Other Academic Programs

Credit for Prior Learning

The Credit for Prior Learning (CPL) program for degree-seeking Dix Scholars offers an opportunity to receive college credit for knowledge gained through life experience. CPL students can apply for up to 24 credits for learning attained through employment, volunteer work, hobbies, travel, or other activity. Credit is not granted for the experience itself but for the college-level learning that resulted from the experience.

IDS 227, a seminar for Dix Scholars applying for CPL, is taught each fall and spring semester by the CPL coordinator. This course grants two credits in addition to the credits awarded through CPL. CPL credits do not count toward Simmons residency or independent learning requirements.

Terry Müller
CPL Coordinator and Director of the Writing Center
2nd Floor, Beatley Library
terry.muller@simmons.edu
617-521-2471

Domestic Exchange Program

Simmons has limited exchange agreements with Mills College, Oakland, California; Spelman College, Atlanta, Georgia; and Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee. Sophomores and juniors in good academic standing are eligible to apply. Complete information and application forms are available in the CAS Dean's Office, room C-209.

Travel Courses and Study Abroad

Semester or Year Study Abroad and Exchange: During the past two years, over 200 Simmons students have studied for a semester or year around the globe in Europe, Asia, Africa, Oceania, Central America, and Latin America. Simmons also has a semester exchange agreement with Ritsumeikan University in Kyoto, Japan. While all study abroad semester programs involve standard academic classroom experiences, special field study options also include, for example, opportunities to learn from locals about contemporary issues such as environmental management systems (Costa Rica), public health (China), and multiculturalism and human rights (Morocco). All students who want to study abroad must go through the Study Abroad Office and have their programs and courses pre-approved.

Faculty-led travel courses offer students the opportunity to travel with a professor and a group of students for two to four weeks while earning academic credits. Travel courses are uniquely designed and led by Simmons faculty according to their academic and regional specialties. Recent courses include Spanish language and culture in Granada, Spain, , human rights in South Africa, and sustainability in Iceland. Coursework and class sessions during the semester before departure prepare students for travel. Some of the travel courses are designed to fulfill mode of inquiry requirements. The travel program typically counts as a fifth course in a student's semester program. A faculty-led travel course enables a student to be immersed in a culture other than her own and to broaden her perspective and knowledge of a language or subject through an intensive learning experience.

Early planning is highly recommended. Contact the Study Abroad Office for an appointment.

Study Abroad & International Programs Office, MCB, Room E-104, 617-521-2128