IES Cape Town, South Africa website
Advisor/Important notes:
- The University of Cape Town (UCT) has many courses but it is always good for students to have some flexibility. Taking classes with local students and living in apartments/residence halls a few blocks away from campus. Many students walk to class regularly although buses do run. The campus is built on the base of Table Mountain.
- Students typically take 1 course through IES Abroad that is linked to service learning, and then the rest of the courses are taken at UCT.
Tips when navigating UCT courses:
- Note that figuring out a full course load can be quite complicated. Students must reach a full course load with a mix of IES and University of Cape Town courses. At UCT, Students are encouraged to take mostly 2000-level or 3000-level courses, with a maximum of one 1000-level course. There is no standard way to predict the credit value of any course based on their number.
- 4 IES credits = 1 Gettysburg Unit
- 8 UCT NQF credits = 2 IES Credits
- 10 UCT NQF credits = 2 IES Credits
- 12 UCT NQF credits = 3 IES Credits
- 15 UCT NQF credits = 3 IES Credits
- 16 UCT NQF credits = 3 IES Credits
- 18 UCT NQF credits = 4 IES Credits
- 20 UCT NQF credits = 4 IES Credits
- 22 UCT NQF credits = 5 IES Credits
- 24 UCT NQF credits = 5 IES Credits
- 30 UCT NQF credits = 8 IES Credits
- The course catalogs are large, so students should pay special attention to when courses are offered (remembered that it is in the southern hemisphere so “fall” refers to the US “spring” semester)
- Note: While health science courses are listed on the UCT website, students are not able enroll in them.
- In the Faculty’s handbook, you will want to browse the “Course Outlines” of the Departments you are most interested in enrolling in.
- To understand what semester the courses are offered in you will want to look at the course number (example here highlighted in yellow: ACC1006F FINANCIAL ACCOUNTING)
- Course titles that end in F are offered during the first half of the UCT semester, which is equivalent to the Gettysburg College Spring semester
- Course titles that end in S are offered during the second half of the UCT semester, which is equivalent to the Gettysburg College Fall semester
- Typically students enroll in one 1000-level course and a mix of 2000- and 3000-level courses. Although it is uncommon for students to take more than one 3000-level course during a semester.
Who to contact:
- IES Program Contact - Zhanè Vanderbilt (study@iesabroad.org)
- IES Abroad Contact a Former Student Page
- Contact a returned Gettysburg student
Program Highlights:
- When you study with us in South Africa, you will register for three to five courses at South Africa's leading research university, the University of Cape Town (UCT), which is located in a pleasant suburban area five miles from the City Center. UCT is South Africa's oldest university and has undergone incredible change since its opening, particularly since the end of apartheid, working to make quality higher education available to students regardless of socioeconomic background.