Please review the following policies and procedures if you wish to study abroad as a Communication major. For general information about studying abroad while at Tulane, review the resources found on the Center for Global Education page.
Contact your Major Advisor or the Communication Department’s Director of Undergraduate Studies (wsaas@tulane.edu) with any questions or concerns after you have reviewed the information below.
Department Policies
Electives Only
Courses completed while abroad will only satisfy the elective requirements of your Tulane Communication major. Courses taken abroad will not satisfy the introductory or core requirements of your Tulane Communication major. Courses that are not eligible for equivalency while studying abroad include COMM 1150, COMM 1250, COMM 1350, COMM 1450, COMM 1550, COMM 1650, COMM 3140, COMM 3150, COMM 3160, COMM 3240, COMM 3250, COMM 3260, COMM 3310, and COMM 3350.
Course Transfer Limits
If you declared your Communication major after Spring 2026, you may take up to two of the ten required courses of the Communication major outside the department. This limit includes credit transfers from other institutions in the U.S. and from study abroad courses. If you have already transferred or completed two eligible electives outside of the department, your study abroad courses may not apply toward your Communication major.
If you declared your Communication major during or before Spring 2026, you may take up to four of the ten required courses of the Communication major outside the department. This limit includes credit transfers from other institutions in the U.S. and from study abroad courses. If you have already transferred or completed four eligible electives outside of the department, your study abroad courses may not apply toward your Communication major.
Recommendation Requests
Your Major Advisor is the appropriate contact for study abroad recommendation requests made via the Tulane study abroad application portal. Communicate with your Major Advisor prior to requesting their recommendation. Failure to communicate with your Major Advisor in advance will result in an unfulfilled recommendation request. Refer to your Degree Audit for information on your Major Advisor.
5 Steps for Receiving Study Abroad Credit in Communication
- Review the list of preapproved courses in Communication study abroad programs at Tulane’s Center for Global Education’s course equivalencies page .
- Consult the schedule of classes at the institution where the study abroad program will take place to verify which Communication courses will be offered during the study abroad period.
- Select up to two Communication courses if you declared after Spring 2026, or up to four Communication courses if you declared Spring 2026 or before, among those offered by the study abroad program.
- If the selected course or courses are included in the list of preapproved courses, you will automatically receive the respective Communication course equivalency after completion. In this case, you don’t need to contact the Department of Communication or the department’s Director of Undergraduate Studies. If you have questions about equivalency for courses in the list of preapproved courses, please contact Joanie Vicknair at crystal@tulane.edu.
If the selected course or courses are not included in the list of preapproved courses, students should submit up to two full syllabi (if declared after Spring 2026) or four syllabi (if declared during or before Spring 2026) and the Course Equivalency Request form to Professor William Saas at wsaas@tulane.edu, Director of Undergraduate Studies of the Department of Communication.
Please submit only full syllabi, which should include all course assignments, a full list of readings, and a full schedule. Course descriptions will not be accepted. Please contact the host institution or the respective course instructor to request a full course syllabus. If the course is not taught in English, students can submit the syllabus in the original language.
The form and the syllabi should be submitted in Word or PDF formats. Pictures will not be accepted. Requests containing course descriptions and/or more than two or four syllabi will not be processed.
Other Important Information
Please be aware that you should select courses that will help you fulfill the Communication major requirements. For example, Communication majors don’t need more than two 2000-level electives. Thus, if you already have taken two 2000-level electives, you should try to find courses that could be considered equivalent to a 3000-level or a 4000-level elective.
Courses taken abroad can be approved as equivalent to a 2000-level, a 3000-level, or a 4000-level Communication elective. Most 2000-level courses are introductory or survey courses, often based on lectures, tests, and a single textbook. On the other hand, 3000-level and 4000-level courses generally have more substantial and challenging readings and are often based on seminar discussions and research papers. Students should be aware that most courses taken abroad are approved as equivalent to a 2000-level or a 3000-level elective. They rarely satisfy requirements for a 4000-level elective.
All questions about equivalencies for study abroad courses should be directed to Professor William Saas, wsaas@tulane.edu, Director of Undergraduate Studies of the Department of Communication. Good luck with your application process!