Program Overview
The University of Lancaster opened in 1964 on a campus two miles from the city of Lancaster. It enrolls about 8,000 students and includes a small shopping center and most of the services necessary to students. The campus is adjacent to the M6 main highway between England and Scotland and is 35 miles from the scenic Lake District. Detailed information about the Lancaster program may be obtained from the Office of International and Off-Campus Studies and from the program advisor. Current catalogs from the University of Lancaster list specific course information and are also available at the Office of International and Off-Campus Studies. Students may enroll for a semester or a full year.
Academics
Instruction is available in any field offered by the university to students with an appropriate background, including English, environmental science, business and management studies, politics and international relations, mathematics, computer science and the natural sciences. To browse courses offered at Lancaster, click here. Instruction consists of lectures, discussions, tutorials, papers, laboratory work and examinations, with much more emphasis on the independent work of the student and on written papers than is usual at St. Olaf. Faculty advisors are available in all departments to assist students in planning programs, assist with evaluations and generally make the transition easier. The normal load for the year is nine courses (32 Lancaster credits). The normal load for semester I is three courses (9-12 Lancaster credits). The normal load for Interim and semester II is five courses (17-19 Lancaster credits). Students studying off-campus in the fall can bring up to 4.5 credits back to campus; students studying off-campus in the spring with interim can bring up to 5.5 credits back to campus.
Student Life
Students in the Lancaster program are fully recognized students at the university and participate in its programs just as the British students do. While U.S. students are in the university, every effort is made to integrate them into the life of the university. Students can explore the historic city of Lancaster and take advantage of activities and events on campus, which range from concerts, theatre performances, sports, and a wide variety of clubs and societies. For more information about student life at Lancaster, click here. Vacation periods, approximately a month long between terms, enable students to travel to other countries in Europe, if they wish, at their own expense.
Accommodations/Housing
St. Olaf students usually live in different colleges (combination dormitory and social organizations) and are not grouped together.
Pre-Approved GE Credits
This is a list of pre-approved GE credits. If you want other courses to be considered for GE credit, contact your St. Olaf Program Advisor, Brian Bjorklund.
BRITAIN: LANCASTER UNIVERSITY APPROVED GE CREDITS
This is a listing of how many Lancaster credits = St. Olaf credits and information about credit transfer to St. Olaf:
BRITAIN: LANCASTER CREDIT NUMBER TRANSLATION
