Off-Campus Experience

Kaitlyn Fletcher

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.

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

Fulfilling the OCE

To fulfill the Off-Campus Experience requirement, students will complete 3 upper division credits which must include an experiential learning component and must not be applied to any other IAFS requirement. Opportunities to fulfill the requirement include the following options: 

  • An upper division study abroad course offered through the CU Boulder Office of Education Abroad. 
    • Fulfillment of the Off-Campus Experience through study abroad is subject to the student's final transcript from the Office of Education Abroad.
  • One of the following: For service learning classes, service learning projects must have some international application such as intercultural communication, language skill development, policy, etc.
    • IAFS 4930: Internship in International Affairs - Offers credit for internationally-focused work with a variety of organizations in the United States and abroad.
    • IAFS 3000: Global and Local Engagement (this special topic only; other topics not applicable) - Experiential course which includes 30 hours of a service-learning or volunteer project as part of the course requirements.
    • EDUC 4125: Secondary World Language Methods
    • LEAD 4000: Leadership in Context and Emerging Challenges
      • Requires a prerequisite course of LEAD 1000 or LDSP 1000 (minimum grade C-). Restricted to students with 57-180 credits (Juniors or Seniors). Must be a Leadership Studies Minor student. 
    • CYBR 5550: Designing for Defense
      • This is a graduate level and challenging class with an application process. Please contact the instructor and speak with your IAFS advisor.
  • A CU in DC course approved by the program.
  • Credit-bearing off-campus experience pre-approved by the program, please contact your advisor.

​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. Submission deadlines are:

  • November 1st - May graduates
  • April 1st - August and December graduates
  • Please note: The program will not consider petitions submitted in the student's final semester

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