Study Away
Macalester College has a long tradition of providing significant opportunities for students to build an international and intercultural perspective into their college education through participation in an international or domestic study away program.
Students may select from among an ample array of overseas and domestic programs relevant to Macalester’s liberal arts curriculum. A list of approved programs is developed and maintained in consultation with all acdemic departments and is available on the Center for Study Away website (www.macalester.edu/studyaway/). From the approved list, academic departments and concentrations also maintain a list of programs that are most suitable for their students. All sutdents are supported in choosing a program through online and in-person advising.
The Study Away Review Committee (SARC) evaluates all applications for study away during the regular academic year for credit-worthiness, the student’s preparation for the experience, the quality of the application, and the degree to which the program promises to extend and enrich the individual student’s Macalester degree program.
Macalester charges full Macalester tuition for the study away semester. In order to ensure a balance of study away enrollment between fall and spring semesters, the college reserves the authority to direct a student to study away in an alternate semester regardless of their preference.
Who May Participate?
In order to be eligible to participate in study away, students may not be on strict academic or strict disciplinary probation the semester prior to studying away or during the semester of study away. In addition, students must be enrolled at Macalester the semester preceding their semester of study away, successfully complete the Macalester pre-departure orientation program, and be current with their Macalester Student Account.
First-year students, first-semester sophomores, and transfer students who enter as juniors may not participate in study away programs. This restriction does not apply to January, summer, and special Macalester-organized programs.
Students must also meet the eligibility requirements of the specific study away program in which they plan to participate.
Academic Credit, Grades, and Financial Aid
All courses taken and credits earned on SARC-approved study away appear on the student’s Macalester transcript, and grades for those courses are factored into the Macalester cumulative grade point average.
Academic credit earned in study away programs often applies to general education requirements for graduation, and may apply to the requirements of a major, minor, or concentration if reviewed and approved by the respective department or concentration chair.
With the exceptions noted below, students whose applications are approved by SARC may apply eligible financial aid to program costs. While the vast majority of financial aid is portable, it is important to note that certain aid programs, such as work-study, do not apply to study away. Also, financial aid is not available for January or summer programs abroad, except in cases where the student wishes to apply for certain types of educational loans or summer-specific scholarships. A complete explanation of financial aid for study away is available at www.macalester.edu/financialaid.
The tuition benefits extended to students on the ACTC Dependent Tuition Assistance Program (DTAP) or ACM Tuition Remission Exchange Program (TREP) may not be applied to study away, except for Macalester’s own programs and exchanges (Group A). However, DTAP and TREP students do receive the benefit of paying program tuition rather than Macalester tuition, and in some circumstances may become eligible for financial aid for one term due to having to assume the cost of study away. Students should consul directly with Financial Aid to confirm how their specific benefits apply to their study away program.
All international students are eligible to study away at Macalester. Macalester financial aid can be applied to study away costs for international students only in the following circumstances:
All non-immigrant and asylee students who wish to study away remain eligible for low-interest student loans to support study away, however, and are encouraged to seek further information from the Center for Study Away. Shelby Davis Scholarships can be used for study away.
Application Process
There are two steps to applying for study away: 1) applying to the Center for Study Away for Macalester approval, and 2) applying to the program provider or overseas university for admission. With rare exceptions, these two steps are independent of each other and have separate deadlines. It is the student’s responsibility to ascertain the relevant deadlines and to provide the required materials by those deadlines.
Detailed information on both steps is articulated on the Center for Study Away website, and assistance is available at the Center for Study Away. Since careful planning is sometimes required, students are advised to start exploring their study away options with the Center for Study Away staff early in their sophomore year.
Pre-Professional and Professional Programs
The Pre-Law Program
Erik Larson (Co-Advisor, Sociology) and Patrick Schmidt (Co-Advisor, Political Science)
For many years, Macalester’s pre-law students have achieved a record of success at excellent law schools evidenced by the fact that the J.D. is the second most common graduate degree for Macalester alumni. The college assists students through informed counseling about their curriculum at Macalester and their later choices of law schools. Departments across the college offer a variety of courses that teach the knowledge and skills relevant to establishing the foundation that can lead to success in legal scholarship and practice. In addition, the college offers a concentration in Legal Studies that provides students a broad liberal arts perspective on the study and practice of law. Opportunities are available each year for students to conduct internships in a law-related setting.
Pre-Engineering and The Cooperative Program in Liberal Arts and Engineering
Macalester offers a variety of curricular and co-curricular opportunities for students who have interests in engineering. Many Macalester students major in fields such as mathematics, applied mathematics, computer science, chemistry, physics, biology, geography, economics, and more, and subsequently choose to continue on to master’s and/or doctoral programs in engineering at institutions such as Yale, Stanford, Columbia, Northwestern, Duke, Berkeley, University of Illinois, and the University of Minnesota.
For students entering in Fall 2017, there is an arrangement between Macalester and Washington University in St. Louis which makes it possible for a student to earn a B.A. degree from Macalester and a B.S. degree in engineering or applied science from either university in five years-the first three to be spent at Macalester and the latter two in the program at Washington University in St. Louis. Both degrees are conferred at the end of the fifth year. This program will not be an option to students who enter after Fall 2017.
