students should plan to attend two terms in spring or choose a program on a semester calendar. The final assessment must be by examination or a final paper. You must sit all examinations at the same normally scheduled time as those host country students working toward the degree. Special exam arrangements are not acceptable unless the same options are offered to host country degree candidates.
*NOTE: As soon as you are officially enrolled in courses on your program, email your courses to studyaway@williams.edu for approval for Williams credit toward the degree.
Internships:
In 2016, the Committee on Educational Affairs (CEA) approved internships for credit. Not all internships qualify. Here are the parameters:
- The internship must be offered as part of an approved study away program and transcripted for credit by an accredited institution. The experience must be graded and there must be on-site faculty oversight.
- The internship must be substantive with at least 120 hours per semester of placement. This must also accompany a reading list and research project/paper in order for credit to be awarded. Academic work must be done in tandem with the internship placement.
- The internship cannot be the only component of the study away experience. The student must also engage in an intellectually challenging classroom experience in addition to the internship.
- The internship and program approval is always at the discretion of the Dean of Global Education.
Beginning with the class of 2022, DPE replaces the EDI requirement. Students studying away in fall 2018 or later may fulfill this requirement with a course taken away from campus. Students must petition the Committee on Educational Affairs (CEA) upon their return providing a clear and detailed explanation of how the course fulfills the Williams DPE requirement. The petition form can be found here.
Major Credit:
Students can get major credit when they study away. Approval for major credit happens at the departmental level once a student knows the classes they will be taking when they are away from Williams. See the chart below to see more information about study away within the major. If your major/concentration is not listed, that means we have not found any information online about study away credit for that particular major, and you should contact the department/major advisor directly.
It is your responsibility to request a transcript from your program and see that it is sent to:
Williams College
Office of the Registrar
PO Box 696
Williamstown, MA 01267
You are strongly urged to request a transcript for yourself for future references for graduate school and/or employment at the same time. You will not be able to retrieve the Williams copy of your transcript.Office of the Registrar
PO Box 696
Williamstown, MA 01267
Deadline for transcripts: No later than the last day of classes the semester following semester away. Typically it takes 2-3 months for transcripts to be released from third-party programs.
The College will review and apply all coursework based solely on the official transcript. Students needing an extension should disclose the reason and the extension timeline with the Dean of Global Education before the end of the term following the study away semester.