Faculty Guide to Off-Campus Study
Welcome to the Center for Global Programs! We thank you for your support in helping Denisonians gain a global perspective on their education. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to us for any questions at globalprograms@denison.edu.
To ensure that OCS credit will transfer back to Denison, students must obtain preliminary transfer credit pre-approval before going off campus.
Summer or the fall: Due April 1
Spring or January Term: Due November 1
Course Approval Instructions from the Registrar’s Office
Fill out one Course Evaluation Form for each of the courses you wish to take abroad. Note: Course changes are common so consider getting approval for alternate courses as backups.
Submit the form(s) to the correlating department chair(s) for transfer credit consideration. Include the course description or syllabi with your approval request. Note: In some cases, ANSO, ARTS, AHVC, CHEM, CLAS, EDUC, ENGL, HIST, PHED, PPA, THTR departments will allow the Registrar’s Office to approve their GE/ elective courses; however, we do not approve major, minor, or concentration courses in any case. If you need to have a course approved to fulfill a P, Q, or R GE requirement, you should contact the chair of the GECC (Gen Ed Competency Committee).
Once you get your courses approved, write the course numbers and names on the Course Approval Agreement Form using one line for each pre-approved course. Note: List all approved alternate courses as well.
Submit your completed and signed Course Evaluation forms and completed Course Approval form to the Registrar’s Office before the deadline, where Kim West will sign your Course Approval form and return a copy to you.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION REGARDING OCS CREDIT TRANSFER
To ensure that OCS credit will transfer back to Denison, students must complete the transfer credit pre-approval process before going abroad. If there are changes to your OCS course schedule after you have submitted these forms to the Registrar's Office, it is your responsibility to secure approvals for any new courses you plan to take and submit new forms to the Registrar's Office.
A minimum of 12 approved/transferrable US credits are required for your semester abroad to maintain full time status. A course must be worth at least 3 credits to be eligible for approval consideration as a GE.
OCS programs may vary in US credit equivalences from abroad so it may take 5 courses abroad to equal 15-16 US/DU transfer credits. NOTE: The number of credit hours earned cannot be altered (even if the academic department approved the course for a DU equivalent course.)
Only one course may be taken on an S/U grade basis; arrangements for such a choice must be made during the program partner's registration process.
To remain on record as a full-time student while you are abroad, we display 12 generic “placeholder” credits on your record. (INTD 075 - 12 credits)
Upon completion of the program, the number of credits shown on your OCS transcript will replace the “placeholder” credits.
Credits earned at another institution, including those earned abroad, are displayed on Denison’s transcripts in the upper left-hand side under “TRANSFER CREDIT ACCEPTED BY THE INSTITUTION.”
They will not display in the Denison credits area for semester abroad since you did not attend Denison during that time.
Transfer grades display as “T*” where the “T” denotes transfer and “*” denotes the grade.
Transfer grades DO NOT factor into your Denison GPA.
It is your responsibility to pick up your completed Course Evaluation Form(s) and return them, along with your Course Approval form, to the Registrar’s office before your departure for off-campus study.
Academic Planning Form
Meet with your student to fill out Academic Planning Form and then sign it (digital signatures preferred). Helpful tips:- The standard course load for OCS programs may be as few as 3 courses or as many as 5-6.
- Many programs have at least one required course.
- Try to limit the number of required courses your student must take during the semester off campus to increase their possibilities for programs. ONLY list courses that they must take during the OCS semester.
- If students could elect to fulfill a requirement while off campus but could also take it another semester on campus, please indicate that clearly so that we know where there is flexibility.
- Electives mean courses that count towards Denison elective credit, but not towards a major, minor or GE. Many majors have options to fulfill requirements (e.g. any 200-level ENGL course), please list these as a major requirement in the field on the left and then list a particular course number only if the student must take that exact course.
