Off-Campus Experience

Kaitlyn Fletcher

Why does IAFS require an Off-Campus Experience for majors?

The International Affairs major includes a 3-credit Off-Campus Experience (OCE) requirement as part of the degree program. The goal is to provide a range of experiential learning opportunities for students that further develop aspects of the IAFS curriculum, from language learning to policy-making. While IAFS strongly encourages students to participate in an education abroad program, there are many other options for fulfilling the OCE requirement!

The Off-Campus Experience provides International Affairs students with:

  • Community engagement, locally and globally
  • Practical applications that enrich academic coursework
  • Through study abroad, an international education experience and exposure to cultural diversity and language skills development, expanding and deepening students’ knowledge of geographic concentration
  • Through internships and service-learning in the non-profit sector, business, or government, support for students' hands-on learning on institutional, political, and economic issues relevant to international affairs, as well as professional development for future career plans

Please contact your advisor with any questions about the OCE requirement.

Fulfilling the OCE

To fulfill the Off-Campus Experience requirement, students must complete 3 upper-division credits that include an experiential learning component. These credits cannot be applied to any other IAFS requirement. 

Approved ways to fulfill the OCE include:

  • An upper-division study abroad course offered through CU Boulder Education Abroad. Fulfillment is contingent on the student’s final transcript from Education Abroad.
  • IAFS 4930: Internship in International Affairs:* Credit-bearing internship for internationally focused work with organizations in the U.S. or abroad. Please review the website for information on how to enroll.
  • IAFS 3000: Global and Local Engagement* (this topic only): In addition to attending class, this course requires 30 hours of service-learning or volunteer work. Please review the website for more information.
  • CU in DC Program course approved by the IAFS program
  • Other approved CU Boulder courses - please check prerequisites and restrictions!
    • EDUC 4125: Secondary World Language Methods
    • LEAD 4000: Leadership in Context and Emerging Challenges (LEAD Minor students only)
    • CYBR 5550: Designing for Defense
      • Graduate-level course with an application process. Contact the instructor and your IAFS advisor before enrolling.
  • Other credit-bearing off-campus experiences, with prior approval from the IAFS program. Contact your advisor for more information.

*Please note that service learning classes or projects must have some international application - e.g., intercultural communication, language development, or global policy.

​Petition to Substitute a Class for the OCE

To petition to substitute an additional Functional Area or Geographic Concentration class for the OCE, fill out this petition and submit it to your IAFS advisor. Please note: The program will not consider petitions submitted in the student's final semester. Submission deadlines are:

  • November 1st - May graduates
  • April 1st - August and December graduates