For more information about study abroad or specific programs, please visit Global Education.
If you'd like to pick up a printed and bound 8 1/2 x 11 copy of the 2008-2010 Catalogue, limited copies will be available in the Provost's Office and the Office of the Registrar, as well as the Hobart Deans Office and the William Smith Deans Office, starting Monday, September 8.
The 2006-2008 catalogue is still available online as a PDF. To browse it, click here.
If you have questions or comments about the new online catalogue, please send us your feedback.
We live in an increasingly interdependent world. Economic events that topple Tokyo stockbrokers affect investors on Wall Street; political events that rattle Russia affect farmers in Iowa; and cultural events that rock Great Britain affect music retailers in Syracuse. With the quickening pace of historically significant events, as evidenced by the past few years in the former Soviet Union, Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and the Pacific Rim, we recognize that we can no longer be satisfied with an existence that is isolated from and unconcerned with events that occur in the world around us.
More than half of all Hobart and William Smith students engage in some kind of off-campus/international learning experience before they graduate. Whether the experience is teaching English as a second language in the Dominican Republic, interning with a business in London, or living with a family in the south of France, students at the Colleges understand the value of “breaking away” to discover something about themselves and others that cannot be as easily discovered in upstate New York.
Hobart and William Smith Colleges encourage students to look for an off-campus experience that is appropriate to their personal and academic interests. The Colleges sponsor a variety of programs in different academic disciplines at different sites, both abroad and within the United States.
Because the Hobart and William Smith curriculum seeks to prepare students for world citizenship, the academic program in many departments has been structured to encourage off-campus study.
In recent years, the Colleges have offered off-campus programs on six continents, including such locations as: Auckland, New Zealand; Madrid, Spain; Central Europe (Germany, Romania and Hungary); Geneva, Switzerland; Galway, Ireland; ; Quito, Ecuador and Cuzco, Peru; London, England; Hanoi, Vietnam; Queensland, Australia; Washington, D.C.; Copenhagen, Denmark; St. Louis, Senegal; and Sao Paulo, Brazil. Hobart and William Smith professors, representing various disciplines, design courses utilizing the sites and resources of the host countries. A list of Colleges-sponsored off-campus programs is provided at the end of this section.
The Colleges are part of three consortia, one for North India, one for the Dominican Republic, and a third more broad-ranging link with Union College. The North India group includes Skidmore, St. Lawrence, Hamilton, and Hartwick; the Dominican Republic group includes Colgate, the University of Illinois at Chicago, LeMoyne College, Wells College and Syracuse University. The Union College link includes several co-enrollment arrangements and jointly administered opportunities in various locations.
There are other opportunities for Hobart and William Smith students to gain international experience and awareness. With special permission, students in recent years have also studied in various locations through independent arrangements with foreign universities, other U.S. university programs, or special institutes.
All off-campus study requires the appropriate dean’s office disciplinary clearance. A minimum GPA of 2.5 is required for all programs. Some affiliate programs require a GPA of 3.0. Prior approval of courses to be counted toward the major at Hobart and William Smith must be obtained from the appropriate department chairs. Detailed information is available from the Center for Global Education. HWS course credit and program grades are awarded for all semester abroad programs which we administer. HWS off-campus programs generally conform to the current calendar, although some full immersion programs run on the host-country’s calendar. The Colleges assist with travel arrangements and students reside in prearranged housing.
On return to campus, participants are expected to live in college housing unless written exemption is granted by the appropriate dean.
Students planning to study abroad should be aware that travel often involves increased risks and inconveniences. These include different standards of accommodations, sustenance, medical care, and—in cases of foreign travel—different systems of law and justice. The Colleges do not carry insurance protecting individual students against liability for personal acts. In the unlikely event that students traveling abroad encounter legal difficulties, there can be no assurance that they will receive the same treatment afforded them in this country. Therefore, each student planning to study off-campus should be prepared to accept the risks of travel.
Expenses for the semester generally include tuition and room and board at the same rate as on campus, although in some cases students will pay for housing and/or meals directly depending upon individual program arrangements. In addition, there is a $500 administrative fee charged to all students studying off-campus. Airfare and personal expenses vary from site to site and are normally the responsibility of the participant.
Hobart and William Smith financial aid applies to HWS programs only. Students not currently receiving aid, but who can demonstrate need in meeting additional costs involved in off-campus study, may also apply for support. Students should consult the financial aid office to determine how their financial aid package fits with the total cost of off-campus study.
Applicants are selected to participate in the programs based on a review of academic and disciplinary records, academic “fit”, seniority, and the strength of personal statements indicating how participation in a program will help in meeting academic and personal goals. Students must note carefully any prerequisites, especially foreign language requirements, for programs of interest; these requirements are identified in program literature and at informational meetings, and students may be advised to take a particular course in order to qualify. Special consideration is given to those students who have demonstrated particular interest and background in the disciplines offered.
Selection is made by a committee including faculty, representatives from the dean’s offices, and staff of the Center for Global Education.
Application forms may be obtained at informational meetings or from the Center for Global Education in Trinity Hall.
Announcement of students invited to participate and status of alternates is normally made a few weeks after the application deadlines. These deadlines are late October for programs to be offered during the fall term of the following academic year and early March for programs to be offered during the spring term of the following academic year. A non-refundable deposit of $350 is due after acceptance to secure a place in the program which is credited toward the semester abroad tuition payment.
Selected students are required to attend a series of orientation meetings and make other preparations as outlined for each program. For some programs there may be a required preparatory course in the semester prior to the semester off campus.
Orientation meetings, scheduled soon after the selection committee has announced its decisions, cover such matters as airline reservations, roommate selection, course registration, book requirements, and other academic, cultural, and administrative issues.
Further information about these programs, as well as additional study-abroad and student-exchange opportunities, is available from the Center for Global Education or by consulting the HWS website. Students should consult the CGE Programs Handbook for specific program details such as program dates, course work, accommodations, eligibility, approximate cost, and group excursions.
