Study Abroad GE Approval Process

The Office of Undergraduate Education (UE) has the authorization to approve study abroad coursework to meet lower division General Education (GE), upper division GE (SJSU Studies), American Institutions (US1-3), 100W (GWAR), or Physical Education (PE) requirements.

Pre-Approved Courses by Continent 

Africa

Asia

Europe

North America

Oceania (Australia/New Zealand)

South America

Getting Courses approved

 Email undergraduate-education@sjsu.edu the following:

1. Your First (& Preferred) Last Name
2. SJSU ID number
3. Name of host campus and host country
4. List of courses planning to take abroad and specify which Area(s) you are requesting for approval 
5. Attach Course Syllabus (or links)

Undergraduate Education will evaluate your request and initiate Academic Approval Form.  Student's will receive a separate email from DocuSign with the AAF attached.

• Sample Email to Undergraduate Education

  • Subject: Study Abroad GE Approval Process

    Dear Undergraduate Education,

    My name is Sammy Spartan (000000001). I plan to study at Yonsei University, South Korea (Spring 2025)

    Here are the courses I am planning to take for GE credit:

    - Korean Food and Culture, IEE2084 - seeking Area C2 credit

    - Table Tennis, UCL1112 - seeking PE credit

    - Society Class and Issue of Inequality, SOC6565 -seeking  Area V credit

    Course syllabus attached (or links)

    ---

    Subject: Study Abroad GE Approval Process

    a. Sammy Spartan, 015637440
    b. Sungkyunkwan University (SKKU), South Korea
    c. Understanding Asian Culture, ISSS3231
    d. Area V
    f. Course syllabus attached

• Upper division GE (SJSU Studies) and 100W (GWAR) approval requirements

  • 1. Must have upper-division standing 

    Students with less than 60 (UE) units completed, need to file the "Request to enroll in SJSU Studies with Less Than 60 Units Completed" form.

    2. Completion of Area A3 (or second Area A2) with a grade of C- or better.

• Content Requirement (by Area)

  • Area	Content Requirement
    PE	Physical Education courses need to be activities not lectures
    Area US1	Focus on U.S. History (at least 100 years)
    Area US2	American Politics or Government
    Area US3	Focus on California Politics or Government and History
    Area A1	English Oral Communication
    Area A2	English writing, with special attention to the nature of writing at the university
    Area A3	English Language Critical Thinking and Writing
    Area B1	Physical Science
    Area B2	Life Science
    Area B3	Science lab
    Area B4	College Level Math
    Area C1	The Arts
    Area C2	Humanities, Language (other than English)
    Area D	Social Science
    Area E	Human development (infancy, childhood, adulthood) and its physiological, psychological and sociocultural contexts
    Area F	NOT APPROVED TO BE TAKEN ABROAD
    Area V	Focus in a Humanities perspective outside the U.S. and considered upper-division
    Area S	Focus on the United States (politics, economy, history, etc.) and considered upper-division
    Area R	Focus on the scientific method and considered upper-division
    100W (GWAR)	Should focus on emphasis on critical thinking and be an upper division intensive writing course

• Minimum Writing Requirement (by Area)

  • Area A1 has a minimum writing requirement of 1,500 words

    Area A2 has a minimum writing requirement of 8,000 words

    Area A3 has a minimum writing requirement of 6,000 words

    Area E has a minimum writing requirement of 1,500 words

    Area R require a minimum of 3000 words 

    Area S require a minimum of 3000 words 

    Area V require a minimum of 3000 words

    100W (formerly Area Z) requires a minimum of 8000 words

FAQ's

1. What are the course numbering for Study Abroad courses?
   Lower division courses are given a course number of 092 (e.g., JPN 092), upper division courses are given a course number of 192 (e.g., JPN 192), and graduate level courses are given the course number 292 (e.g. JPN 292).
   
   
2. Is approval for a specific SJSU GE course?
   approval is NOT for a specific SJSU GE course, only for GE Area.
   
   
3. What happens if a course is less than 3 units?
   Courses that are fewer than 3 semester units, will need additional course(s) approved to fulfill the GE area unit requirement.
   
   
4. The host campus does not have syllabi available, what can I send to have the course(s) reviewed?
   If the syllabus is not available students must email course description(s).
   
   
5. My approved course is was not offered (or unable to enroll in it), can UE approved a different course?
   Yes, students will need to email UE with the new course information and syllabus.