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.
To acquire another language – Develop
“
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
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.
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?
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.
DE
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4
Student Placement Guide
TR
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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)
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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
8
Student Placement Guide
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
Or you can decide to go further afield and choose to study at the following:
Australia
Royal Melbourne Institute of
Technology (RMIT)
South Korea
Kyungpook National
University, Daegu
South Korea
Konkuk University, Seoul
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: [email protected]
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:
[email protected]
374280SA/09/15