Always take a full course load equivalent to four Duke course credits.
On semester study away programs, you must take whatever is considered a normal, full-time course load on your program or at your host institution. If you do not meet the requirements to transfer back a full load, you are not considered full-time; and, therefore, you risk having your registration blocked, being put on academic probation, or even being dismissed from Duke.
Requirements
- Consult your program’s MyGlobalEd page to determine your full-time course load.
- Courses must meet for a minimum of 4 weeks and 35 contact hours.
- You must take courses that are equivalent to a minimum of 3 U.S. semester hours each.
- You must earn the U.S. equivalent of a C– or higher in all courses taken at another institution.
- Do not take courses Pass/Fail. Credit is not granted for any study away course taken as Pass/Fail.
- Every single study away course you take for transfer credit must be approved and assigned a corresponding Duke course number by a specific Duke department. See: Course Approval Process.
- No underloads or overloads are allowed.
- No online or hybrid presence courses are allowed.
- If your program is taught in English, in a non-English speaking country, you must take at least one course in the local language, even if you’ve completed the foreign language requirement at Duke.
- You cannot enroll in Duke non-study abroad courses while abroad (Bass Connections, Independent Study, etc.)
How To Calculate A Full Load
A full load will not necessarily be four courses like it is at Duke; the required number of courses will vary by program. As a general rule, one Duke semester course credit is equivalent to four semester hours for transfer credit purposes. For the typical semester-hour-system school, this means credit would transfer as follows:
| Semester Hours | Number of Courses on Study Away | Duke Credit Equivalent |
|---|---|---|
| 3-5 semester hours | 1 course on study away | 1 course credit |
| 6-8 semester hours | 2 courses on study away | 2 course credits |
| 9-11 semester hours | 2-3 courses on study away | 2 course credits |
| 12-14 semester hours | 3-4 courses on study away | 3 course credits |
| 15-18 semester hours | 4-5 courses on study away | 4 course credits |
Earning Credit Towards The 34-Credit Graduation Requirement
You may end up needing to take more or fewer than four courses at the other institution to reach a full load of 15-16 U.S. semester credit hours. Regardless of how many courses you have to take to achieve a full load on study away, no more than four transfer credits per semester will count towards the graduation requirement of 34 semester credits.
Below are examples of different scenarios:
If a full load works out to be 5-6+ courses:
You will receive 4 credits towards the 34-semester credit graduation requirement.
The 5th and 6th courses do not confer credit in the total count of 34 semester credits, but any Areas of Knowledge, major, minor, or certificate requirement the courses fulfill will still be applied towards your graduation requirements.
Here’s a common scenario that might apply to you:
| Transfer Credit | Requirements at Duke | Duke Equivalent |
|---|---|---|
| Course 1 | Fulfills a major requirement | 1 |
| Course 2 | Fulfills a major requirement | 1 |
| Course 3 | Fulfills a minor requirement | 1 |
| Course 4 | Fulfills ALP requirement | 1 |
| Course 5 | Fulfills CZ requirement* | 0 |
| Course 6 | Fulfills certificate requirement* | 0 |
| TOTAL Transfer Credits | 4 |
*Remember, you need the 5th and 6th courses to maintain a full load, so even though you aren’t earning credit towards the 34 credits for graduation, you still have to get the courses approved, take them for a grade, and earn the U.S. equivalent of a C– or higher in order to avoid underloading.
If a full load works out to be 4 courses:
You will receive 4 credits towards the 34-semester credit graduation requirement.
Here’s a common scenario that might apply to you:
| Transfer Course | Requirements at Duke | Duke Equivalent |
|---|---|---|
| Course 1 | Fulfills a major requirement | 1 |
| Course 2 | Fulfills a major requirement | 1 |
| Course 3 | Fulfills a minor requirement | 1 |
| Course 4 | Fulfills ALP requirement | 1 |
| TOTAL Transfer Credits | 4 |
If a full load works out to be 3 courses:
You will still receive 4 credits towards the 34-semester credit graduation requirement.
Here’s a common scenario that might apply to you:
| Transfer Course | Requirements at Duke | Duke Equivalent |
|---|---|---|
| Course 1 | Fulfills a major requirement | 1.5 |
| Course 2 | Fulfills a major requirement | 1.5 |
| Course 3 | Fulfills a minor requirement | 1.0 |
| TOTAL Transfer Credits | 4.0 |
Foreign Language Requirement In Non-English Speaking Countries
Duke students on Duke-Administered and Duke-Approved programs taught in English in non-English speaking countries (e.g., Venice International University Globalization Program, DIS, NYU in Prague, etc.) are required to take at least one course in the local language while on the program. The only exception to this policy is the ICCS program in Rome, where Greek or Latin may be substituted for Italian.
The language course must be taught over a span of at least four weeks and be eligible for transfer credit approval by a Duke department. If students do not comply with the requirement, a maximum of three course credits will transfer back to Duke for the semester, regardless of credits earned.
Ask A GEO Advisor
When in doubt, ask. If you are unsure about the number of credits you may transfer, or about what constitutes the mandated full load for your program, consult a GEO advisor: geoadvising@duke.edu.