Courses, Credits, and Grades

Courses

Each course that students take abroad is assigned a Penn State equivalent course. To establish Penn State course equivalents, students submit Course Equivalent Requests after they have started their program application. There are designated individuals within each department who review study abroad courses for equivalents. The already approved equivalents are listed for each program on the historical course list.

Engineering and Gen Ed Course Petition Review

Every program will have a historical course list that outlines courses that have already been given a Penn State equivalent. If the course ends in a *99 or *97 the course is not an exact equivalent but can usually be used to fulfill an elective or gen ed. Courses can be reviewed before, during, or after program participation. All petitions should be submitted via coursesub.psu.edu.

Directions

After you have created a new substitution request, you will need to copy and paste the following in the justification table. Be sure to include all this information in your request or it may be denied.

Abroad Course Number:
Abroad Course Title:
Study Abroad Location:
Semester Taken:
Penn State Approved Course Number:
Justification:

Please note:

For a Gen Ed request: You need to choose, “study abroad course” and be sure your justification is specific and includes why it should be substituted for that requirement. You should use language from the Penn State Bulletin. An example of your justification can be, “I believe this ARTH *99 should be substituted for a GA because it focuses on….” And be sure to relate it to at least 3 of the 5 listed learning criteria.

For an elective request: You will need to list the specific elective name you want this course to substitute. For example, an Engineering Elective, General Technical Elective, etc. An example of your justification for this request can be, “I believe this ME *99 course should be substituted for my Mechanical Technical Elective because it….” And be sure to relate it directly to that elective as outlined in your major handbook.

Course Mapping

Here are a few course maps that outline the specific courses that have already been reviewed as an equivalent for a specific major and program. These are only to be used as a guide since courses can change each semester. You should always consult with the historical course list for the most updated information for your chosen program. View course maps »

Course Equivalency Process

Before the Education Abroad office can post grades from your time abroad, we must have a Penn State course number established for each course you took. Please visit the Academics section of the Education Abroad website for information on the course equivalency process.

The only courses that do not need to be submitted via a course equivalency form are courses taught by Penn State faculty or are courses that have already been reviewed and are listed on the historical course list. All other courses that have been taken or will be taken on a program abroad should be reviewed through this process.

Credit & Grades

Penn State students earn equivalent Penn State course credits, not transfer credits. These courses must be graded and will be added to your transcript. Additional information can be found on the Global Penn State website.