It's the middle of the summer of 2024, and some rising sophomore and juniors are planning a study abroad experience. But there's a question that often comes up at this time of the year (summers), which is whether a student can go on study abroad and use classes to fulfill concentration requirements. So, I want to give what I think of as a how-to guide. Please note, this is also a relevant entry for students transfering to Brown, as they will also need to go through this process - it's the same process, just on a larger scale.
Aside: I didn't do a study abroad, and I always regretted it. I was a double major in computer science and psychology at Swarthmore, and I wanted to go to a program at University of Edinburgh. Unfortunately, the program at Edinburgh was always a year-long, so I would have to go for my entire Junior year, and while I was there, I would not be able to take all the classes necessary to fulfill my computer science major. So, my choice was to go to Edinburgh (where, ironically, I would mostly study computer science) or double major. I chose the latter. I didn't think Swarthmore had substantial requirements for graduation (they were pretty similar to Brown's, although I had to pass a swim test), the study abroad requirements were severe and transfer credits were difficult to apply to my majors.
OK, back to Brown's requirements. First, I'd like to say that every department has a transfer credit advisor. This is a person who makes decisions about whether a course at another university qualifies as a Brown course, and if so, which course. As of the date of this post (8/4/24), for the CPSY department (yes, we have a new acronym), this is Prof. Andrea Simmons, so she would be the first person that you contact about specific questions. I (as DUS) would be the second, but only after you talk with Prof. Simmons.
So, what do you need to apply for transfer credit? Well, you need a syllabus. Let me repeat that: YOU NEED A SYLLABUS. Don't lose it. Download it on to your personal computer and keep it. Don't expect it to be on a website or a Canvas page (or whatever system the other institution uses) just because it was there during the semester you were there. These things are not forever. I do not necessarily keep old syllabi after the class is done. Most professors don't.
Second, you need to show that you passed the class that you took and that the passing requirements are similar to Brown's. Remember, a D at another university is an NC at Brown, so you won't get credit for a D. You need to show that you passed at a a level Brown would expect to give credit.
Third, you *might* need the work that you did in that class. If you wrote a final paper, keep a copy of it (if you have the graded version, even better). If you have copies of the exams or still have the textbook or the reading (if it's not listed on the syllabus), all of that is important. Note, this might not always be necessary (it depends on the class and the professor of that class, and the nature of the syllabus that they write).
I will give one note here - If you are going to a University in the UK (or one based on the UK model, like universities in Ireland), YOU WILL ABSOLUTELY, 100% NEED THIS. So, if you are going to these places: KEEP AS MUCH WORK AS POSSIBLE.
Before you go on study abroad, you will tell your concentration advisor and the transfer credit advisor that you are going. After you return, you will submit these things (the syllabus, the grade, the work, and the equivalence class) to the transfer credit advisor.
Wait, what's that last bit: The other critical bit is that you will need to describe how the class you took is equivalent to a class at Brown. This is particularly important if you want to use that transfer credit to satisfy a concentration requirement that is not an elective. Usually, the transfer advisor will ask the professor of the course in question whether the courses are equivalent. A lot (BUT NOT ALL) of the introductory courses are similar. A lot of advanced courses are not.
So, here are some recommendations (note: these are not policies - this is my recommendation - as always, CONTACT YOUR CONCENTRATION ADVISOR AHEAD OF TIME)
1) It's a really bad idea to plan to take the equivalent of Introduction (CPSY0010), Statistics (CPSY0900), or Laboratory Methods (CPSY1900) at another university. These are the three courses that get rejected more than any others because there is such a high variability in how these courses are taught. If the only way you can do study abroad is to take one of these courses during study abroad, you really need to talk to your concentration advisor and the transfer advisor at least one full semester before you go on study abroad to make sure everything will work for your concentration.
2) You are much more likely to get electives approved for a concentration than specific classes within a concentration. Electives from outside the department, however, must also be approved by the concentration advisor, in addition to the transfer credit advisor.
3) Most "mid-tier" classes at other universities are equivalent to below-1000-level classes at Brown. Go with names. If the course is called "Cognitive Psychology", it's more likely to be equivalent to 200 than 1200.
4) Brown has a few classes that are just unique. Courses like 220 and 710 are rarely taught at other universities (I'm not saying they don't exist - I'm just saying that it's more difficult than getting approval for courses like 200 or 700). I've honestly only seen one course that is equivalent to 710 (it's Laurie Santos's course at Yale, which is probably not what you're taking if you're on study abroad). This might be particularly important for BDS concentrators.
To conclude, this is a long process that does require some planning - and it helps to plan this out at least a semester in advance. If you can contact faculty at the university you plan to go to in order to get syllabi (even if it's last year's) that's going to help the discussion here at Brown. Also, what really helps this discussion is going to the transfer credit advisor's office hours to talk to them in person. The conversation gets complicated quickly, so doing it in person cuts down on any potential errors in communication that can arise over email.