UC San Diego Study Abroad
UC San Diego Study Abroad provides students the opportunity to experience other cultures, overcome challenges of living in another country, and gain a greater understanding of the world. Students can acquire global skills and open up personal and professional opportunities that set them apart - less than 1% of U.S. college students study abroad annually. Courses taken abroad can be used to earn units and fulfill major, minor, college, or general education requirements. Students should start planning early and work with the Study Abroad Office, the Public Health Advising Office, and College if interested in Studying Abroad. Study Abroad in Public Health - Study Abroad Advising Services
NOTE: Public Health Majors should not plan to study abroad during Winter and Spring of their senior year, as it overlaps with the required PH 193 and PH 194 capstone sequence.
Study Abroad Options
Steps To Go Abroad
The key to success is planning and pre-approval!
1. Prior to Going Abroad:
- Check out the Study Abroad website and talk with a Study Abroad advisor to make preliminary plans. Search for courses offered in your preferred program.
- Discuss your plans with a Public Health Advisor at Drop-in Advising Hours (this step is encouraged but not required).
- Submit your Academic Planning form for review. No course descriptions or syllabi are necessary at this step, as you are simply making your plans known . Please note: if you do not receive approval from the Public Health Advising Office within 5 business days, send a VAC message, as the e-mail may have gotten lost.
- Approximately four to six weeks before you leave for your program, you should submit an individual course Pre-Approval petition for each study abroad course you would like reviewed, with a syllabus from a previous iteration of the course, so that our faculty can review your request and you can be ready to enroll when you arrive at your institution abroad.
- All Public Health courses taken abroad MUST be petitioned, even if you found them through the Study Abroad Office. Classes found through the Study Abroad office/database don't necessarily count for major requirements, so we highly recommend pre-approval as well, to ensure that your course meets Public Health requirements for petitioning.
- The Public Health Office will review up to four abroad courses per student.
- After your return to UC San Diego, your transcripts from abroad will be processed. While EAP transcripts should be processed by the University automatically, you may need to take action to facilitate this if you participate in a OAP program. Once your classes are showing properly on your Academic History, you must petition with Public Health to officially bring them into your Degree Audit.
Courses to Take Abroad
The BSPH allows students to transfer no more than three upper-division (UD) classes for major credit.
- Best choice for courses to take abroad:
- Lower or Upper Division Elective classes for your major that may not be offered on campus
- These are the easiest to get approved.
- You'll be petitioning for course substitution when you return.
- Lower or Upper Division Elective classes for your major that may not be offered on campus
- Potentially Troublesome choice to take abroad:
- Core Public Health classes
- Our faculty generally prefers that these classes be taken on campus at UC San Diego
- Can be difficult to get approved; must be at least 90% the same in course content as the equivalent course here on campus
- We recommend that you discuss thoroughly with a Public Health Advisor before going abroad, and have a syllabus handy.
- You'll be petitioning for course equivalency when you return
- Core Public Health classes
- Don't plan to use toward major requirements if you take abroad:
- Capstone/thesis classes
- Research classes, internships
- Classes heavily based in another discipline or heavily cross-listed classes
- Remember:
- Any course used toward major or minor credit must be deemed UC-eligible and at least four units.
- Any course used toward major requirements must transfer as Upper Division credit.
- Any course used toward major requirements must be taken for a Letter grade.
Previously Approved UC San Diego Global Seminars
The following UCSD Global Seminars listed below have been pre-approved for UDE credit. Any courses not listed must go through the Public Health course petition process. Instructions to petition courses can be found on the Public Health Website under Course Petitions. You will need to complete all 4 steps listed under Major Elective Petition in order to petition course(s).
Anatomy in Paris, France with Dr. Geoffroy Noel
- ANBI 143GS. The Human Skeleton – Counts towards 1 UD Public Health Medicine Sciences Concentration Elective
- ANBI 144GS. Human Anatomy – Counts towards 1 UD Public Health Medicine Sciences Concentration Elective
Climate Change and Global Health in Dharamsala, India with Dr. Tarik Benmarhnia
- SIO 116GS: Climate Change and Global Health: Understanding the Mechanisms – Counts towards 1 UD Public Health Climate & Environmental Sciences Concentration Elective
- SIO 118GS: Responding to Climate Change: Possible Solutions – Counts towards 1 UD Public Health Climate & Environmental Sciences Concentration Elective
Consumer Behavior in Tokyo, Japan
- PSYC 127GS: Consumer Behavior
- PSYC 148GS: Judgement and Decision Making – Counts towards 1 UD Public Health Elective
Drugs, Behavior, and the History of Neuroscience in Athens, Greece with Dr. Stephan Anagnostaras
- PSYC 181GS: Drugs and Behavior – Counts towards 1 UD Public Health Community Health Sciences or Medicine Sciences Concentration Elective
- PSYC 193GS: Neuroscience, Psychology, and Pharmacology of Antiquity
Genetics, Pandemics, and Society in Edinburgh, Scotland with Dr. Daniel Navon and Dr. Claire Edington
- HILD 30GS: History of Public Health – Counts towards 1 LD Public Health SBE
- SOCI 138GS: Genetics and Society – Counts towards 1 UD Public Health Elective
Health, Healing, and Sustainable Community Development in Bali, Indonesia with Dr. Leslie Lewis
- ANSC 190GS: Medicine and Healing in Southeast Asia – Counts towards 1 UD Public Health Community Health Sciences Concentration Elective
- ERC 190GS: Health, Environment, and Community Development in Bali – Counts towards 1 UD Public Health Community Health Sciences Concentration Elective
Indigenous Health in Ecuador: Urban, Rural, & Community Medicine in Quito, Ecuador with Dr. Nancy Postero
- ANSC 106GS: Indigenous Medicines in Latin America – Counts towards 1 UD Public Health Elective
- ANSC 135GS: Indigenous Peoples of Latin America: Race, Politics, and Identity
Psychopharmacology in Florence, Italy with Dr. Stephan Anagnostaras
- PSYC 181GS: Drugs and Behavior – Counts towards 1 UD Public Health Community Health Sciences or Medicine Sciences Concentration Elective
- PSYC 186GS: Early History of Psychiatry: Neuroscience and Pharmacology of the Renaissance-Enlightenment
Public Health in Amman, Jordan with Dr. Wael Al-Delaimy
- REV 160GS: Public Health and Epidemiology I – Counts towards 1 UD Public Health Epidemiology Concentration Elective
- REV 165GS: Public Health and Epidemiology II – Counts towards 1 UD Public Health Epidemiology Concentration Elective
Medical Anthropology and Global Health in Dharamsala, India with Dr. Saiba Varma
- ANSC 190GS: Medicine and Healing in Southeast Asia – Counts towards 1 UD Public Health Elective
- ANSC 191GS: Everyday Life in South Asia
Sex and Health in Southeast Asia in Bangkok, Thailand with Dr. Dredge Kang
- ANSC 105GS: Global Health and Inequality: Sexual and Reproductive Health in Southeast Asia – Counts towards 1 UD Public Health Community Health Sciences or Health Policy & Management Sciences Concentration Elective
- ANSC 125GS: Gender, Sexuality, and Society: Sex and Love in Thailand
Social Cognition and Drugs in Sydney, Australia with Dr. Jaime Pineda
- COGS 171GS: Mirror Neurons and Social Cognition
- COGS 174GS: Drugs - Brain, Mind, and Culture – Counts towards 1 UD Public Health Community Health Sciences or Medicine Sciences Concentration Elective