Study proposals

Because most programs do not announce specific course offerings before the application deadline, it is best to consider the study proposal as an outline of the kinds of courses you hope to take while abroad.

• Draft a list of the topics you hope to explore while abroad. Think about the particular strengths of the program and the kinds of courses it offers that Georgetown does not. You may want to be sure to take an art history course, a regional politics course, or a course on women?s issues, for example.
• Look through the program materials and recent course catalogues to find courses on the topics you identified. Try to identify more than one course in each category ? you want to have a variety of options. Feel free to ask your faculty mentor or the chair of the field committee for help and advice.
• If you would like to take a cluster course, be sure that you have the requisite background in the discipline. Remember that students in foreign universities generally study only one subject, so they usually have a great deal more background in the theory and method of their discipline than Georgetown students.
• Fill out the study proposal form, indicating how you think each course should count. Make sure that the courses you list make up a full courseload ? it is fine to list more courses than you can take, but not fewer.
• Take the study proposal to the chair of the field committee for review. If possible, bring along course descriptions.
• Once the field committee chair has approved your proposal, take it to the dean for final approval. If possible, bring along course descriptions.
• The dean will give you a copy of your signed study proposal and keep one for your file. Don?t forget to take a copy with you when you go abroad!