Academics

• To view available courses, click on the below link:

https://cyathens.org/semester-overview/ 

Subjects:

Anthropology and Cultural Heritage

Archaeology

Architecture

Art History

Business (i.e., Economics)

Classics

Communication

Environmental Studies

History

Information Science

Literature

Neuroscience

Philosophy

Politics / International Relations

Psychology

Religion

Sociology

Theater

Urbanism & Sustainability 

• Non-Classics majors are required to take "Beginning Modern Greek Language & Culture I" which counts as a cross-cultural common area requirement. 

• 300-level courses are designed as first exposure to the subject, and are of general interest and wide in scope. Some 300-level courses require students to have some background in the subject.

• 400-level courses are more specialized and academically more demanding. These are seminars on special topics and are reserved for those able to engaged in advanced work. 

• The semesters listed for each course indicate when the course is usually offered. The schedule may be altered before the beginning of each semester. Final course offerings and schedules for the coming semester are posted in May and November. 

The Holy Cross credit approval system works like this: 

1. After you arrive in Greece, 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 course.  You'll submit your CAFs as soon as possible and no later than 1 week after the start of classes. 

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 Registrar's 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.)

7. Languages offered at Holy Cross

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(s) or Minor...

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

You should obtain a course description and, if available, a syllabus for 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 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 area requirements abroad.

You should obtain a syllabus or some information about the class before contacting Jared.

He appreciates as much context as possible!

FULL PROGRAM:   4 courses per semester

  CREDIT CONVERSION:   

Each course is equivalent to one Holy Cross Course

GRADE CONVERSION:

Equivalent to Holy Cross grades, EXCEPT:

Host Grade HC Grade 

A+ A 

D- F

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 receive abroad will not factor into your cumulative GPA. This means if you leave to study abroad with a 4.0 and you get all "B"s when you are at your host institution, your GPA when you return to Holy Cross will still be a 4.0. However, failing courses abroad do count as a deficiency on your Holy Cross record. 

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 of this policy is to encourage more students to study abroad without fearing 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.

CYA places an emphasis on learning beyond the classroom, offering hands-on learning experiences in the abundant environment of Greece. Many classes are held on-site adding a new dimension to learning and a global understanding of the subject.

All courses at CYA make use of the abundant resources in Athens and of what can be seen or experienced directly. The Archaeology and Art History courses provide a wealth of opportunities to study authentic materials and original artifacts on-site and in the world renowned museums of Athens.

Courses from other disciplines also bring you in direct contact with the local community – such as Anthropology, Environmental Studies, Politics and Modern Greek.

CYA's extensive curriculum is complemented by field study to key historical sites. The program is carefully designed to enrich classroom material and provide a deeper understanding of Greece. English is the language of instruction for all courses at CYA.

Each study abroad program or university has its own support services. At CYA, they have a student support team who helps with concerns affecting study progress; health and wellbeing issues; money matters; and improving your academic performance. 

https://cyathens.org/social-advising-counseling/

https://cyathens.org/academic-advisor/

If you utilize accessibility services at Holy Cross, please inform Emma Meade (Assistant Director of Study Abroad), and she will help you research your options at your study abroad location. 

If you are enrolled and are preparing to depart for Athens, CYA will ask you to submit formal documentation of your accommodation in your CYA application portal. To obtain this, your accommodation should already be on file with HC, and you should contact the Office of Student Accessibility Services.