Academics

Strasbourg can be a great study abroad location for any major, especially with some careful planning and a healthy dose of flexibility when it comes time to register for your classes after arrival. 

As mentioned above, HC students are required to take 2 classes at Sciences Po (a program/school within the larger University of Strasbourg system), plus 1 French language class at CIEL, plus 1 class offered within the larger University of Strasbourg system. Good news! The University of Strasbourg is a comprehensive university, meaning it teaches most, if not all subjects that are taught at Holy Cross. You can browse the various "faculties" here.

Keep in mind that students do not register for classes until they are on the ground in Strasbourg. Class schedules will not typically be published until the first week of school, so it's important to go into the study abroad experience with flexibility. A great mindset would be:

I know I'm going to be taking one French language & culture credit, and I need to take two classes in Science Po. I'm interested in European history & politics, so I know there will be a range of classes that would work for me. Since I'm a philosophy major, I would like to take at least one PHIL elective, which I can do in University of Strasbourg, but when it comes to the course content, I am flexible! I also have a Cross-Cultural common area I still need to complete and a Religious Studies Common area, so I think between those two subject areas, I can find something that works with my schedule and fulfills a requirement. 

The pre-university language intensive program in Tours is required and appears as an overload on your HC transcript.

Students take 21 hours of French courses per week for 4 weeks at the Institut de Touraine in Tours (in August) before the semester starts early Septemer in Strasbourg. In Tours, you will stay with host families to further your language development and facilitate cultural immersion. You will have the chance to participate on school-organized extracurricular excursions while in Tours. The Institut also offers cooking workshops, and free painting, sport activities, and karaoke events. There's lots to take advantage of!

Fall Semester abroad for students who have only completed up to French 202 at HC: 

Credits 1&2*(Language & Culture Package):

1: 10 hours of language classes at CIEL (International French Language School) taught in French

2: One course on current events in France taught at Science Po (Political Science School at University of Strasbourg) or at University of Strasbourg taught in French

*these classes combined equal 2 Holy Cross Credits

Credit 3: Content Course in Sciences Po (Political Science School at University of Strasbourg) taught in French

Credit 4: Content course at University of Strasbourg (likely 2nd French credit for majors & minors) taught in French 

Spring Semester (if you continue on for the academic year):

Credit 1* (Language & Culture Package): 

1/2: 5 hours of language classes at CIEL (International French Language School) taught in French

1/2: One course on current events in France taught at Science-Po (Political Science School at University of Strasbourg) or at University of Strasbourg taught in French

*these classes combined equal 1 Holy Cross Credit

Credit 2: Content course in Sciences Po (Political Science School at University of Strasbourg) taught in French

Credit 3: Content course in Sciences Po (Political Science School at University of Strasbourg) taught in French

Credit 4: Course in University of Strasbourg (likely 2nd French credit for French majors/minors) taught in French

Note for French Majors: Majors who spend two consecutive semesters in a French-speaking country may apply up to four approved Study Abroad FREN elective courses toward the minimum ten courses required for the major, and up to two FREN elective courses if they spend one semester abroad. Approved courses taken abroad must focus on a French or Francophone topic, such as French linguistics, French or Francophone literature, film, art, civilization, culture, politics or history. Courses taken abroad will be transferred (bearing no 300 or 400 level designation) subject to the French coordinator’s approval. Majors who study abroad must take at least six courses at Holy Cross.

Note for French Minors: Minors who spend two consecutive semesters in a French-speaking country may apply up to three approved Study Abroad FREN elective courses toward the minimum six courses required for the major, and up to two FREN elective courses if they spend one semester abroad. Approved courses must focus on a French or Francophone topic, such as French linguistics, French or Francophone literature, film, art, civilization, culture, politics or history. Courses taken abroad will be transferred (bearing no 300 or 400 level designation) subject to the French coordinator’s approval. Minors who study abroad must take at least three courses at Holy Cross.

