Academics

• Students must be currently enrolled in the Goizueta Business School at the time of application.
• Students must have successfully completed a minimum of three regular fall or spring semesters.
• Students must have successfully completed a minimum of three of the following core courses: BUS 211, BUS 320, BUS 330, BUS 331, BUS 340, BUS 351, or BUS 410. Such courses do not have to be completed at the time of the application deadline, only before the student goes abroad.
• Students must be in good academic standing, with a cumulative and most-recent-semester GPA of at least 3.0.
• At select schools, students must meet minimum language requirements: class level 212 or higher, or native fluency.

Rarely, a student wants to go abroad during their first semester at Goizueta. However, such a student doesn't satisfy the first pre-req: current enrollment at Goizueta. In such cases, a student is permitted to petition for an exception to the pre-requisites.

How do you submit a petition? You submit, electronically on EagleOps, an additional, page along with your persuasive proposal essay. This additional page should address the reasons for your petition, plus one faculty recommendation letter (from an Emory, Oxford, or Goizueta professor) in academic support of your plan.

If this applies to you, please be aware that (1) there is no guarantee that your petition will be accepted, and (2) your program placement request will be considered *after* all currently admitted students.

Semesters 1-3: Investigate

• Take general education requirements and business school pre-requisite courses
• Get pre-BBA and BBA International Programs advising
• Do some basic research

Semester 4 or 5 (depending on when you matriculate to the business school): Apply

• By February 15 to spend semester 5 abroad
• By September 15 to spend semester 6 abroad

Semester 5 or 6: Experience

• Do great work in classes abroad
• Accumulate personal and professional experiences
• Return to Goizueta ready for the next challenge

Semester 6, 7, and 8: Connect

• Write an experience report
• Serve as a gIN buddy for incoming exchange students
• Nourish your passion for all things international

As part of the application process, you must meet with BBA International Programs to create an academic advising plan. This document is intended to offer guidance about what types of classes to take. You may also seek academic advising when the actual time for course selection at the host school occurs. This will come from the BBA International Programs office.

What will be discussed when I make my academic plan?

• Out of your remaining degree requirements, which could possibly be fulfilled abroad?
• Degree requirements that must be taken at Goizueta, paying particular attention to pre-requisites, sequenced classes, and classes offered only once a year.
• Graduation dates, and deadlines for applying for graduation.

What should I take with me to my academic advising appointment?

Keep in mind that you won't know exactly what classes your host school will offer. Look at your host school's website and make a list of classes (number and title) that will be offered the semester you are there. Next to each class, write down the Goizueta equivalent credit (if known), which you can find in the Database of Approved Courses. If you see a class that is not in our database and if you can find a syllabus for it, please have it evaluated. Try to have classes evaluated before your academic advising appointment if possible. Consult the website for your host school and check the courses offered with the Database of Approved Courses. Please be sure to read the notice that accompanies the database. If the courses that will be offered while you are abroad are not yet listed on their website, view the offerings of the current and past semesters.

When it is time for course selection at the host school, what do I do?

Before you applied to study abroad you made an academic lpan and discussed what degree requirements you might find at your host school, so you should have an idea already on what you need. However, you may have changed your area depth or added another area depth or major. Consider your remaining degree requirements when looking for classes on your host school’s website and in the Database of Approved Courses.

It is common for students to not fulfill the exact degree requirements they had originally planned to fulfill; therefore, it is very important that you understand your degree plan and requirements so that you can make informed decisions in case you encounter registration issues abroad.

How do I earn credit for academic work performed abroad?

Courses taken abroad must be evaluated and assigned an Emory/Goizueta equivalent, should you need them to satisfy certain degree requirements. Such degree requirements include GERs, business major requirements (core and area depth electives), or second major classes. The ones in the Database of Approved Courses have already been evaluated by the appropriate academic department and do not need to be evaluated again.

If you find a course that is offered abroad that has not been evaluated for credit at Emory/Goizueta, try to find the syllabus on the host school’s website. You may not be able to find sufficient information to have it evaluated before you go, in which case you will provide the course information while you are abroad.

• The syllabus must be in English
• It must include the course objectives, course content covered, the numbers of hours in class the entire semester, the reading materials, and assessment methods.
• For courses not in English, students must provide both the original syllabus/description and the English translation of the course.
• To be equivalent to a specific Goizueta business course, the course at the host school must cover the same topics. Comparing descriptions with actual Goizueta course syllabi often helps.
• If you wish to take a course toward a declared second major from Emory College of Arts & Sciences, it is your job to have the relevant Emory College department review the course materials according to their procedures, and to inform BBA International Programs of the department’s decision.
• For a course to be worth 3 hours of Emory academic credit, it must have approximately 45 contact hours (time spent in the classroom) or 6 ECTS. Contact hours for a particular course abroad can vary from semester to semester.
• We cannot guarantee that you will get to take exactly what you need/want, and you may not know what you will take until you get there. Plan to be flexible. 

I have a final set of classes at the host school. What do I do now?

While you are abroad, submit the online courses abroad form. In response, BBA International Programs will send an overview of how your classes will fit into your degree plan.  You will be able to use this as you pre-register for the semester you return to Emory.

Curious about what classes you can take abroad? Search the Database of Approved Courses to see what business and non-business courses Goizueta students have taken abroad and how they transferred to Emory.  Need to get a new course reviewed? Submit an online course approval form. [Note: you will need your Goizueta username and password to access these resources.

