CourseShare FAQ for UMN Students

Do you want to learn a language the University of Minnesota doesn’t teach? 

The Big Ten Academic Alliance CourseShare program uses technology to receive less commonly taught language and culture courses with partner institutions when an equivalent course is not offered at the University of Minnesota. This means that University of Minnesota students can enroll in a variety of courses from other Big Ten universities.

All students enrolled in a degree-seeking program at the University of Minnesota are eligible. That includes undergraduate and graduate students.

See the class list, or look for the LANG subject on Schedule Builder.  Don’t see the language you’re interested in studying? Ask! We might be able to find an institution that is currently offering it.

The participating universities are:

  • University of Chicago
  • University of Illinois
  • Indiana University
  • University of Iowa
  • University of Maryland
  • University of Michigan
  • Michigan State University
  • University of Minnesota
  • University of Nebraska-Lincoln
  • Northwestern University
  • Ohio State University
  • Pennsylvania State University
  • Purdue University
  • Rutgers University
  • University of Wisconsin-Madison

 

You can complete the CLA language requirement by passing a fourth-semester language course worth at least four credits with a C- or better. Contact your advisor with any questions.

Students may register for already scheduled courses just like any other course under the LANG designator. If the course is not already scheduled, submit a course request or email elsie@umn.edu. Students are encouraged to register as early as possible. Please note that it is generally not possible to add these courses once they are already in session at the sending university, and that academic calendars vary. 

Most courses are remote, and you can connect from home. Some classes will require you to join in a scheduled room on campus for all or some of the sessions. See the course information for details. 

Generally not. Different universities have different academic schedules. Please note the “meeting dates” for the class in Schedule Builder. Please also expect some variation in academic breaks, holidays and final exam periods. In addition, many universities in the Big Ten are in the Eastern time zone, not the Central time zone. The scheduled time for LANG courses have been converted to Central time in Schedule Builder.

Contact elsie@umn.edu for information. The process varies by language.

Shortly the CourseShare course begins (based on the start date), registered students will receive an email from the sending university (often from the registrar's office) about the process for accessing course resources, including the course site. The sending university may use different technology tools than the University of Minnesota, or those tools may be configured differently. It is important to follow the instructions sent by the sending university. 

See CLA's Scholarships for Language Students for more information. View the full list of scholarships. Any that include "And more!" in the Language(s) column may be applicable to students enrolled in CourseShare courses. The FLAS Fellowship program is probably the most commonly used funding opportunity for CourseShare language courses. 

If you are a University of Minnesota student enrolled in a CourseShare course at another university and would like to explore using disability accommodations for your cours(es), please contact the Language Center at elsie@umn.edu.

If you are a student from another university who is taking a course at the University of Minnesota (UMN) through CourseShare and would like to explore using disability accommodations for your cours(es), please contact the UMN Disability Resource Center at drc@umn.edu.

CourseShare is intended for University of Minnesota undergraduate and graduate students in a degree-seeking program registering for course credit. Since these courses are remote, it may be possible for guest and non-degree students to enroll directly at the sending university, rather than through the CourseShare program. 

The TandemPlus program is open for all students, including those enrolled in CourseShare courses. It’s a great opportunity to practice the language you’re learning with native speakers and meet other students.

Jones Hall small rooms with conferencing equipment can be reserved by students for class meetings. Use the reservation form to get started.

The Multimedia Lab & Student Lounge is open for all language students and is one of the few labs on campus with headsets.