Fall semester abroad for students who have completed at least French 301 at HC: 

Credit 1* (Language & Culture Package): 

1/2: 5 hours of language classes at CIEL (International French Language School) taught in French

1/2: One course on current events in France taught at Science Po (Political Science School at University of Strasbourg) or at University of Strasbourg taught in French

*these classes combined equal 1 Holy Cross Credit

Credit 2: Content course in Sciences Po (Political Science School at University of Strasbourg) taught in French

Credit 3: Content course in Sciences Po (Political Science School at University of Strasbourg) taught in French

Credit 4: Content course in University of Strasbourg (likely 2nd French credit for French majors/minors) taught in French

Spring Semester (if you continue on for the academic year):

Credit 1* (Language & Culture Package): 

1/2: 5 hours of language classes at CIEL (International French Language School) taught in French

1/2: One course on current events in France taught at Science-Po (Political Science School at University of Strasbourg) or at University of Strasbourg taught in French

*these classes combined equal 1 Holy Cross Credit

Credit 2: Content course in Sciences Po (Political Science School at University of Strasbourg) taught in French

Credit 3: Content course in Sciences Po (Political Science School at University of Strasbourg) taught in French

Credit 4: Course in University of Strasbourg (likely 2nd French credit for French majors/minors) taught in French

Note for French Majors: Majors who spend two consecutive semesters in a French-speaking country may apply up to four approved Study Abroad FREN elective courses toward the minimum ten courses required for the major, and up to two FREN elective courses if they spend one semester abroad. Approved courses taken abroad must focus on a French or Francophone topic, such as French linguistics, French or Francophone literature, film, art, civilization, culture, politics or history. Courses taken abroad will be transferred (bearing no 300 or 400 level designation) subject to the French coordinator’s approval. Majors who study abroad must take at least six courses at Holy Cross.

Note for French Minors: Minors who spend two consecutive semesters in a French-speaking country may apply up to three approved Study Abroad FREN elective courses toward the minimum six courses required for the major, and up to two FREN elective courses if they spend one semester abroad. Approved courses must focus on a French or Francophone topic, such as French linguistics, French or Francophone literature, film, art, civilization, culture, politics or history. Courses taken abroad will be transferred (bearing no 300 or 400 level designation) subject to the French coordinator’s approval. Minors who study abroad must take at least three courses at Holy Cross.

Class registration in Strasbourg is extremely different to what you have experienced at Holy Cross. For starters, registration doesn't happen until you are physically in Strasbourg! The process can be stressful since you won’t have everything planned in advance. Our on-site director, Malou, is there to guide you through this process. She is familiar with several professors and most classes. She can guide you towards options that will be a good fit for you. Please take Malou’s guidance seriously and keep in touch with her throughout the registration process.

Even though registration can be stressful, it always works out in the end! Part of studying abroad is leaning into cultural differences, and one of the first major differences you'll experience in the academic world is registration. Be patient, stay open, and listen to Malou! 

Different departments will release information about classes available for the upcoming semester at different time and in different ways. The on-site director, Malou, gathers this information and communicates with students via email about the information that is available at any given time once students are on site. Click here to see a list of courses available to visiting students. Please be aware you are not allowed to take classes in English- all classes must be given in French. 

The list of classes taken abroad for Holy Cross credit is a very good resource to give students an idea of the types of classes that will be available in Strasbourg. Please be aware this list is meant to give you an idea of the types of courses available to you at University of Strasbourg based on what past students have taken. This is NOT a list of classes that are guaranteed to be available to you and you are not limited to the classes on this list. Class offerings change each semester and you can certainly register for classes that you do not see on this list.

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.  

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

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

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

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. 

The Holy Cross credit approval system works like this: 

1. After you arrive in France, 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 class 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.)

GRADE CONVERSION  STRASBOURG

∙ 14+ A

∙ 13-13.9 A-

∙ 12-12.9 B+

∙ 10-11.9 B

∙ 8-9.9 B-

∙ 7-7.9 C+

∙ 6-6.9 C

• 5-5.9 D

∙ 4.9 & below-F

Academic accommodations are not as common in France as they are in the United States, and there can be more beuracracy involved in organizing extra time on exams, note-takers, and more. It's important to understand that we cannot guarantee that you will have the exact same accommodation in France that you have at Holy Cross.

 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 as soon as possible. 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 now.