1. Getting started with international engineering

2. Introduction: University of Arkansas at Fayetteville

3. introduction: University of Arkansas at Fayetteville
R1, land grant: 27,000 students (5.4% international), around graduate students (17% international)
German program:
traditional literature canon based, with additional courses on topics such as professional German, film, migration and national identity, and graphic novels
MA and BA with average of 40 majors, 50 minors enrolled; 90% of majors have traditionally been double majors
staff: 3 tenured/tenure-track professors, one lecturer, 4 teaching assistants
Sources:

4. introduction: University of Arkansas at Fayetteville
Engineering
3300 undergraduates
Departments: Biological, Biomedical, Chemical, Civil, Computer Science, Electrical, Industrial, and Mechanical
International Engineering Program
Launched in 2015
5 year degree: students earn a BS in engineering and a BA in German
Source:

5. introduction: University of Arkansas at Fayetteville
International Engineering Program
Students spend their fourth year abroad: the fall semester at the Technische Universität Darmstadt, the spring semester working for a German company
First student is abroad right now (he was already taking German courses)
Students need at least elementary German knowledge (=2 years high school) to finish the degree on-time, but they can be caught up in summer courses
Currently 20 students enrolled; many more international and scholarship students have shown interest—the challenge is funding the fifth year

6. introduction: University of Arkansas at Fayetteville

7. internship placements via third party organizations

8. cultural vistas
Partner since 2001—U of A students have worked at BMW, a start-up in Berlin, an architecture firm, an airplane manufacturing firm, and a medieval hotel.
Internships can be for the summer or for a period of 3-12 months.
Start dates are flexible, which is important for students finishing the winter semester at Darmstadt.

10. cultural vistas Company provides our students:
Placement and support in Germany while students are abroad
A work visa
Help with the application, finding housing, adjusting to living in Germany.
They also offer a language course (a stipend is available) as well as health insurance for an additional fee.

11. cultural vistas What do students need? Work experience
Two years of coursework in their major field
Two years of German language study
Students need to be enrolled at a US institution, which means it can be accessed by our international students.
A completed application five months prior to beginning the internship

12. cultural vistas
Engineering internships are generally paid Euros per month. They do have a scholarship fund for unpaid internships; one of our international business students received 500 Euros a month.
We advise students to save between $ , more is better
Airfare (up to around $1500)
Program fee ($950, of which $75 is a non-refundable application fee)
Living expenses

13. cultural vistas
I assist students with their application and writing their German resume; some of them already have this because they have taken my Professional German class or attended the annual German Careers Meeting I hold each fall.
Engineering students can enroll in co-op hours, so they stay enrolled but are only charged $25 for tuition.
Upon their return, students can earn Credit by Exam credit for a German conversation course.

14. creating a direct exchange

15. creating a direct exchange
After attending a URI IEP colloquium, we were sure we wanted to work with a member of the TU9 Consortium, which includes the technical universities in Aachen, Berlin, Braunschweig, Darmstadt, Dresden, Hannover, Karlsruhe, Munich, and Stuttgart.
My colleague, Assistant Dean of Engineering Bryan Hill, reached out to partners at some of these institutions regarding a possible exchange.
In the summer of 2015, we ended up visiting the campuses of Aachen, Darmstadt, and Karlsruhe.
Benefit of an exchange: students swap places with students at the partner school, so study abroad theoretically does not cost more than regular tuition.

16. creating a direct exchange
Who should you bring? Our delegation included:
Two engineering college representatives.
One language faculty representative.
One study abroad office representative.
Who should be at the meeting?
Someone from their study abroad office.
A senior administrator.
As many interested faculty as possible.

17. creating a direct exchange
Questions you should ask:
Winter or summer semester?
Is there a dedicated staff member to assist international students?
Is there an orientation for international students? Are regular activities organized? Do they have native speaker partners?
How much language is required to take regular university courses? (Placement exam or admission exam?)
Is there a “boot camp” language course offered before the regular beginning of the semester?

18. creating a direct exchange
Can students take some courses in English? Can students take courses in any discipline?
How will students be housed? (Single rooms? Flats? With natives or other international students?)
How many units (student semesters) will be exchanged? Is there a possibility for future growth?
How are course equivalencies determined?
What other universities do they already have reciprocal arrangements with? Are they American universities?

19. creating a direct exchange
What percentage of their student body is international?
What is the cost of living like in the city? Will going out to eat be prohibitively expensive for an undergraduate?
Is the city itself apart from the university environs safe?
Your institution likely has a document entitled something along the lines of “Request to Propose Reciprocal Student Exchange Agreement form.” You should read over it far prior to departure to make sure you have all of the information needed to propose a formal agreement.

20. recruiting and marketing

21. recruiting and marketing
Get a website up and brochures created as soon as possible.
Make sure high school recruiters know about the program.
Content created by cross-college team.
Newswire / daily headlines distribution + local media outlets
Social media
Natural allies: high school language programs
Hold events on your campus: German STEM Immersion Day.
Go to schools in your community.
Hold Skype meetings with those that are too far away for site visits.
Public school administrators

22. recruiting and marketing
Parents—indirectly through brochures and directly through college campus visits
Be resourceful in seeking out new venues:
Incorporate IEP information into freshman orientation, preferably before courses are selected.
Create special flyers for engineers.
Speak to introductory engineering courses.
Speak to constituent groups on your own campus (all German courses, Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers, ADVISORS)
Start early: middle school recruitment (STEM fair, Green Team) in preparation for junior high language study.

24. Pre-program involvement

25. pre-program involvement
Students sign up via a WuFoo form.
Applications go to a colleague in Engineering and me.
Information required:
name, ID number, , classification, major/minor
previous German experience (High school? College? How much?)
explanation of why they want to enroll in the IEP (100 to 500 words)

27. pre-program involvement
I follow up with an to each student, requesting that they come by to meet me during office hours in the following week.
Development of checklist:
Sign up for additional degree in College of Arts and Humanities
How and when to begin application for Darmstadt / cost expectations
How and when to begin application for Cultural Vistas / cost expectations
Additional opportunities available with the DAAD (RISE, summer courses)
International Proficiency Certification (Goethe Institute Exams)
Honest conversation about work and costs required