Study Abroad

The English department encourages and supports study abroad for majors, whether for a summer, a semester, or a year. The department oversees or recommends several programs, described below. We will also work with students who elect to study elsewhere, including places where English is not the language of instruction, to develop a plan of study that will meet the department’s distribution and other requirements. If you have questions, contact the Director of Undergraduate Studies (DUS) at an early stage of your planning.

If you study abroad, you may count two courses per semester abroad toward departmental requirements, and up to five in a year. (The exception to this is the seminar in UCL; you may count two classes plus the seminar.) Courses in English literature (meaning literature originally written in the English language), literary theory, or cultural studies are ordinarily approved for departmental credit. Other courses may be approved as cognates depending on your track. All departmental credit requires approval, on a course by course basis, from the DUS. Study abroad courses may be taken to fulfill distribution requirements: consult with the DUS when choosing your courses to make sure they will fit your needs.

See the Office of International Programs website for further, detailed information

English Department Study Abroad Programs

Spring Semester at University College, London

Princeton students entering the Department of English or the Department of Comparative Literature have the opportunity to spend the spring term at University College London (UCL), the oldest and largest of the constituent colleges of the University of London. This program is a result of the combined efforts of Princeton and UCL faculty members and offers a rigorous, exciting, and rewarding program of study at a top-ranked institution in one of the world’s great capital cities.

Princeton students live in UCL dormitories and choose three of their four courses from the regular offerings at UCL. The fourth course is a seminar in English literature taught by a Princeton English professor exclusively for Princeton students (which fulfills the literary and cultural history (LCH) distribution requirement for the major). Students who are completing their Junior Papers will also be advised by the Princeton faculty member.

UCL Course Start Date: Not offered AY 2023-2024; check back for AY 2024-2025.

Bread Loaf Summer at Oxford

In collaboration with the Bread Loaf School of English, the department offers a six-week program of study at Lincoln College, Oxford for rising seniors. Students take a course from an Oxford/Bread Loaf faculty member, choosing among a rich range of topics, from the “Margins of Medieval Literature” to “Shakespeare’s Stage” to the “Modernist Novel.” A Princeton faculty member is also on hand to guide exploration of archives and other resources preparatory to writing the senior thesis.