DESCRIPTION OF PROGRAMS

A. There are essentially five types of Study Abroad programs:

1. Departmental Faculty-led Programs: Faculty led programs are those wherein faculty establish a program in their area of expertise and teach TSU students in an overseas environment. Faculty design the program in consultation with the Office of International Studies (OIS) and have the approval of Department Head, Dean of the College and the Office of the University Provost, to recruit and orient students for the program, accompany the students abroad, administer the program abroad, and, in most cases, teach the students. Students register at TSU directly in the course they will take while abroad and receive credits and grade for the course work they complete. This type of program is usually provided during the Summer and may be one to two weeks in length.

2. Reciprocal Exchange Program: Reciprocal Exchange Programs are those which, through an agreement with a foreign institution, TSU students pay tuition and fees at TSU, international students pay tuition and fees at their home institution and the students exchange places in the classroom. As TSU students pay tuition and fees at TSU, they receive credits and grades for course work completed abroad. A balance in the number of student exchanges must be maintained. Students are registered in a course approved by their Academic Counselor. When the OIS receives their transcript, TSU course equivalents are matched by the Coordinator of Transfer Students and the student receives credit and grade for the course(s) completed abroad. Reciprocal Exchange programs can be for a short or long semester.

3. Affiliated Programs: Affiliated Programs are those for which TSU has an agreement with a foreign institution or organization and TSU students pay tuition and fees to the foreign institution or organization. Since the TSU students do not pay tuition and fees at TSU, they receive credit and grade but the grade is not calculated in the GPA on the TSU transcript for the course work completed abroad. An affiliated agreement guarantees that transfer credit will be awarded at TSU for the course work completed. Applicability for credit for TSU degree requirement is determined at the departmental level.

4. Dual Degree Programs: Dual degree programs are those in which TSU students do some of the course work required for a TSU degree at a foreign institution and receive a diploma from both the foreign institution and TSU. Reciprocity is applied for foreign students who attend two or more semesters at TSU. This type of program requires a very thorough knowledge of curriculum at the foreign institution and a determination of the equivalencies of curricula between TSU and the foreign institution. Students pay tuition and fees to the host (foreign) institution and TSU students receive transfer credits for the course work completed abroad. Foreign students pay tuition and fees at TSU. Credits are transferred at the foreign institution. This type of agreement is usually between a foreign institution and a TSU department or College. Incoming students are fully admitted into the University (TSU) as transfer students.

5. Independent Studies: This program is ideal for Graduate and Undergraduate Juniors or Seniors wishing to complement their studies at Tarleton with a Research Project abroad or to acquire special skills in languages or other academic studies of interest. The individual student may select an overseas university approved by the Institute of International Education (IIE). To complete the requirement, the student must receive the Academic Counselor approval for the project. The application must also be approved by the Department Head and the University Provost. This project can be of short duration or a Summer term depending on the number of credits to be earned.