OCS Program Selection
You can view all of our approved semester OCS programs in Global Tools. Students who are interested in Summer or January-Term options should visit this page that explains how to select programs for these terms. All students are required to attend a Group Advising session where an Advisor from Global Programs walks students through the process of searching and selecting an appropriate OCS program. Some departments recommend specific programs through Departmental Advising Guides.Departmental OCS Survey
Each year we ask department chairs to complete a brief survey regarding their departmental preferences and requirements for their majors/minors while on OCS. Our office uses this information when advising students to guide them toward programs that meet their requirements.OCS Application
For full details about the application process, timeline, and deadlines, visit our Application Process page. Students typically start the application process in the early fall of their sophomore year for programs starting the following summer, fall, and spring of the following academic year. Students start the process by opening an Advising & Program Selection form in Global Tools (on Application Process page). Denison limits the number of students approved for programs through caps, so please encourage students to apply as soon as they express interest to ensure the best chance of receiving a space on their first choice program. If students miss the application deadline, please instruct them to email our office right away so that we can talk to them about what alternative options are available to them.Course Approval for OCS Programs
These are the instructions provided to students in their application following our office’s approval.To ensure that OCS credit will transfer back to Denison, students must obtain preliminary transfer credit pre-approval before going off campus.
Summer or the fall: Due April 1
Spring or January Term: Due November 1
Course Approval Instructions from the Registrar’s Office
Fill out one Course Evaluation Form for each of the courses you wish to take abroad. Note: Course changes are common so consider getting approval for alternate courses as backups.
Submit the form(s) to the correlating department chair(s) for transfer credit consideration. Include the course description or syllabi with your approval request. Note: In some cases, ANSO, ARTS, AHVC, CHEM, CLAS, EDUC, ENGL, HIST, PHED, PPA, THTR departments will allow the Registrar’s Office to approve their GE/ elective courses; however, we do not approve major, minor, or concentration courses in any case. If you need to have a course approved to fulfill a P, Q, or R GE requirement, you should contact the chair of the GECC (Gen Ed Competency Committee).
Once you get your courses approved, write the course numbers and names on the Course Approval Agreement Form using one line for each pre-approved course. Note: List all approved alternate courses as well.
Submit your completed and signed Course Evaluation forms and completed Course Approval form to the Registrar’s Office before the deadline, where Kim West will sign your Course Approval form and return a copy to you.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION REGARDING OCS CREDIT TRANSFER
To ensure that OCS credit will transfer back to Denison, students must complete the transfer credit pre-approval process before going abroad. If there are changes to your OCS course schedule after you have submitted these forms to the Registrar's Office, it is your responsibility to secure approvals for any new courses you plan to take and submit new forms to the Registrar's Office.
A minimum of 12 approved/transferrable US credits are required for your semester abroad to maintain full time status. A course must be worth at least 3 credits to be eligible for approval consideration as a GE.
OCS programs may vary in US credit equivalences from abroad so it may take 5 courses abroad to equal 15-16 US/DU transfer credits. NOTE: The number of credit hours earned cannot be altered (even if the academic department approved the course for a DU equivalent course.)
Only one course may be taken on an S/U grade basis; arrangements for such a choice must be made during the program partner's registration process.
To remain on record as a full-time student while you are abroad, we display 12 generic “placeholder” credits on your record. (INTD 075 - 12 credits)
Upon completion of the program, the number of credits shown on your OCS transcript will replace the “placeholder” credits.
Credits earned at another institution, including those earned abroad, are displayed on Denison’s transcripts in the upper left-hand side under “TRANSFER CREDIT ACCEPTED BY THE INSTITUTION.”
They will not display in the Denison credits area for semester abroad since you did not attend Denison during that time.
Transfer grades display as “T*” where the “T” denotes transfer and “*” denotes the grade.
Transfer grades DO NOT factor into your Denison GPA.
It is your responsibility to pick up your completed Course Evaluation Form(s) and return them, along with your Course Approval form, to the Registrar’s office before your departure for off-campus study.