The Journal

Issue date: 10/12/06 Section: News

Finding courses to fit a specific major when studying abroad is next to impossible, according to students who have recently returned.

Not every Webster campus has enough space or money to offer classes that fit every study abroad student's major, said Guillermo Rodriguez, study abroad director. Rodriguez said this problem occurs every term when students sign up for courses abroad. In addition, courses abroad usually do not become available until after the course listings at the Webster Groves campus.

Rodriguez said this is something Webster attempts to fix every year and has a special task force to help offer more classes for students.

"The task force is dedicated to looking at different majors and working with the campuses abroad to provide special courses for special majors," Rodriguez said.

Art Silverblatt, a communications professor and academic adviser, helps lead the task force, which is in its third year. Silverblatt said the group is an institutional committee, consisting of both faculty and staff.

"We try to find ways to facilitate students from this campus to another campus," Silverblatt said. "Right now, we're working with the business school, then we plan to move on to the School of Communications and then fine arts, we want to help give students a time frame of when they can study."

Rodriguez said the campuses each have their own director. He said a campus could only offer certain courses for the majors available at each individual campus. Campuses abroad also offer fewer degrees than the Webster Groves campus. For example, if the Geneva campus only offered five majors, they would focus courses around those majors. Rodriguez said this would allow full-time students to graduate within a scheduled time.

Christine Benninger, academic adviser and student services coordinator at the Leiden campus, agreed with Rodriguez.

"Some degrees are very specific and involve more time spent making sure students do not take unnecessary classes," Benninger said in an e-mail. "I do believe that one of the beauties of taking classes at an international campus is you have the opportunity to take courses you would not see offered at your home campus."

Barbara Hillerman, academic adviser and head of the art department at the Vienna campus, said in an e-mail, the campus works closely with professors at the Webster Groves campus to offer adequate classes for study abroad students.

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