Working With Your Academic Advisor
Academic Advisors can:
- Help students plan their study abroad program by identifying unfulfilled course requirements, flexibility within their degree audit, and mapping out an academic plan. Explain rules or requirements particular to a department or college that might affect a student's eligibility for a specific program or their choice of courses.
- For example: if a second-year student decides to study abroad in their third year, they can work with their academic advisor to set aside 9-12 credits of general education or elective courses to be taken abroad, along with 3-6 major or minor course credits.
- Determine how a course will fit into a student's degree audit. Academic advisors can still provide insight into course selection.
Academic Advisors cannot:
- Identify Baylor Study Abroad programs that offer specific courses; often, they are not familiar with searching for course listings on the Bears Abroad website.
- Override the course equivalency process. Even if your advisor has pre-approved the courses you will take abroad; you must complete the Form C and have it signed by the appropriate faculty chairs. Baylor Faculty Programs will not need to complete this form.
- Guarantee that the course will count within a student's major or minor if a class has not yet been approved.
- Provide specific information regarding the study abroad application process, housing options, program fees, billing, passport/visa information, or other travel information. For questions about program logistics, speak to a Study Abroad Advisor.
Questions to ask at your advising appointment:
- Are you aware of any approved programs that students in my major have done in the past that would be a good fit for me academically?
- How will these courses fit into my degree audit?
- Are there any departmental restrictions on courses I can take abroad?
- Which courses should I take before and after my study abroad to ensure I stay on track to graduate on time?
- If considering an internship abroad: Can I receive academic credit for an internship abroad? Is there a particular process or any paperwork I need to complete for getting the internship credit approved?