Making Degree Progress on Study Abroad

On the SF State Abroad database, search "general studies" to find the GE programs. 

Lower Division GE’s Abroad:

Take your lower division (LD) general education (GE) classes abroad as a sophomore. Most of the LD GE classes can be taken abroad. However, it is recommended that you take Area E at SF State since this is the one LD GE class that may not be possible abroad. To give yourself the most options abroad, it is also recommended that you take D2, D3, A1, A2, and A3 as a freshman.

The chart below lists which LD GE classes have been taken abroad previously on programs that are ideal for sophomores to take LD GEs.

Business majors should look at the following programs for taking a combination of LD GEs and LD business classes in English:

• Skema (France)
• Chung-Ang (Korea)
• University of Seoul (Korea)
• UC3M (Spain)
• Mahidol (Thailand)

STEM majors may want to consider the following programs for taking LD GEs and LD STEM classes:

• Chung-Ang (Korea)
• University of Seoul (Korea)
• Linnaeus University (Sweden)
• Instituto Tecnologico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey (Mexico)
• Mahidol (Thailand)
• University of East Anglia (United Kingdom)

Upper Division GE’s Abroad:

As a junior or senior, consider completing your upper-division (UD) general education (GE) requirements abroad: UD-B, UD-C, and UD-D.

UD-C (Humanities) and UD-D (Social Sciences) are the most flexible for study abroad. Therefore, it is highly recommended that you save them your term(s) abroad.

UD-B can be easily taken with UD-C and UD-D on UD GE programs. The following programs are recommended for completing all three UD GE requirements in English:

• Chung-Ang (Korea)
• University of Seoul (Korea)
• Linnaeus University (Sweden)
• Mahidol (Thailand)
• Nelson Mandela University (South Africa)
• University of Birmingham (United Kingdom)

Getting GEs Approved:

If you have any questions about taking LD or UD GEs abroad, please speak with an SF State Abroad advisor. SF State is very supportive of students taking GEs abroad. Using this website and the SF State Bulletin, match GE category requirements to classes abroad. Remember that the courses do not need to match, but the categories.

Approval for GE classes comes once you are actually enrolling in the class abroad. Then, you will work with the Undergraduate Advising Center (UAC). It is their policy that they will not meet with you until you have been selected into the program and are in the process of signing up for those classes abroad. Therefore, if you have any questions about GE's before then, please speak with a Study Abroad Advisor.

When you return from abroad and the classes have been placed on your unofficial transcript in Gateway you will once again coordinate with the Undergraduate Advising Center (UAC) to complete a GE petition to formalize the completion of the GE class abroad.

Language Learning Abroad

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

Did you know that if you add a language major or minor that you can often get your courses abroad double or even triple counted towards degree requirements at SF State? Ask your study abroad advisor about how this might work for you.

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

Adding a Language Minor or Double Major:

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 SF State Abroad Program Database for more details.

Getting Language Classes Approved:

It is only necessary to have language classes approved if you have a language major or minor. Please see the Major/Minor tab of this page for details on the approval process. If you are taking them for personal or professional reasons, then they will come back and appear on your transcript filling units but not necessarily a degree requirement.

Graduate Level Opportunities

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 SF State Abroad at studyabroad@sfsu.edu