Academics

Students enrolled in the Arts and Sciences program take courses at the University of Cape Town (UCT). UCT is internationally recognized as Africa's top-ranked research university. It was established as the South African College in 1829. Its campus is in one of the most beautiful spots on the Cape peninsula and situated on the slopes of Table Mountain. This vantage point offers panoramic views and easy access to the city of Cape Town itself. During apartheid (segregation), UCT was classified as a white university. In the mid-1980s, the University adopted a posture of integration and affirmative action in defiance of government policy. Although still in transition, today’s campus is rapidly transforming to reflect the diversity of the entire South African population in terms of students, faculty, and staff. Recently, UCT has encountered a growing and dynamic culture of student activism which has been instrumental in ensuring that the university stays on course in becoming an increasingly more diverse and accessible institution. UCT's campus has a pleasant study, recreational, and work environment with its attractive physical structures, sweeping lawns, pathways, trees, ponds, waterfalls, and playing fields. A full range of commercial, medical, recreational, and sporting facilities are available. These include an Olympic-sized heated swimming pool, gymnasium, basketball, tennis, badminton and squash courts, and a weight room.

• All students must have a gpa of 3.0 or higher prior to studying abroad at UCD

• Students cannot have any academic deficiencies before studying abroad at UCT

• Certain classes at UCT might require pre-requisites. For example, you probably can't take an upper-level math course without demonstrating prior knowledge in the area. You will register for classes once you are in Cape Town, but be aware of any listed pre-requisites when registering. 

• All students are required to have a passport that is valid until 6 months after the planned date of return from Capte Town.

• All students are required to remain in Cape Town until the end of the examination period. HC students are not allowed to submit special requests to sit exams early for any reason

All Holy Cross students will take one class at the CIEE Cape Town Center: Intercultural Communication & Leadership. 

Additionally, students will take 3 classes in the faculties at University of Cape Town. The subjects you can take are listed below:

Please note: You cannot take classes in Health Sciences and the Graduate School of Business. Also keep in mind that some classes may require pre-requisites. 

Faculty of Commerce
Accounting
Finance and Tax
Management
Actuarial Science
Economics
Commerce IT (Information Systems)
Nelson Mandela School of Public Governance

Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment  
Mechanical, Chemical, Civil, and Electrical Engineering 
Geomatics  
Architecture and Planning 

Faculty of Humanities
African Languages and Literature 
African Studies 
Afrikaans and Netherlandic Studies 
Classics 
Drama 
English Literature 
Film and Media Studies 
Fine Art 
Hebrew and Jewish Studies 
History 
History of Art 
Independent Research 
Linguistics 
Music 
Philosophy 
Political Studies 
Psychology 
Religious Studies 
Social Anthropology 
Sociology 
Theory of Literature 

Faculty of Science
Archaeology 
Astronomy 
Botany 
Chemistry 
Computer Science 
Environmental and Geographical Science 
Geological Sciences 
Mathematics 
Oceanography 
Physics 
Statistical Sciences 
Zoology 

Faculty of Law  
Criminology 

To search classes, go to the UCT handbook for each department that you're interested in!

Students will register for classes once they're in Cape Town with the help of CIEE staff. 

The Holy Cross credit approval system works like this: 

1. After you arrive in South Africa, you will receive an Email from Jared Chapman in the Registrar’s office with instructions for submitting Course Approval Forms (CAFS). You'll submit one CAF per module you are taking.

2. Once the Registrar's Office receives your CAFs, they will send classes you'd like to count towards your major(s) and minor(s) to the official Study Abroad Course Evaluators in the relevant department(s) for approval. The Registrar's office will manage the approval of common area requirements themselves. 

3. Once the office hears back from the relevant parties about all of your classes, you will receive an email detailing which classes have/have not been approved. (If you talk to your advisors before you leave and stay in touch during the course selection process, you should not receive any 'surprise' rejections). 

Courses that are NOT accepted for Holy Cross Credit:

1. Online or hybrid (partially online) courses;

2. Pre-professional, business, law, and marketing courses;

3. Other non-liberal arts courses;

4. Courses of similar content to those you have already taken;

5. Any major courses required by your major department to be taken at Holy Cross;

6. Courses taken without a letter grade (e.g. auditing, pass/no pass, etc.)

One of the most common questions we get in the Office of Study abroad is whether or not a certain class abroad will count towards a student's major, minor, concentration, etc. The answer is...maybe! Here's how it works:

If you think a class might work for your major...

