Study Abroad Programs University of Kentucky College of Engineering Ilka M. Balk Director of Engineering Career Development and Int’l Programs ilka.balk@uky.edu; 859-257-4178

University of Kentucky College of Engineering 9 Undergraduate Majors Biosystems Engineering Electrical Engineering Chemical Engineering Materials Engineering Civil Engineering Mechanical Engineering Computer Engineering Mining Engineering Computer Science Minor Only: Biomedical Engineering

UK College of Engineering Study Abroad Programs Renewable Energy Program in Pamplona/Spain: 4 weeks (without language component or 6 weeks (with language component) Home Stay OR Apartment Stay Local instructors and coordinators Global Energy Issues in Karlsruhe/Germany 6 weeks, classes only take place 2x/week. Online assignments Up to 10 German students (from KIT) and 10 Univ. of Kentucky students German students come to UK in the fall for a research experience Calculus in Germany 5 weeks, classes 4 days/week, up to 24 students Company visits one day a week Home stay

UK College of Engineering Long-Term Study Abroad Programs Karlsruhe Institute of Technology – Semester-Long Exchange Mainly Mechanical and Materials, but Computer Science and Electrical Eng students have also participated Students continue to pay Univ. of Kentucky tuition, Scholarships are applied Equivalencies are evaluated by the respective departments at UK Students have to have knowledge of German in order to take a full course load In 9 years, we have sent 9 students Nagoya (Japan): Semester or yearlong exchange CS, ME students must have knowledge of Japanese in order to take courses

UK College of Engineering Long-Term Study Abroad Programs Study Abroad program with INTI College, Malaysia Part of a 3+2 program, thus many lower division courses transfer (all engineering disciplines) Not an exchange program Students pay local tuition only – about 1/3 of the price of UK tuition All scholarships transfer Consortia: ISEP and others Multilateral exchanges - UK student can go to any of 100+ destinations, and UK takes one student for each student we send from any partner institution Some of these destinations are more popular and thus oversubscribed than others (esp. those in English speaking countries) Burden is on the student to ensure courses are counted at UK

Long Term Study Abroad Programs

Issues and Concerns All study abroad programs are very labor intensive: Students need to be recruited (successful, long standing programs will promote themselves through past participants Sustainability and continuity are becoming an issue Long term programs relay on partnerships, so it is critical to develop relations with faculty and administrators abroad. Cost is a factor for many: For Summer programs, semester scholarships often don’t apply For semester long programs, students who don’t speak native language often can’t take a full course load - amount of classes taken for the price of full semester tuition doesn’t appear to be a “good deal”

Issues and Concerns for Long-Term Study Abroad Students are likely not going to be in a larger cohort (as they would be in short term programs) Preparation for the experience must be better (not only language, but culture and customs) – Set realistic expectations If things don’t go well, there may not be a program director who is available at a moments’ notice Students often are very concerned with academics before they depart, but while abroad, academics lose importance: they need to be reminded and encouraged to stick with courses Transfer Credit: Inconsistencies among different departments in willingness to accept transfer credits

Experience Before Graduation UK College of Engineering (AY’15-’16)