Study Abroad

Plan early. Talk to your general LSA advisor, major advisor(s), and minor advisor(s) about your interest in going abroad. Ask about previously approved courses taken abroad for an idea of where other Soc students have studied.

Attend an informational meeting with staff from the Center for Global and Intercultural Study (CGIS). They will be able to provide an overview of the wide range of available opportunities for U-M undergraduates to engage in intercultural experiences.

Carefully research possible programs. Decide if you will study abroad via a U-M program or through another program.  

Study abroad is not just for juniors! Rather, the timing (and program choice) varies by what you hope to achieve by studying abroad. Individual courses that offer a study abroad component may be taken any time. Summer, semester, and year-long programs offer courses that have the potential to be used toward sociology requirements. In planning for study abroad, you should discuss with the sociology advisor which requirements should be taken here in Ann Arbor (SOC 305, SOC 310) and which requirements might be satisfied with a course or courses taken abroad (Soc electives approved by petition).  

Study abroad courses are evaluated in the same way as transfer credits when considering them for inclusion in the major/minor. First, make sure the credits will transfer to the University of Michigan. Next, reach out to us at socadvisor@umich.edu to determine if the course has been previously approved to count towards the major, LJSC, SHM, or SSW. If the course has not been approved within the last 3 years, submit a department petition.  

To petition to include a course toward your Sociology major or LJSC/SHM minor requirements, submit the following to socadvisor@umich.edu: 

• A completed course petition form (PDF)
• A current syllabus (MUST have reading list and weekly topics) - please translate to English, if needed.

A non-Sociology course (transferred or taken on campus) must meet at least one of the following criteria. Meeting one of these criteria does not guarantee that the course will be accepted, but it does increase the likelihood.

1. The course is offered through a sociology department at another university.
2. The course was taught by a sociologist. This means the course was taught by someone who holds an appointment as an instructor, lecturer, or professor in a sociology department or who holds a PhD in sociology.
3. The course readings listed on the syllabus are primarily (75%) sociological. This means that the books and texts are written by sociologists and articles are from sociological journals.
4. The course syllabus looks like the syllabus of a course in the U-M Sociology Department. The syllabus covers the same topics, has similar readings, and requires similar assignments. You must not have already taken the U-M course which the petitioned course resembles and must not plan to take it in the future. 

Once you transfer in your study abroad credits and they post on your transcript, remember to contact the department advisor at socadvisor@umich.edu to request for a degree audit exception so that the courses approved by petition populate correctly on your LSA Audit Checklist.

Note: A maximum of 15 Soc transfer credits may be counted toward the major and a maximum of 6 Soc transfer credits can count toward the LJSC or SHM minor.