Study Abroad

Study abroad at Providence College is an academic experience that enhances student learning beyond the home campus through academic, professional, cultural, and personal development. The PC Center for Global Education (CGE) maintains four pedagogical goals for study abroad in order to support these areas of development: curricular integration, geographic diversity of program locations, program diversity, and career integration and development.

Students from all majors in the School of Business are eligible to study abroad. In fact, business majors comprise about one-half of all PC study abroad students.

Students may study abroad for a semester, a full academic year, or a summer. Additionally, PC Business students may also participate in short-term, course-embedded, faculty-led international experiences.

• Academically, study abroad is integrated into the PC curriculum. As a result, students receive PC academic credits for their study abroad courses, and they may take a combination of major courses, PC core courses, and electives while abroad in order to remain on track for graduation.
• Professionally, study abroad provides the environment for students to gain a competitive edge with their careers and other post-graduation plans.
• Culturally, study abroad offers the opportunity for immersive experiences in which students augment their understanding of cultural differences and similarities.
• Personally, study abroad is a time for students to grow as individuals and increase their level of independence. Through this self-reliance, students often discover their personal strengths and future goals.

Requirements While Abroad

• Complete an experiential learning opportunity such as an internship, consulting project, service-learning, language immersion, or direct enrollment in a class at a local university
• Complete an additional 12 credit hours during the semester

Providence College business majors who want to participate in a full semester international study abroad experience are required to select a program from the pre-approved PC Business Study Abroad International List (SAIL), and must meet all business study abroad experiential learning and course completion requirements (see Notes About Choosing Your Program).

Per the PC Business Study Abroad Exceptions Policy, a business major may petition to study abroad at a non-SAIL location if, for example, they intend to use their study abroad opportunity to:

• Extensively study a foreign language
  • If approved and you desire to take business classes abroad, you must schedule a meeting with Dean Elcik to discuss options by February 14.
• Pursue other non-business major or minor coursework and/or experiences
• Explore non-business courses

If your exception petition is approved, you are not required to meet the School of Business experiential learning requirement.

Business majors considering non-SAIL locations should note the following:

• Business courses (ACC, BUS, FIN, MGT, or MKT) taken abroad through any non-SAIL institution or program will not be approved for credit at PC. PC Business strongly suggests that you do not take business coursework abroad.
• It is critical that you understand your curriculum requirements and degree audit. Attending a non-SAIL study abroad provider may impact your ability to graduate on time.

Deadlines To Submit an Exception Petition

To submit a business study abroad exception petition, a business major must complete the form below.

• Early Deadline: December 1 (recommended)
• Final Deadline: February 1

Petitions for exceptions are reviewed immediately following each deadline on a case-by-case basis by the School of Business, in collaboration with the Center for Global Education, and a decision is communicated to the petitioner within 2-3 weeks of their respective submission deadline date.