At Macalester, you can gain the benefits of a liberal arts education while preparing yourself for a professional career in any of several areas of engineering. Some of the more popular areas that our students go to graduate school are biomedical engineering, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, materials science and engineering, and chemical engineering. Students receive an excellent background in science and mathematics that prepares them for technical studies in engineering. Students also receive a broad background in the humanities and social sciences, crucial to the successful modern practice of engineering. Engineers with a liberal arts background are poised to advance in technical management and to play major roles in solving increasingly complex societal problems.
Pre-engineering advising assists students through informed counseling about their curriculum at Macalester and their later choices of graduate schools and employment. Students interested in engineering should contact one of the pre-engineering advisors in advance of course registration.
Jim Doyle (Physics): doyle@macalester.edu
Keith Kuwata (Chemistry): kuwata@macalester.edu
Diane Michelfelder (Philosophy): michelfelder@macalester.edu
Mary Montgomery (Biology): montgomery@macalester.edu
David Shuman (Mathematics, Statistics, and Computer Science): dshuman@macalester.edu
The Pre-Medical Program
Advisors: Lin Aanonsen (Chair of the Health Professions Advising Committee, Biology), Ron Barrett (Anthropology), Devavani Chatterjea (Biology), Elizabeth Jansen (Taylor Summer Fellowship/Biology), and Mary Montgomery (Biology)
Students interested in premedical studies should consult one of the premedical advisors very early in their first year for academic advice and request to be included on the Health Professions mailing list.
Premedical students at Macalester may major in any discipline and concurrently complete all premedical requirements. A science major is not a prerequisite for admission to medical school. Most medical schools require the following courses: CHEM 111 - General Chemistry I: Structure and Equilibrium and CHEM 112 - General Chemistry II: Energetics and Reactivity ; CHEM 211 - Organic Chemistry I and CHEM 212 - Organic Chemistry II ; two to six courses in Biology (we recommend at least BIOL 260 - Genetics , BIOL 265 - Cell Biology , and BIOL 255 - Cell Biology and Genetics Laboratory Methods ); PHYS 226 - Principles of Physics I and PHYS 227 - Principles of Physics II or possibly, the non-calculus-based summer courses PHYS 221 and PHYS 222 ; and two courses in English. At a number of medical schools, the “English” requirement can be satisfied by various writing or literature courses and need not be listed as an English course. BIOL 351 - Biochemistry I is either a required course or is a strongly recommended prerequisite at a growing number of medical schools. Most medical schools also require a course in the behavioral sciences; we recommend either PSYC 100 - Introduction to Psychology or SOCI 110 - Introduction to Sociology . Additional courses in the humanities and mathematics (we highly recommend taking a statistics course) may also be required for admission to some medical schools. These requirements vary so you should consult your premedical advisor before making a decision about courses you decide to take that may satisfy the premedical requirements.
Premedical advisors work carefully with students throughout their preparation, both individually and in group sessions, to assist in program planning that will best meet the individual needs of students. Regular forums and seminars are presented on appropriate topics in research, ethics, admission test preparation, application procedures and interview skills. Each summer the Ruth and Vernon Taylor Foundation endowment provides stipends for approximately eight students to participate in health profession internships following their junior year. Student recipients of this competitive award may arrange to work in a clinic, hospital, or other medical facility under the direct supervision of medical personnel.
The Cooperative Program in Liberal Arts and Architecture
Stanton Sears (Advisor, Art)
Under the agreement with Washington University’s School of Architecture in St. Louis, students may complete three years at Macalester before transferring to Washington University for a senior year of accelerated architectural study, leading to a B.A. from Macalester. Three years of graduate study at Washington University then leads to a Master’s in architecture.
For further information on course work required, see the art department section of this catalog.
Honor Societies
Phi Beta Kappa
The Macalester chapter of Phi Beta Kappa, Epsilon of Minnesota, was established in 1968. This oldest national honor society recognizes outstanding scholarship and broad cultural interests in liberal studies. To be nominated, students ordinarily must have a GPA which places them in the upper 12 percent of their class. Other requirements are good character, sufficient breadth of liberal studies, and a knowledge of mathematics and a foreign language at least minimally appropriate for a liberal education.
Other National Honor Societies
The following departments sponsor national honor societies:
Biology- Beta Beta Beta
Chemistry- Iota Sigma Pi
Chemistry- Phi Lambda Upsilon
Classics- Eta Sigma Phi
Computer Science- Upsilon Pi Epsilon
Economics- Omicron Delta Epsilon
English- Alpha Rho Theta
Geography- Gamma Theta Upsilon
German Studies- Delta Phi Alpha
Hispanic Studies- Sigma Delta Pi
History- Phi Alpha Theta
Neuroscience Studies- Nu Rho Psi
Political Science- Pi Sigma Alpha
Psychology- Psi Chi
Sociology- Alpha Kappa Delta
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