Engineering and Environment Study Abroad Guide Where do you want to go?
Thinking about studying abroad...? You can have the opportunity to live and study in a different country as part of any Engineering and Environment undergraduate course at Northumbria. This is your chance to get a global perspective on your subject, boost your career prospects and enjoy every minute of your degree. I would sum up my experience of studying and living abroad as life changing... I would highly recommend it to anyone as I firmly believe the opportunities in terms of a career after university have been significantly widened from this experience. It really is a once in the lifetime opportunity and the financial support available means it is an option for everyone. Sebastian Paul RMIT University, Australia 2 Student Placement Guide
Why study abroad? To expand your academic knowledge Explore your subject from new angles and gain greater clarity about your postgraduate plans. To enhance your career Use your global experiences to consider your future career, and give yourself an edge when applying for graduate jobs. Studying abroad provides an opportunity to expand one s field of view and helps one to understand and analyse problems and phenomena from a longer-term, worldwide perspective. Moreover, longterm experience in other cultures has a tendency to help one think objectively about oneself and one s home country, tolerate differences, and recognize and appreciate diversity. Sarah Han Department of International Cooperation at the Korean Council for University Education To acquire another language Develop oral skills to thrive socially in a foreign language and improve written language to succeed in a work environment. To develop your personal skills Organisational, time management, confidence and team working, to name a few. To experience learning in a different culture Apply your skills and experience to new situations and take greater responsibility for your own learning and development. To become truly independent Learn to cope and manage situations on your own. To broaden your horizons See the world, discover new foods and cultures, find new interests and make lifelong friends. To change the way you think Challenge the way you view all kinds of things which you d previously taken for granted. www.topuniversities.com/student-info/studying-abroad/studying-abroad-benefits For more information visit northumbria.ac.uk/ee 3
Making the decision There are many things to consider when you are deciding whether to study abroad. Take time to think carefully about the available exchange options, the individual institutions, and the courses you want to register for during your time abroad. Often a greater degree of independence is expected of students in other countries and this is something you need to think about. Classes may be large and anonymous and contact with teaching staff may be less than what is usual at institutions in this country. Alternatively, they may be smaller and have a more relaxed, informal teaching style. Think about what you hope to achieve during your time abroad and how this relates to your academic and personal development. Identifying priorities before making a decision is a key element in any planning process and will assist you in making the right decision for you. You may find it useful to ask yourself the following questions: Would I prefer to be in a large or small town? Will I be happy being the only Northumbria student at the institution? Do I enjoy a challenge? Am I able to adjust to situations outside my comfort zone? DENMARK THAILAND AUSTRALIA 4 Student Placement Guide
Costs to consider Before you decide whether to apply to study abroad, it is important to consider the costs involved. Costs will vary depending on what country you decide to go to but you will need to cover the following: visas, flights, accommodation, food and living costs, as well as any travelling you may wish to do after you finish studying. There are grants and loans available to help with studying abroad. For more information and details of the work and study grants available, go to northumbria.ac.uk/erasmus Preparing to go You will receive plenty of support from Northumbria in terms of preparing to leave the country. However, you need to be aware of the steps you ll need to take such as applying for visas, securing funding, booking flights, arranging insurance/healthcare cover and other additional things you may require depending on where you decide to go. All of this will take time, so you will need to be organised and plan what you need to do weeks, even months in advance of leaving the country. For more information visit northumbria.ac.uk/ee 5
How does it work? There are two options available when choosing to study abroad within the Faculty of Engineering and Environment. Option 1 International Academic Exchange (Year-long) Option 2 International Academic Exchange (Semester) and Professional Placement (Semester) Both options are taken after the first two years of study. Year 1 (Level 4) Year 2 (Level 5) Year 3 (Level 5) International Academic Exchange (Year-long) or International Academic Exchange (Semester) + Professional Placement (Semester) Year 4 (Level 6) 6 Student Placement Guide
International Academic Exchange (Year-long) This module provides you with the opportunity to study abroad for the whole academic year in the third year of your undergraduate degree. You may decide to study with one partner for the entire year, or it is possible to study with one partner in Semester 1 and another partner in Semester 2. International Academic Exchange (Semester) This module provides you with the opportunity to study abroad for one semester in the third year of your undergraduate degree. The module has been designed to allow you to have the option to study abroad for one semester and then opt for the Professional Placement for the remaining semester of your third year. You will need to study courses relevant to your degree, but there is the opportunity to expand knowledge by choosing modules you perhaps couldn t study here. Before making your choice you will receive support from your programme leaders and teaching team to ensure you select modules that will benefit your degree and enhance your experience. There is also potential to combine study at a partner institution with a shorter placement or some work-based learning, therefore gaining experience of working in a different country. Deciding to choose an academic year abroad as part of my sandwich degree provided me with the sense of adventure and independence that I will carry with me throughout my whole degree and beyond. Ashley Busby VIA University, Denmark For more information visit northumbria.ac.uk/ee 7
Where can you study? You can choose to study at the following partner institutions in Europe: Denmark VIA University College, Horsens France EIGSI, La Rochelle Engineering School Germany Hochschule Esslingen Germany Hochschule Heilbronn Lithuania Kaunas University of Technology Spain ICAI School of Engineering, Madrid Switzerland Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Zurich Turkey Istanbul Aydin University, Istanbul Turkey Mevlana University 8 Student Placement Guide
Or you can decide to go further afield and choose to study at the following: Australia Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) South Korea Konkuk University, Seoul South Korea Kyungpook National University, Daegu South Korea Chonnam National University, Gwangju Thailand APTU, Thammasat University Thailand SIIT, Thammasat University USA Frostburg State University For more information visit northumbria.ac.uk/ee 9
How to apply The application process is carried out through an online portal. You will need to register on this portal using your university email address. The Exchanges & Study Abroad team will be on hand to help guide you through the process and answer any questions you may have. GO! Erasmus in Denmark was a once in a lifetime opportunity that enabled me to study with multinational students from a diverse range of countries, learn about new cultures, develop transferable skills, travel all around Europe and most importantly make friends for life! Sam Todd VIA University, Denmark 10 Student Placement Guide
How far will your experience take you? Over 400 Northumbria students study abroad each academic year, dramatically increasing their employability prospects. Students return from their time abroad as more mature, focused individuals and evidence suggests that their renewed motivation helps them achieve better marks in their final degree. Research shows that studying and working abroad can have a positive impact on academic and career outcomes. Make the most of the opportunity travel, experience new things, make new friends. But remember to stay in touch to share your experiences with your supervisor at Northumbria, and of course your family and friends. For more information visit northumbria.ac.uk/ee 11
All cultures have a certain social identity with differing strengths; travel and embracing other cultures helps to build a greater character and social awareness which is difficult to build alone. Living and studying mathematics in South Korea has been a great experience of growth for me, one that I would wholeheartedly recommend. Imran Qureshi Konkuk University, South Korea For more information contact: Becky Thomson, Director for International Development and Recruitment, Engineering and Environment Tel: 0191 243 7933 Email: becky.thomson@northumbria.ac.uk or visit us! The Engineering and Environment Faculty Support Team are available for a chat in the Link Engagement Centre, D Block, Ellison Building or email: ee.collaborativeventures@ northumbria.ac.uk You can also email the Study Abroad Team: er.study-abroad@northumbria.ac.uk 374280SA/09/15