Global Education

Dean of Global Education and Assistant Professor: Woody Pelton

The mission of the Isabella Cannon Global Education Center is to foster the development of an interculturally-competent and globally-aware campus community. Through its programs, the Global Education Center strives to prepare students for life in a rapidly changing global society within and beyond the borders of the United States. GBL courses are multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary experiences that provide students with the opportunity to actively engage with the world. GBL courses are designed to be experiential and include the necessary preparation, engagement with difference, and reflection to develop the habits of mind required to foster lifelong intercultural learning.

Global Education does not offer a major or minor. However, most of the courses fulfill a Core Curriculum requirement, and in some cases they support specific minors or majors. Consult the information provided for each course. GBL courses numbered 100-199 typically are 1 sh preparatory seminars offered in the fall semester as prerequisites to a corresponding 4 sh winter term study away course. GBL courses numbered 200-299 typically are taught off campus with application, acceptance, and additional travel fees required. Consult the Global Education Center's website for program goals, information on curricular proposals and the listing of offerings for the upcoming academic year.

The Global Education Center (GEC) provides Elon students with opportunities to study, conduct research, engage in service learning or intern abroad during Fall, Winter, Spring and Summer terms. Details of the programs can be found at the Study Abroad website. Elon study abroad programs may not be taken pass/fail and may not be audited. Students on Disciplinary Probation are not eligible for some programs.

Elon operates its own overseas semester programs in London, England; Shanghai, China; Dunedin, New Zealand and Florence, Italy. An Elon faculty member serves as Faculty-in-Residence for these programs and teaches one course. Local faculty teach additional courses.

During Winter Term, Elon offers over 30 faculty-led programs. These begin with a 1-semester hour prerequisite Preparatory Seminar course in the Fall semester, followed by the 4-semester hour program abroad in January.

Students who study abroad on the many affiliate or exchange semester programs will receive Elon credit, pay through Elon, maintain the same financial aid and scholarships available to them on campus, satisfy one to two units of their Experiential Learning Requirement, and have the support of the Elon campus. The GEC has vetted and approved these programs based on safety, level of support, academic rigor and overall fit with the Elon University curriculum and philosophy.

Students may petition to study in a program that is not affiliated with Elon. Students on non-Elon programs are not enrolled at Elon, pay directly to the institution abroad, and do not receive institutional scholarship money. The associate registrar reviews the credits for transfer.

Any student applying to participate in a Study Abroad program must be enrolled full-time at Elon for the semester which precedes the off-campus term. This policy applies to all programs, including Elon-administered programs, affiliated programs, exchange programs and non-Elon programs.

For further information, students should visit the Global Education Center or visit the Global Education Center website.

Study USA, housed within the Global Education Center, coordinates short term, summer, and semester credit-bearing programs at locations across the United States. Our signature course and internship programs are located in San Francisco (summer), Alaska (summer), Los Angeles (summer and spring) and New York City (spring, summer and fall). Students enrolled in these off-site programs remain enrolled at Elon, receive Elon credit, pay Elon directly, maintain financial aid and scholarships, and satisfy one or two units of the Experiential Learning Requirement. Study USA also offers faculty-led Winter Term programs in locations such as Arizona, Hawaii, Utah, rural Appalachia, DC, and New York City. Details for individual programs may be found at the Study USA website.
 
Study USA courses may not be taken pass/fail or audited. Students on Disciplinary Probation are not eligible for some programs.

Non-Elon Global Engagement (Study Abroad or Study USA) Program Policies

The Global Education Center (GEC) requires students to attend Elon-vetted programs unless there is a compelling academic reason to attend a program not reviewed and approved by Elon. The Global Education Center has assessed the academic components as well as student life and student support services on each of these programs, and works closely with the program coordinators. 

Definition of non-Elon Study Abroad/Study USA Program

A non-Elon program is one that is not affiliated with Elon University through an agreement. Elon will approve study away at such a non-Elon program if there is a compelling academic reason. If offered through a U.S. college or university, the institution must be regionally accredited. If offered through an institution in another country, the institution must be recognized by the ministry of education or other accrediting bodies. 

Non-Elon Program Petition Submission Deadlines

• Fall, Year, and Summer Programs: March 30 
• Spring, and Winter Term Programs: October 30

Once a petition has been approved, students will be directed to complete the Transfer Request process.

Enrollment Status

A student is not considered an Elon student while participating in a non-Elon program. However, if a student’s petition is approved prior to the non-Elon experience, the student will not need to re-apply to Elon upon return. A student’s @elon.edu email address will remain active during the term abroad on a non-Elon program. Students who are approved to participate in a non-Elon program should NOT withdraw from Elon; the GEC will notify relevant offices of students’ participation in the non-Elon programs.

Cost

Elon will charge a non-refundable $1,000 administrative fee for all non-Elon semester and year global engagement programs once the petition has been approved. Program costs are paid directly to the non-Elon program and are set by the program provider.

Transfer Credit Non-Elon Global Engagement programs (Study Abroad and Study USA)

Students who follow the proper procedure and complete the course approval process before enrolling in a non-Elon program may receive transfer credit. Transfer credit is not guaranteed, and is given on a course-by-course basis to be decided by the Registrar’s Office in consultation with academic department chairs as appropriate. Courses with a grade of “C-” or better are transferred and the hours earned transfer as well as the course itself. Grades do not transfer; therefore, GPA is not affected. Semester-hour credit will transfer the same as awarded by the host institution (e.g., 3 hrs. for 3 hrs.). Students should keep everything related to coursework abroad: syllabi, course descriptions, class notes, papers, exams, etc.