Information for inbound exchange students
Visiting exchange students
Welcome to the College of Social Sciences & International Studies! Our areas of study include Arab & Islamic Studies, Law, Politics, International Relations, Criminology, Sociology, Philosophy and Anthropology.
We invite incoming exchange students to take a range of our modules. This page aims to give you some guidance on how to choose these modules and put together your study plan.
How to contact us
Our disciplines are supported by separate ‘Hub’ Teams:
Exeter campuses
EducationSt Luke’s Hub Based in the South Cloisters building, St Luke’s campus |
All other subjectsAmory Hub Based in the Amory building, Streatham Campus |
Penryn campus
Law, Politics
Penryn Hub
Based in the Peter Lanyon Building, Penryn Campus
Building 8 on the campus map
Choosing your modules
One semester students must take 60 Exeter credits. This is equivalent to 30 ECTS credits. You cannot take TRM1&2 modules as these spread over both semesters.
Full year students must take 120 Exeter credits (60 credits per semester). This is equivalent to 60 ECTS credits for the academic year. One Exeter credit is worth 0.5 ECTS.
Most of our modules are either 15 credits (if they run for one semester) or 30 credits (if they run for a full year).
The three letters at the start of each course code represent the subject area. In the College of Social Sciences & International Studies, these are:
- ANT – Anthropology
- ARA – Arab & Islamic Studies
- LAW – Law
- PHL – Philosophy
- POL – Politics & International Relations
- SOC – Sociology
The first digit of the code indicates the level at which the subject is taught, e.g. LAW2074 would normally be taken by a second-year undergraduate at Exeter.
Modules coded POC are Politics modules taught at the Penryn campus in Cornwall. Please only select these modules if you are studying at Penryn during your time here. You cannot study at both the Exeter (Streatham/St. Lukes) AND Penryn campuses.
Our module descriptors are available to view on the department websites via the links below. They include information about:
- Module aims and learning outcomes
- The term in which it runs (Semester 1 or 2)
- Any prerequisite requirements
- Assessment details
You must meet any pre-requisites stated in the module descriptor. Modules are updated in mid-March for the following academic year.
Please note that you cannot study modules at both campuses. You must choose all your modules at either Exeter or Penryn.
PoliticsThere is very limited space on level 2 and level 3 modules (coded POL2XXX or POL3XXX)We therefore suggest that students select level one modules (coded POL1XXX) |
Sociology, Philosophy and AnthropologyCore modules are likely to have the most available space. Please follow the below links for details of which modules are core (listed as ‘compulsory’ on these pages) Criminology-related modules can be found under this department. |
Arab and Islamic StudiesLanguage modules (Persian, Turkish, Arabic and Indonesian) have very limited space |
Law |
INTO Insessional Credit rated modulesCredit-rated modules in English for Specific Purposes 2022-23 |
Teaching methods at Exeter may differ from those at your home university. Visit the Your Studies page for a helpful guide to studying at Exeter and the terminology we use.
When choosing modules, it's important you check how you are assessed, for example by written essays or by exams. This information can be found under the Summative Assessment section of each module description.
If you are on exchange at Exeter for the first semester and you cannot attend the January exam session because of academic calendar clashes, it is your responsibility to check whether you can take an alternative assessment. Do not book your return flights until you have obtained permission from each subject that your modules are based in. Full year and semester two students are not offered alternative assessment, they must stay for the exams. This is non-negotiable.
Please take the time to read the SSIS Inbound Student Handbook before/on arrival. This Handbook covers topics such as mitigation, module selection and contact details.
For students arriving in 2019-20: Inbound Study Abroad Handbook 2019-20
For students currently studying at Exeter: Inbound Study Abroad Handbook 2018-19
Please note
The information on this page is intended to give you some guidance on how to request modules. However, please be aware that the availability and specifications of modules may be subject to change between now and the start of teaching. The timetable is not finalised until near the start of your semester, so it is not possible to confirm the exact timings of classes until then.
We do our very best to give you the modules you request, but we cannot guarantee them until you have arrived at Exeter. So if a module which you are planning to take is no longer available, or you have clashes on your timetable, don't worry! It is possible to change modules before and during the first two weeks of term. If you need to do this, you can come and speak to the relevant hub team for more information and we will try to help you.