Academic Advising

We strongly recommend and encourage students to learn or improve another language while studying abroad. 

You may have personal or professional reasons for wanting to learn a language abroad. It is not necessary though to declare a major or minor to study a language abroad, just highly recommended.  

You can add a language minor (or even double major) before or after studying abroad, as you will complete the majority of requirements for a minor abroad.  

It is recommended that you do this before studying abroad since it is more difficult to add new majors and minors the closer you get to graduation. 

Many, but not all, learn language programs require that students take one semester of the language prior to departure (not at the time of application). Students who have previously studied the language in high school may work with the Foreign Language Department to take a Placement Exam to fulfill this requirement. It can also be met with a language class at a community college. 

Options include: 

• China 
• France 
• Italy* 
• Israel* 
• Japan 
• Germany 
• Ghana* 
• Mexico 
• Spain 
• South Korea* 
• Taiwan* 
• Thailand* 
• South Africa* 

*These programs do not require prior language study, but it is always recommended and helpful if the program becomes competitive. 

Look at the Study Abroad Database for more details. 

Connect with Dr. Fred Green about adding a language major or minor. Email him at fgreen@sfsu.edu. 

Study abroad is a great way to make degree progress towards your major or minor. Look at your Degree Progress Report to see what requirements you need to take and then compare them to what is being offered abroad. At the time of the application, you are using your best judgment to match. Later, it will be required to have them approved by an academic advisor. Students are encouraged to show potential classes to your academic advisors earlier if they are able. 

Under California law, all nursing classes must be taken in the state and cannot even be taken elsewhere in the country. Nonetheless, we work with pre-nursing and nursing majors to study abroad. If you are a pre-nursing major, then it is highly recommended that you study abroad as a sophomore and take your Lower Division (LD) General Education (GE) classes and nursing prerequisites or study a language abroad. Having a second or third language is highly desirable and helpful in applying for the nursing program at SFSU. If you are already in the nursing program, you may look at studying abroad for your minor or Upper Division (UD) General Education (GE) requirements during a semester when you are not taking nursing classes. Recommended programs include the University of East Anglia in the United Kingdom and Mahidol University in Thailand. 

You can always go abroad for general education (GE) requirements without having a major or minor. If you would like to take major/minor classes abroad and are still undeclared, you do not have to be declared at the time of application, but you should state your plans in your personal statement. However, you will need to be declared in your new major or minor by the end of the fall or spring semester prior to departure. 

You will still want to speak with academic advisors and Study Abroad advisors during your planning process, especially since some departments require major and minor course prerequisites prior to studying abroad. 

Graduate students must complete one semester of graduate work at SFSU prior to studying abroad. The GPA requirement for graduate students is 3.0 regardless of the posted GPA on the program page. 

Generally, graduate students focus on their field of study/major while studying abroad, but they can also go abroad to learn or improve another language. While graduate students may participate in a language and culture program, it will be for undergraduate credit and paying graduate-level tuition costs. Thus, it is more common to take graduate-level work abroad. If you do not see any programs specifically for your graduate program on the Study Abroad Database, please reach out to a study abroad advisor.  

MBA Programs: 

• Aarhus School of Business, Denmark (fall, spring, academic year, calendar year) 
• Bi Norway, Norway (fall, spring, academic year, calendar year) 
• Concordia University, Canada (fall, spring, academic year) 
• Lappeenranta University of Technology (LUT), Finland (summer, fall, spring, academic year, calendar year) 
• Skema Business School, France (fall, spring, academic year) 
• Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Australia (fall, spring, academic year, calendar year) 
• University of Aarhus, Denmark (summer) 

MPA Programs: 

• NIDA International College, Thailand ((fall, spring) 
• Meiji University, Japan (spring, academic year) 
• University of Aarhus, Denmark (summer) 

Biology: 

• University of Southern Denmark, Denmark (fall, spring, academic year, calendar year) 

Biochemistry: 

• University of Southern Denmark, Denmark (fall, spring, academic year, calendar year) 

Chemistry: 

• University of Southern Denmark, Denmark (fall, spring, academic year, calendar year) 

Computer Science: 

• University of Southern Denmark, Denmark (fall, spring, academic year, calendar year) 
• Lappeenranta University of Technology (LUT), Finland (summer, fall, spring, academic year, calendar year) 

Engineering (Civil, Computer, Electrical, Mechanical): 

• University of Southern Denmark, Denmark (fall, spring, academic year, calendar year) 
• Lappeenranta University of Technology (LUT), Finland (summer, fall, spring, academic year, calendar year) - Electrical and Mechanical only 

Environmental Science/Studies: 

• University of East Anglia, UK (fall, spring, academic year) 

Geography: 

• University of Birmingham, UK (fall, spring, academic year) 

Health Education: 

• University of Southern Denmark, Denmark (fall, spring, academic year, calendar year) 

International Relations: 

• University of Pavia, Italy (fall, spring) 
• Chung-Ang University, Korea (fall, spring, academic year, calendar year) 
• University of Konstanz, Germany (fall, spring, academic year) 

Math: 

• University of Southern Denmark, Denmark (fall, spring, academic year, calendar year) 

Physics: 

• University of Southern Denmark, Denmark (fall, spring, academic year, calendar year) 

For all other fields of study at the graduate level, please reach out to the SFSU Study Abroad Team at studyabroad@sfsu.edu. 

Once you have a list of potential courses abroad and their course descriptions, please email your academic advisors for your department to request a meeting. You should send a simple email requesting a meeting. Do not email them asking to approve classes via email if you have not yet spoken to them. This is only something you should do after your first meeting. 

This should be done mid-semester or as soon as you know that you will be participating in study abroad. Waiting until the end of the semester or over the winter/summer break can cause significant delays and stress for students as faculty do not always respond to requests made close to finals or over the breaks. 

Your departments are wonderful and supportive of study abroad, but they do not remember where to find classes or the class descriptions. It is your responsibility to have a list of potential classes and their course descriptions before contacting the department chair for a meeting. 

Some departments have designated people to work on study abroad courses. Their names and contact information are linked below: 

• BECA: Dr. Camacho 
• Business: Attached is a file that contains a list of course coordinators from the Lam Family College of Business. For specific courses within each department (e.g. IBUS, MKTG, DS, etc.), please reach out to the designated professors, who will be your point of contact for obtaining signature approvals from. 
• Communication Studies: Meet with your advisor by emailing comm@sfsu.edu before meeting with the chair 
• Computer Science: Dr. Hsu 
• DES: Dr. Chu or Dr. Gomes  
• Psychology: Meet with your department, not UAC 
• Social Work: Dr. Hermoso 

If your department does not have a designated person, reach out to your advisor in the department and/or the department chair.  

If you have any issues with getting classes approved, please let one of the SFSU abroad advisors know right away. 

As many as possible. There is no limit. Students are encouraged to get as many courses signed off or approved as possible. Having a class signed off does not mean you have to take the class. However, if you do take it, then you know how it will be applied to your degree at SFSU.

Overseas Course Approval Form 2024-2025.pdf 
Overseas Course Approval FAQ.pdf