Many engineers are concerned about the rigorous and strict course schedules at their home universities, and fear that studying abroad might not fit into the schedule. However, there are a number of options available that might allow you the flexibility to take exactly the courses you need abroad.

US Programs Partnering with Foreign Universities
Many US universities and program providers will partner with universities abroad in order to offer engineering courses at local universities. These programs allow you to engage in classes with local students in your host country while having a US based provider issuing transcripts. This can simplify the process of transferring credits back to your home institutions as well as allowing you to organize your program with an organization or institution based in the US. You can usually enhance your engineering studies with classes on the local language and culture, which also helps you immerse yourself in your new country.

One example of this type of program is the Institute for Study Abroad at Butler University, which partners with universities in over a dozen countries worldwide. By partnering with many different institutions, they are able to offer engineering students a wide variety of courses and locations in which to study abroad. You may be surprised to find the range of subjects within engineering that IFSA Butler and other similar programs are able to accommodate.

US Universities Abroad
Before you go looking for other program providers, you'll want to talk to your study abroad adviser to see if there are any programs offered through your school. For example, some schools that are very strict about their engineering curriculum will have their own programs with their own professors in a setting abroad. This allows you to encounter a new culture and possibly study a new language while also keeping up with your regular classes.

Direct Enrollment
If you're willing to do some extra leg-work in researching different universities on your own, you may discover that this is a way to find exactly the courses you need. Many universities will allow international students to enroll directly in courses for a semester or a year, enabling you to pick out a school that offers classes you can use to complete your degree requirements. You'll probably need to get a course catalog with very detailed descriptions and possibly even contact professors abroad or the international admissions office in order to verify that the courses will cover the topics you require for credit at home. Make sure to save class materials such as the syllabus to bring home with you to verify the subject matter.

Summer or Short-Term Study
While the number of options are certainly increasing for engineering students, if you really cannot fit a semester or year abroad into your necessary graduation requirements, consider studying abroad during a break, particularly during the summer when you would have several months available.

Many excellent programs such as those described above might allow you to pick up additional credits during the summer. You might also find a variety of international research or internship opportunities available. For example, you could go to Germany and participate in the Research Internships in Science and Engineering (RISE) program. This program allows undergraduates studying engineering to spend a summer working with German doctoral students on serious research projects. RISE participants even receive housing assistance and a stipend for living expenses. This is just one example of the excellent opportunities available that will help you to experience engineering in a global setting and to expand your horizons culturally in addition to developing relevant skills related to your engineering major.

Transferring Credits
No matter which options you pursue, it is important to seek approval for credit transfers before committing to studying abroad. A number of options exist, but you'll need to talk to your study abroad adviser and possibly your academic adviser and registrar as well to make sure all the correct paperwork is completed and that you have permission to transfer credits that will apply to your major. Studying abroad is an incredible experience and can be especially beneficial to engineers, as we explored last month in our "Why Engineering Abroad?" article. Just make sure that you can still graduate on time by verifying you'll be able to transfer all necessary credits!

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