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 qualified 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.
Semester OCS Programs
Advisors: Susan Holme 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 Susan Holme, Director of Off-Campus Studies, Nadir Ovcina, Associate 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 myOCS and receive approval for their proposed course of study from Off-Campus Studies prior to studying off campus. Students can gain access to the application after 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:
- Spring Semester 2024; May 8, 2023 (Highly Recommended Deadline); September 7, 2023 (Final Deadline)
- Fall Semester 2024 programs: February 1, 2024
- Spring Semester 2025 programs: April 30, 2024
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 Sheets by Major are available on the Off-Campus Studies homepage at: www.whitman.edu/ocs.
The college requires that students who have not yet completed the intermediate level of the local language enroll in the language 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 Partner Programs, as calculated by the Office of Financial Aid Services. Listed below are Whitman’s affiliated off-campus studies programs, referred to as our Partner Programs. For further details about program options, please refer to the Off-Campus Studies website at www.whitman.edu /ocs.
U.S.-Based Partner Programs (Semester)
Advisors: Susan Holme, Nadir Ovcina, and Helen Kim
Whitman College encourages qualified students interested in pre-professional internships, urban issues, government policy, acting training, and oceanography to consider participation in one of the four U.S.-based Partner Programs described above. 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 gain access to the application after a minimum of at least one advising appointment with a Whitman OCS advisor. Academic work undertaken on U.S.-based Partner 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 U.S.-based Partner Programs, as calculated by the Office of Financial Aid Services. Applications and additional information about the programs can be obtained from Off-Campus Studies (Memorial 205).
The U.S. Partner Program deadlines are the same as the study abroad program deadlines listed above, with the following exceptions:
- Spring Semester 2024 for the American University Washington Semester Program: October 12, 2023
- Fall Semester 2024 for the American University Washington Semester Program: April 4, 2024
- Spring Semester 2025 for and the American University Washington Semester Program: October 15, 2024
2023-24 OCS Partner Programs (Semester and Academic Year)
The following off-campus studies (OCS) programs are Partner Programs of Whitman College approved by the Off-Campus Studies Committee (OCSC) for transfer credit. To apply credit from an OCS program toward their Whitman degree, students must apply to the Off-Campus Studies Office for OCS approval and be granted admission by their chosen program. Students are not permitted to transfer credit from fall semester, spring semester, or academic year courses offered by study abroad programs or foreign universities other than those on our approved list below. Whitman College reserves the right to withdraw programs from this list at any time for safety, security, health or other reasons.
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AFRICA |
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CIEE: University of Ghana Arts & Sciences |
Ghana
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IES: Rabat – Study in Rabat |
Morocco |
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SIT: Morocco Migration and Transnational Identity |
Morocco |
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CIEE: University of Cape Town Art & Sciences |
South Africa |
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SIT: South Africa Community Health and Social Policy |
South Africa
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SIT: South Africa International Relations in the Global South |
South Africa |
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SFS: Tanzania Wildlife Management Studies |
Tanzania |
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ASIA
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SFS: Cambodia Climate Change, Ethics and Conservation |
Cambodia |
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CIEE: Shanghai China in a Global Context |
China |
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SIT: Indonesia Arts, Religion, and Social Change |
Indonesia |
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Associated Kyoto Program (AKP) |
Japan |
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CIEE: Tokyo Arts and Sciences |
Japan |
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CIEE: Seoul Arts and Sciences |
Korea |
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SIT: Nepal Development, Gender and Social Change in the Himalayas |
Nepal |
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CET: Taiwan |
Taiwan |
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EUROPE |
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IES: Vienna European Society and Culture |
Austria |
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IES: Vienna Music |
Austria |
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CIEE: Prague Central European Studies |
Czech Republic |
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CIEE: Prague Film Studies |
Czech Republic |
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DIS Copenhagen |
Denmark |
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BADA: London Theater Program |
England |
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IES: London Health Practice & Policy |
England |
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IES: London – Study London |
England |
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IES: London Theater Studies |
England |
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IES: Queen Mary, University of London |
England |
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IES: University College London (UCL) |
England |
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IFSA-University of Oxford* |
England |
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IES: Nantes French Language Immersion and Area Studies |
France |
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IES: Paris French Studies |
France |