Important Notice Concerning the Database of Approved Courses

You must read and acknowledge your understanding of this policy before you access the online database.

The database is a tool intended to help students explore course offerings at partner schools. It cannot replace the specific guidance students receive in an individual advising appointment. To use the database most effectively, it’s important to understand what information it conveys as well as its limitations, as outlined below.

The database reflects the courses students have taken at some point abroad and the Emory credit they received. A student who takes the same business course at the same partner university may expect to earn the same credit, barring any substantial changes to the course content.

Each partner has its own guidelines on what type of coursework it makes available to exchange students. Exchange advisors help students match their course plans and goals with partners' offerings. (At University of St. Gallen, for example, Goizueta students are permitted to choose from bachelor or master level courses).

Students are not restricted to the courses listed in the database. It is a living, growing document; as additional courses are evaluated, they are incorporated into the record.  Courses must be re-evaluated every four years.

The database provides no information on when (which semester) or if a course will be offered. For this information students should consult the host institutions’ course offer. Often, specific courses are offered just once a year, while special topics courses may be offered only one time.

The database is historical record. Just as at Emory, partner schools periodically implement curriculum changes, and courses may change in content or be cancelled. If the material covered for a specific course title changes substantially or credit hours are adjusted, (not common, but we have encountered these issues) a re-evaluation of the course will be necessary.

It is possible to have a business or non-business course at a partner school evaluated at any time, if a syllabus is available.  Read about the procedures for consideration of new courses.

In addition to the classes referenced in the Database of Approved Courses, the partner universities offer additional business and non-business courses. Students are encouraged to visit the partner school's web site to view course catalogs and specific course information.

Reminder of Goizueta Study Abroad Credit Policies

Students are expected to register for an equivalent of a full semester of courses the semester they study abroad, taking at least 2 business classes (some partners may require more). Please review this chart to see what credit load at each partner school is equivalent to a full Goizueta semester.

Some host schools offer classes worth only part of a regular class. When by choice or necessity students enroll in partial classes, they must take additional courses to fulfill equal a full course load. For example, two half-classes equal one full course; 3 courses worth 2/3 of a regular class equal two full courses. Schools offering a number of partial classes include but are not limited to EPSCI, ESADE, IDC Herzliya, University of Economics, University of St. Gallen, University of Economics, Prague, & Vienna University of Econ. & Bus Admin. Students studying abroad at these schools will almost certainly have to take more than 4 or 5 courses to earn a full semester of credit while abroad.

Students may earn credit for a maximum of 3 business major requirements while abroad. That means every student takes at least one free/flex class; many will take two. Students may earn credit for a maximum of two core courses while abroad. Students may earn credit up to two business electives while abroad.

At least 4 of the 6 business electives that all BBA students must take to complete the business major must be completed in Atlanta at Goizueta. No matter how many business electives a student takes while abroad, the student will still be required to take 4 business electives in Atlanta at Goizueta to graduate.

Students must take BUS 211 (Managerial Accounting), BUS 365 (Business Communications), BUS 410 (Legal Environment of Business), and any outstanding continuing writing requirement GER courses at Emory.

Formal registration at Emory/Goizueta and the host school are two separate matters.

At Emory/Goizueta

The registrar's office at Goizueta will enroll you in a full semester of generic BUS 494 credit at Emory. When this occurs, any classes you may have selected during pre-registration/bidding will be removed. This generates a tuition bill, which you will pay by the deadline in the same manner as that of any other semester. It also serves as a place-holder until we transfer your study abroad credit.

At the host school

Students generally receive information from their host schools 1-2 months before classes begin, outlining the steps to register for classes there. At all host schools it is possible to make changes after arrival, although the number of changes is restricted at some.

Grades for the courses you take abroad are determined by the host institution.

• You are responsible for meeting the performance expectations of your host instructors and for following the host institution’s processes and policies regarding grades and credit.
• Emory cannot overrule another instructor’s evaluation or another institution’s policies. Any questions or issues you have concerning a grade earned abroad must be directed to the instructor of the course.
• Grades from abroad are evaluated by Goizueta according to established guidelines. You can review the conversion chart here. 
• You may notice that only the equivalents to B- are noted at each host school. This is because BBAs are required to earn the local equivalent of a B- or better in each course taken abroad for which they hope to earn business major credit (i.e., a core class or area depth elective).
• For classes taken abroad in which students earn a passing grade that is lower than a B-, only general credit toward graduation will be granted.
• No credit will be granted for business major courses in which a student earns less than a B-, or local equivalent.

The Goizueta honor code and Emory conduct code still apply for Goizueta students participating on study abroad programs.  There will also be host school codes to follow—ask your exchange coordinator at the host school for details.

• It normally takes half to three-quarters of the semester following the exchange semester to process your credit.  It may take even more time for students with unique and individual situations. 
• The BBA International Programs office works closely with the registrar to complete students’ records. 
• In accordance with guidelines established with the registrar, coursework pending from the exchange semester will be listed as soon as possible and practical on OPUS. 
• Due to differences in calendars, marking and grade reporting procedures, the time it takes to receive a final grade report varies from partner to partner.  Until a transcript of some sort is available, it is not possible to complete a student’s record, and courses will continue to show on the Emory transcript as generic BUS 494 hours with a grade of I for Incomplete. 
• Graduating seniors receive first priority in processing. Graduating students’ records must then be completed by certification at the end of the semester to graduate.  Students whose records cannot be completed in time for certification may graduate in absentia in the semester that follows.