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Experience & Application GER Fulfillment

Students who enter Emory University as first-time undergraduates or transfer students in the Fall 2023 semester and later are required to complete one approved experience for the Experience and Application GER.

Approved experiences include research opportunities, education abroad programs, internships, community-engaged learning courses, and applied arts experiences. Most of these courses and experiences are tagged in the College Catalog and Course Atlas as one of the following:

  • Experience and Application [XA]
  • Experience & Application with Continuing Communication & Writing [XAW]

Oxford Graduates: Students who complete the AA degree satisfy the Experience and Application GER at Oxford. They are welcome to pursue additional experiential opportunities while at Emory College.

Transfer Students: Students who transfer to Emory College may satisfy XA through an approved experience at Emory, or they may petition to count an experience from their previous institution. Transfer students are the only students permitted to submit a petition for an experience that has already taken place. Transfer students should submit a petition in their first semester at Emory in case the petition is not approved so they have enough time to complete the requirement.

Students may engage in the following undergraduate research opportunities to complete the GER:

Students who complete an approved internship course through the Pathways Center or an academic department will satisfy the GER. These courses are tagged XA.

Students who complete the following programs will satisfy the GER:

Upon completion of the education abroad program, OUE will update the student’s degree tracker to indicate that the requirement has been satisfied.

Many academic departments offer community-engaged learning courses that require students to apply knowledge to real-world problems or engage public communities over the course of the semester. These courses are tagged as XA and XAW in the College Catalog and Course Atlas. Completing any tagged course of three credits or more will satisfy the GER.

Students may complete 2 credits of applied arts courses that are tagged with XA or XAW. These include studio and performance-based courses in Dance, Music, Theater, and the Visual Arts. These courses are tagged as XA and XAW in the College Catalog and Course Atlas.

For more detailed information about fulfilling the Experience and Application GER, see this guide.

Questions

General Questions
  • ECAS students who have general questions about the XA GER requirement should contact their OUE Academic Advisor for assistance.
Questions about Specific Experiences
  • ECAS students who have specific questions about particular experiences that fulfill the requirement should contact the office or department responsible for the experience. For example, students with a question about departmental research should contact the department where they intend to do research. Students with a question about the Pathways Center internship course (INTERN 496R) should contact the Pathways Center.

Opportunities for funding

There are many options to satisfy the Experience and Application GER that do not require funding, including courses and experiences based at Emory such as research courses, the Honors Program, community-engaged learning, and applied arts. However, scholarships, stipends, and other resources are available for some specific opportunities, including:

  • Research: Undergraduate Research Programs in the Pathways Center provides stipends for the Summer Undergraduate Research Experience (SURE Program) at Emory. Independent Research Grants are available to support research and scholarly projects by undergraduates.
  • Internships: The Pathways Center internship funding may be used for domestic and international internships to cover expenses related to housing, airfare, commuting, and food. The Pathways Scholars Program provides select students who intern in designated host cities with financial support each summer.
  • Education Abroad: Students on semester study abroad programs are eligible for the same financial aid they would receive on campus. Some financial aid is also available for summer programs. Students may also apply for scholarships through Emory College Education Abroad and external agencies.

Petition Process

In rare cases, students who intend to complete an experience other than the ones mentioned above (research, internship, education abroad, etc.) of significant depth and duration similar to the approved XA areas may submit a petition to count it for the XA requirement. Petitions must be submitted in advance (except for transfer students). Petitions for extra-curricular activities (e.g. athletics, students clubs, RAs) will not be considered. The experience should be structured to incorporate learning and reflection and should meet the learning outcomes of the GER.

 Student Petition Form