Pick Your Program!
Students can study abroad for varying lengths of time. Some programs are designed for groups, while other programs may be a more independent experience. During the program search, it is important to consider academics, personal goals, program costs, and attitudes toward diverse populations.
Programs by Major:
- Aerospace Engineering
- Architectural Engineering
- Biomedical Engineering
- Biological Engineering
- Chemical Engineering
- Civil Engineering
- Computer Engineering, Computer Science, and Data Sciences
- Electrical Engineering
- Engineering Science
- Industrial Engineering
- Mechanical Engineering
- Nuclear Engineering
Programs by Country:
- Chile
- China
- Denmark
- England
- France
- Germany
- Ireland
- Israel
- Italy
- Japan
- Korea
- Malaysia
- Netherlands
- New Zealand
- Singapore
- South Africa
- Spain
- Sweden
- Switzerland
First-Year Programs:
Program opportunities for first-year students to Study Abroad!
There are dozens of programs where you can study abroad and stay on track. Here are just a few featured programs that you can do in your first year as a Penn State engineer.
Summer
Como, Italy: Cross-Cultural Engagement
Participants of this program will learn how to deliver effective technical presentations in a European setting and be introduced to the Italian language and culture. Students will stay in Como near the foot of the Alps in Italy’s stunning Lake District near the Swiss border. This program may include explorations of nearby villages and cities where participants will learn about local economies, typical products, customs, history, and traditions, which will serve as a foundation for developing technical and intercultural communication skills.
Learn more »
DIS: Summer in Scandinavia
This is a direct enrollment program where students choose between 3-9 credits of general education requirements particularly fulfilling interdomain/integrative studies courses. Students can choose to take courses in Denmark or Stockholm during this experience.
Learn more »
Fall
Hannover, Germany
ENGR 199: First-Year Engagement Seminar
Travel: Fall break
ENGR 199 helps facilitate students’ adjustment to the high expectations, demanding workload, increased academic liberties, and other aspects of the transition to college life and introduces them to their responsibilities as members of both the College of Engineering and the University community. This First-Year Engagement Program is designed to introduce global competencies needed for today’s engineers, introduce student resources available at Penn State, and enhance global engagement with embedded travel to Hannover, Germany during fall break. While abroad, students will engage with faculty and undergraduate students at Leibniz Universität Hannover, visit industry partners, and tour cultural sites.
This course satisfies the University’s IL and FYS.
Oaxaca, Mexico
SUST 150N: The Science of Sustainable Development
Travel: Fall break
This embedded course takes students to Oaxaca, Mexico earning 3 credits of an interdomain GenEd (GN & GS). This course is open to students from any major and any campus with travel over spring break to complete SUST150N: The Science of Sustainable Development. Oaxaca is a Cultural Center where students will experience:
- An Organic Farm and other Ecological Sites
- The Monte Alban Archaeological Site
- A Mexican Cooking Class
- Survival Spanish Training
- Other Programmed Studies and Cultural Activities
For more information contact, Dr. Eric Lipsky at eml13@psu.edu.
Apply by August 15
University of Virginia, Valencia Spain
Students who choose this program can complete several of the required entrance to major courses such as Math 250, EMCH 211, PSY 212, STAT 318, and CMSPC 360. Students will directly enroll in this program and take courses in English alongside local students and other international students. All courses are taught in English, by Spanish faculty to engage students in a cross-cultural and once-in-a-lifetime international experience.
Learn more »
Spring
Santiago, Chile
STS 245N: Globalization, Technology, and Ethics
Travel: Spring break
This spring embedded course prepares students (especially but not limited to engineering, information sciences & technology, and business students) who are headed into the corporate, NGO (non-profit), or government sectors for the challenges and realities of working in a rapidly globalizing world. This course will encourage students to become leaders in a mobile and diverse transnational workplace and help them to become critical citizens of that world. Through team-centered projects and readings from the social sciences and humanities, students will broaden their understanding of engineering, technology, and culture and then be introduced to how one makes ethical decisions about that world. This course is designed to provide skills, theories, and a global experience that will help them develop global competencies for successfully working with technology in multiple cultures and contexts. Enrollment preference is given to first- and second-year students in the College of Engineering.
This Interdomain course satisfies IL, GH, and GS.
For more information, contact Dr. Angela Rothrock, arb184@psu.edu.
Apply by December 1.
