Studying Abroad

The University offers its students the opportunity to pursue their studies in other countries and apply this experience to their University of Maryland degree. In many cases, study abroad courses can be used to satisfy department requirements. Students interested in studying abroad should visit the Education Abroad Office for a list of all study abroad programs. The University of Maryland (UMD) offers short-term (summer, winter and spring break), semester long, and year long study abroad programs all over the world. The Psychology PSYC Department does not have a preferential country for study abroad so students are encouraged to study abroad wherever they are interested.

The Department of Psychology participates in a study abroad programs offered during their respective terms by demand. Information about these programs will be posted here and on the blog. Note that PSYC students do not have to study abroad in only psychology programs and are encouraged to study abroad in any area of interest.

Study Abroad Preparation and Process:

Students wanting to study abroad should begin preparing well in advance of their departure. Students will first have to do some research on their own and decide if they are interested in pursuing a Maryland Study Abroad Program (such as Maryland-in-Copenhagen) or a non-Maryland program. Information regarding Maryland Programs and non-Maryland programs can be found here. Afterwards, students must meet with the Education Abroad Office to discuss the specifics of the program of your choice or to help decide between programs. As soon as a student has been admitted to a program they must meet with the PSYC Advisors to get prior approval of course selection, sign the Study Abroad Course Approval  (SACA) form, and complete an Official Academic Audit. All these steps must be completed BEFORE you go abroad. If you don't get prior approval, the courses you take may not be accepted towards your degree requirements! 

As soon as you have completed your coursework please make sure to have an official transcript sent back to the University so that the credits may post on your UMD transcript. Once the credits have been posted on your transcript it may be necessary (especially for non-Maryland programs) to have an PSYC Advisor manually apply courses onto your Degree Audit. This request may be done in person or via email. If a course needs to be applied to your GenEd/CORE requirements then you must meet with a BSOS college Advisor for assistance. 

Information regarding course evaluations:

- When asking an Advisor for a course evaluation, please email psycadvising@umd.edu with a detailed course description as well as a syllabus. Both documents must be in English and students may not translate the information on their own. All information must be translated through official channels. Please work with the Education Abroad office if you are unable to obtain documents in English. The PSYC department will use syllabi/course descriptions to determine how a course will apply to your degree and to determine whether the course is upper level, lower level, etc. Ideally the syllabus and course description will include the course prerequisites. 

- The PSYC department can only evaluate PSYC courses. Courses with subjects pertaining to other departments (such as Business, Art, History, or Government and Politics) must be evaluated by the corresponding department. If you are unsure which department you should seek an evaluation from you may ask your Education Abroad Advisor or a PSYC Advisor. 

- All courses listed on your SACA must be evaluated before a BSOS Advisor may sign your SACA form and complete your official audit. This is to ensure that you fully understand where your courses (assuming they are transferable) apply towards your degree.