Credit Requirements

To receive transfer credit for any studies undertaken overseas, including summer programs, or a U.S. Partner Program, students must receive approval from the Off-Campus Studies Planning Committee (OCSC) prior to off-campus studies participation. Students who study off-campus without prior approval from the OCSC will not be granted credit from Whitman.

Facts you need to know about applying off-campus study credit to your Whitman degree:

• Liberal arts and sciences courses are usually transferable as general credit toward earning your Whitman degree
• Business and vocationally oriented courses (such as law, journalism, business, criminal justice, etc.) typically may not be applied toward the Whitman degree
• Whitman can grant transfer credit for internships only if they are part of an academic course and taken for a grade.  Pre-approval from the OCS Office is required for internship courses.
• Distribution credits may be earned on off-campus programs to fulfill distribution requirements with the approval of an Off-Campus Studies (OCS) Adviser in consultation with the Registrar.
• Major credits may be applied toward your Whitman degree with the approval of your major adviser.  A minimum of two thirds of all credits for your major must be completed at Whitman. For most majors that means that you can transfer a maximum total of 8-12 credits from domestic or foreign off-campus studies.
• A minimum of three fifths of the credits for all minors at Whitman must be completed on the Whitman campus.
• To transfer credits from an off-campus study program, a student must earn at least a C- grade or equivalent for that course.
• A maximum total of 19 credits per semester may be transferred from study abroad or U.S. Partner Programs.
• Students studying in non-English speaking countries must enroll in the language course of the host culture, unless the student has already completed two years of college-level work in that language or the equivalent.  However, many study abroad programs in non-English speaking countries do require all students regardless of language level, to take a language course as part of the curriculum.
• Whitman requires that all students who study on an Off-Campus Study Program complete a written evaluation of the program they attended when they return to campus. To download an evaluation click here.