Off-Campus Studies

We believe that active engagement with a culture or region other than one’s own to gain a deeper understanding of world issues and to develop empathy for others is one cornerstone of a liberal arts education. Study off campus not only exposes students to different worldviews and broadens students’ knowledge of global interconnections, but it facilitates the development of students’ self-reliance and ability to communicate and collaborate with diverse groups. As a result, off-campus studies helps prepare Whitman graduates for the evolving global workplace of the 21st century and to be judicious citizens throughout their lives. The off-campus studies (study abroad) program at Whitman College is designed to provide a range of in-depth opportunities for students to study in Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America, and Oceania and in the United States. We offer fall semester and spring semester opportunities through our partner universities and national study abroad providers.

Overseas Programs (Semester)

Advisors: Kevin Morrison and Nadir Ovcina

Information about opportunities for study outside of the United States and on partner programs within the United States, including application procedures, eligibility requirements, deadlines, and fees, is available from the Off-Campus Studies Office, Memorial Building 205. Students should consult with Kevin Morrison, Senior Director of Global Programs or Nadir Ovcina, Assistant Director of Off-Campus Studies, or the appropriate faculty advisor for the program listed on the OCS website to determine the suitability of participation in a particular academic program overseas. Students who wish to apply any credit from overseas study to their Whitman degree need to complete a Whitman OCS Application in the Whitman OCS Portal and receive approval for their proposed course of study from Off-Campus Studies prior to studying off campus. Students can begin the application after attending an OCS Fist Steps information session and completing a minimum of at least one advising appointment with a Whitman OCS advisor. Students who wish to study outside the United States during the fall or spring semester may only transfer credit from programs on Whitman’s approved OCS Partner Program list (see below). Transfer credit will not be granted retroactively if a student has not received prior approval from Off-Campus Studies. At Whitman, students typically participate in OCS for a single semester in their junior year - either the fall or spring semester - after declaring their major. However, students who wish to be considered for OCS approval for a full academic year in one location abroad may petition for an exception.

Deadlines for the submission of the Whitman Off-Campus Study Application are as follows unless stated otherwise with the program listing:

Semester	Deadline
Spring	3rd Monday in April
Fall	1st Monday in February

Students who intend to pursue overseas study are advised that careful planning is often needed in order to include off-campus studies as an integrated part of their four-year career at Whitman. Students are expected to have completed at least four semesters at Whitman or, in the case of transfer students, completed at least 58 credits, prior to participating in semester or academic year off-campus studies. For some destinations, students will need to have completed at least four or five semesters of foreign language work at the college level to qualify. To assist students with planning for off-campus studies, Off-Campus Studies Advising by Major pages are available on the Off-Campus Studies homepage at www.whitman.edu/study-abroad.

The college requires that students who have not yet completed the intermediate level of the local language enroll in language courses during their period abroad. Additionally, Whitman College grants no academic credit for work experience or internships per se, though it may grant credit for academic coursework linked to internships. Academic work undertaken on Partner Programs will be recorded on the student’s Whitman transcript including the grades reported by the program. However, grades from courses taken abroad will not be used in the calculation of Whitman semester and cumulative grade-point averages. Students may apply need-based financial aid and merit scholarships that they receive through Whitman College to the fees of Whitman-approved programs, as calculated by the Office of Financial Aid Services. Listed below are Whitman’s affiliated off-campus studies programs, referred to as our Whitman-approved programs. For further details about program options, please refer to the Off-Campus Studies website at www.whitman.edu/study-abroad.

U.S.-Based Programs (Semester)

Advisors: Kevin Morrison, Nadir Ovcina

Whitman College encourages qualified students interested in pre-professional internships, urban issues, government policy, and oceanography to consider participation in one of the four U.S.-based Partner Programs listed below. Students interested in these programs must complete a Whitman OCS Application in myOCS and receive approval for their proposed course of study from the Off-Campus Studies Committee prior to enrollment in the program. Students can an application after attending an OCS First Steps information session and completing a minimum of at least one advising appointment with a Whitman OCS advisor. Academic work undertaken on U.S.-based programs will be recorded on the student’s Whitman transcript including the grades reported by the program. However, grades from these off-campus programs will not be used in the calculation of semester and cumulative grade-point averages. Whitman College grants no academic credit for work experience or internships per se, though it may grant credit for academic coursework linked to internships.

Students may apply need-based financial aid and merit scholarships that they receive through Whitman College to the fees of these programs, as calculated by the Office of Financial Aid Services. Applications and additional information about the programs can be obtained from the Office of Global Programs (Memorial 205).

The U.S. Partner Program deadlines are the same as the overseas program deadlines listed above:

Semester	Deadline
Spring	3rd Monday of April
Fall	1st Monday in February

List of Whitman-Approved OCS Programs (Semester and Academic Year)

You can find a current listing of programs approved by Whitman's Off-Campus Studies Sub-Committee on the Off-Campus Studies website at https://whitman.via-trm.com/visitor-programs-v2

Whitman Summer Studies in China

The Whitman Summer Studies in China program is a six-week Whitman faculty-led summer program founded in 2001 and administered in cooperation with Yunnan University in Kunming, China. The program is designed to give students an opportunity to strengthen their conversational Chinese language skills and learn about contemporary Chinese society firsthand. Participants enroll in a four-credit, intensive Chinese language course at the university and a two-credit Seminar in Chinese Studies course taught by the Whitman faculty director of the program (see AMES200 Special Topics: Summer Seminar in Chinese Studies). Admission to this program is by application in the preceding Fall semester. All continuing students (first, second and third-year students) regardless of major are eligible to apply. Course prerequisites include successful completion of Chinese 106 or a higher-level Chinese language course. Need-based scholarships for program fees are available to qualified students from the David Deal China Exchange Endowment. The program is typically offered every other year and will be offered again in Summer 2027 in China.

Non-Whitman Summer Programs

Students who wish to transfer credit from non-Whitman summer study abroad programs should complete the Summer Study Abroad Transfer Credit Application available through the Summer (non-Whitman) program brochure in the Whitman OCS Portal accessed through the Study Abroad homepage. It should be submitted online no later than three weeks prior to the summer program’s actual application deadline. Students who are seeking summer study abroad options for credit should first review the guidelines on the Study Abroad homepage at https://www.whitman.edu/study-abroad/getting-started and consult with a Whitman advisor in Off-Campus Studies about suitable programs prior to selecting a program. Prior approval from Whitman is required to transfer credit from any summer course taught outside the United States. Transfer credit will not be granted retroactively if a student has not received prior approval from Whitman Off-Campus Studies.

Special Programs

Special Programs