You need to talk to the official study abroad course evaluator in your department.  

You should obtain a syllabus or some information about the class before contacting the course evaluator. They appreciate as much context as possible!

If you think a class might work for your minor...

You need to talk to the official study abroad course evaluator in your department. 

You should obtain a syllabus or some information about the class before contacting the course evaluator. They appreciate as much context as possible!

If you think a class might work for a common area requirment...

You need to talk to the Registrar's Office! You can send an email to Jared Chapman (jchapman@holycross.edu to gain clarity on common areas requirements abroad. 

You should obtain a syllabus or some information about the class before contacting Jared. He appreciates as much context as possible!

UCT courses all include continuous assessment, with 50% of the final grade based on the final exam, which is moderated by external examiners. Grades are based on a South African scale of 100 and later converted to the U.S. system of A-F. For CIEE courses, the U.S. grading scale of A-F is used. Students are graded based on their attendance, class participation, homework, project work, presentations, and midterm and final examinations. The assessment of learning outcomes is continuous through these methods of evaluation as set out in course syllabi. 

All of the classes you take when you study abroad will be listed on your Holy Cross transcript, just as they are for any normal semester. Next to each class you take abroad, the letter grade you earned will appear, just as it does for any normal semester at Holy Cross. 

The difference is that the grades you recieve abroad will not factor into your cumulative gpa. This means if you leave for study abroad with a 4.0, and you get all 'B's when you are in Cape Town, your gpa when you return to Holy Cross will still be a 4.0. The system is designed with you in mind! Opting to spend a semester or year studying in a completely different academic system is brave. We want to celebrate the work you do abroad by reflecting the letter grades you earn on your transcript.  We also understand that it's normal to struggle in a new academic system, therefore we don't factor your grades into your overall gpa. The goal with this policy is to encourage more students to study abroad without fearing for what a semester or year away might do to their gpa! 

NO. You cannot and will not take any classes pass/fail abroad. This is one of those "study abroad myths" that for some unknown reason seems to be passed down from study abroad generation to study abroad generation!

Your HC transcript, after your study abroad semester or year, will reflect the grades that you earn abroad. What will NOT be affected is your gpa.

The grades you earn abroad will not factor into your cumulative gpa. This means if you leave for study abroad with a 4.0, and you get all 'B's when you are in Cape Town, your gpa when you return to Holy Cross will still be a 4.0. The system is designed with you in mind! Opting to spend a semester or year studying in a completely different academic system is brave. We want to celebrate the work you do abroad by reflecting the letter grades you earn on your transcript. We also understand that it's normal to struggle in a new academic system, therefore we don't factor your grades into your overall gpa. The goal with this policy is to encourage more students to study abroad without fearing for what a semester or year away might do to their gpa! 

Students typically find that UCT courses require greater responsibility and initiative in a less structured environment than they are accustomed to. It is important to be motivated, self-sufficient, and deeply interested in the subject matter. Teaching methods at UCT include a mixture of lectures, tutorials, seminars, and, in the sciences, laboratory classes. CIEE courses are designed to follow U.S. academic culture and standards. The class environment typically features a combination of traditional lecture and discussion with co-curricular excursions and activities. Heavy emphasis is placed on student participation. To avoid falling behind, students should not plan personal travel out of the city when classes are in session. 

Classes are scheduled Monday-Friday and typically meet two to three times per week. Attendance is strictly enforced. Students should expect an average of two hours of preparation required for each hour in class. UCT courses include UCT undergraduates and CIEE courses are for CIEE students only. Class sizes at UCT range from 100 to 300 with larger lectures and smaller tutorials (sections) of 20 to 40 students. 

If you have any history of accommodations for learning disabilities or anything similar, you must let the Office of Study Abroad know so we can start making arrangements early. It is very important that you take personal ownership over your own experience. It's a good idea to think about the support you might need in advance so we can start planning.  In South Africa, academic accommodations are not as common as they are in the United States, and may look a little different to what you are accustomed to at Holy Cross.