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Middlebury: Studies in Paris Program |
France |
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IES: Berlin Language and Area Studies |
Germany |
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IES: Berlin Metropolitan and Urban Studies |
Germany |
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IES: European Union |
Germany |
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IES: Freiburg Environmental Studies & Sustainability |
Germany |
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IES: Freiburg Language and Area Studies
Year |
Germany
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Year of Study in Munich |
Germany |
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College Year in Athens (CYA) |
Greece |
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AIT Budapest (Aquincum Institute of Technology) |
Hungary |
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Budapest Semesters in Mathematics (BSM) |
Hungary |
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SIT: Iceland: Climate Change and the Arctic |
Iceland |
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IFSA-University College Dublin |
Ireland |
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IFSA-University of Galway |
Ireland |
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Syracuse University Florence |
Italy |
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IES: Milan Italy Today |
Italy |
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IES: Milan-Music: Voice, Composition & Instrumental |
Italy |
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Intercollegiate Center for Classical Studies (ICCS) in Rome |
Italy |
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IES: Rome – Study Rome Language and Area Studies |
Italy |
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IES: Amsterdam–Conservatorium van Amsterdam |
Netherlands
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IES: Amsterdam–Psychology & Sciences |
Netherlands |
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IFSA– Glasgow School of Art |
Scotland |
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University of St Andrews |
Scotland |
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SIT: Serbia Comparative European Perspectives on Conflict & Democracy Balkans |
Serbia, Austria & Hungary |
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Middlebury: Getafe Universidad Carlos III de Madrid |
Spain |
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IES: Granada – Study in Granada |
Spain |
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Middlebury: Madrid Sede Prim |
Spain
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DIS Stockholm |
Sweden |
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SIT: Switzerland Banking, Finance and Social Responsibility |
Switzerland |
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LATIN AMERICA/CARIBBEAN |
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IFSA-Argentine Universities Program |
Argentina |
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IFSA-Study in Buenos Aires Plus: Psychology & Neuroscience |
Argentina |
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SFS: Chile Wild Patagonia – Fire & Ice |
Chile |
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SIT: Chile Public Health, Traditional Medicine, and Community Empowerment |
Chile |
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CIEE: Monteverde Sustainability and the Environment |
Costa Rica |
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CIEE: Monteverde Tropical Ecology and Conservation |
Costa Rica |
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SIT: Ecuador Comparative Ecology and Conservation |
Ecuador |
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SIT: Ecuador Development, Politics, and Language |
Ecuador |
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IFSA- Mérida Universities Program |
Mexico |
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AUSM Mexico |
Mexico |
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SFS: Panama Tropical Island Biodiversity Studies |
Panama |
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SFS: Turks and Caicos Marine Resource Studies |
Turks and Caicos |
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MIDDLE EAST |
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Hebrew University (Rothberg International School) |
Israel |
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CIEE: Amman Middle East Studies |
Jordan |
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OCEANIA |
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IFSA-University of Melbourne |
Australia |
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SFS: Australia Rainforest to Reef |
Australia |
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Frontiers Abroad: Geology of New Zealand |
New Zealand |
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University of Otago |
New Zealand |
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UNITED STATES |
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Border Studies Program (Earlham College) |
Arizona/Mexico |
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The Eugene O’Neill Theater Institute (NTI) |
Connecticut |
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SEA Semester |
Massachusetts |
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AU Washington Semester Program |
Washington DC |
* These programs have deadlines earlier than the standard Whitman application deadline. Consult with Whitman OCS staff for details.
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 AMES 200 Special Topics: Summer Seminar in Chinese Studies). All continuing students (first, second and third-year students) regardless of major are eligible to apply. Course prerequisites include successful completion of CHIN 106 or 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 2025 either in China or Taiwan. In Summer 2023 this program was offered in Taiwan in cooperation with Tunghai University in Taichung. Program details and how to apply will be announced in Fall 2024.
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 myOCS accessed through the Off-Campus Studies 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 Off-Campus Studies homepage at: https://www.whitman.edu/off-campus-studies/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.