About the Program
A signature program of the Honors College, Baylor in St Andrews offers academically motivated students from across Baylor's campus the opportunity to spend a semester studying at one of the world’s oldest and most prestigious universities while remaining closely connected to the Baylor community.
Set in a historic coastal town in Scotland, the University of St Andrews provides an extraordinary context for studying across the academic disciplines. Students take at least one Baylor faculty-taught course and complete the rest of their coursework with St Andrews faculty. This allows students to experience the British university system while remaining on track for their Baylor degree.
This program is especially well suited for students in the Honors College and in fields such as great texts, philosophy, religion, classics, history, psychology, art history, science, and medical humanities. However, more than 1,000 courses are available at St Andrews, so students in any major have extraordinary options. Indeed, in eight subjects St Andrews ranks first in the UK: Art History, Chemistry, English (joint top with Oxford), French, History, International Relations, Physics and Astronomy, and Social Anthropology.
Program Details
Term: Spring 2027 Semester
Program Dates: January 20, 2027 – May 30, 2027 (dates subject to change)
Location: St Andrews, Scotland
Faculty:
Melinda Nielsen, Associate Professor of Classical Literature, Great Texts Program
Key Dates:
TBA
Location and University
St Andrews, Scotland
St Andrews is a historic university town on Scotland’s Fife coast, home to medieval ruins, a dramatic seaside landscape, and one of the world’s most famous golf courses. For over a thousand years, it has been a center of religious, political, and intellectual life, shaped by bishops, kings, martyrs, saints, and scholars.
Landmarks such as St. Salvator’s Chapel, the cathedral ruins, and St. Andrews Castle define the town’s skyline and history. The town and its university are deeply significant to both Catholic and Protestant Christian traditions and remain an important site for theological and philosophical reflection.
Students also have easy access by train to Edinburgh, London, Cambridge, Oxford, Bath, Salisbury, and Stonehenge.
University of St Andrews
Founded in 1413, the University of St Andrews is the oldest university in Scotland and one of the most respected universities in the world. Despite its international reputation, it remains small and personal, offering students close faculty interaction and a strong sense of academic community.
Students live “in college” in historic residence halls, each with its own traditions and culture, and quickly become part of the university and town life.
Academic Experience
Students complete a full semester of coursework totaling a minimum of 13 Baylor credit hours through a combination of Baylor courses and St. Andrews modules.
Required Baylor Courses
Students take one of the following two courses taught by Baylor faculty:
GTX 2302 – Medieval Intellectual Traditions
Interdisciplinary close reading and discussion of major literary texts in relation to social, philosophical, and theological contexts of historic development in Western cultures from the medieval to the early modern period. Representative authors include Boethius, Benedict, Anselm, Aquinas, Dante, Catherine of Siena, Julian of Norwich, Chaucer, Machiavelli, Erasmus, Luther, and Shakespeare.
Fulfills a Literature in Context general education requirement for most students, and a requirement for all UNSC majors and Honors Program students.
BIC 4389 – Capstone - Special Topics: Great Texts in Fantasy
GTX 4V99 – Special Topics: Great Texts in Fantasy
Students also take:
GBL 1102 – Intercultural Competence Abroad (1 credit hour, online)
A required course for all Baylor students studying abroad.
University of St. Andrews Courses
Students also enroll in:
One 20-credit module (3 Baylor credit hours) taught by St Andrews faculty
One 30-credit module (6 Baylor credit hours) taught by St Andrews faculty
This combination allows students to experience the British academic system while earning Baylor credit. See available options here.
Scholarship and Application
Donated scholarship funds make this spring's program uniquely affordable, with housing, some meals, international medical insurance, and costs of planned excursions fully covered for students accepted to the program. Additional information and application procedures are available at BearsAbroad.
Only 20 spaces are available, so apply now! Don't miss this opportunity to broaden and deepen your education, see Baylor’s mission fulfilled through an incredible semester abroad, and enjoy an adventure that you will cherish the rest of your life.