Programs by Department

Departments in the College of Engineering offer a variety of faculty-led international opportunities for engineering students:

Aeropace and Ocean Engineering
Biological Systems Engineering
Chemical Engineering
Civil and Environmental Engineering
College of Engineering
Computer Science
Electrical and Computer Engineering
Engineering Science and Mechanics
Industrial and Systems Engineering
Mechanical Engineering
Mining and Minerals Engineering
Materials Science Engineering

Aerospace and Ocean Engineering

Semester at Hamburg University of Applied Sciences

Program: Courses in Aeronautical Engineering taught in English
Dates: March-July 2013
Recommended level: Undergraduate Standing: Junior or Senior
Prerequisites: Deformable Bodies, Statics. Minimum GPA 2.9
Cost:
Semester Contribution: 230 Euro
Health Insurance: 65 Euro/month
Housing: 265-365 Euro/month
Scholarships available
Application deadline: October 30, 2012
For more information: http://www.aoe.vt.edu/undergrad/study-abroad/gencontent/hamburg-univ-applied-science.html

Biological Systems Engineering

Europe Exchange Programs

Program: Academic exchange Athens, Greece; Dublin, Ireland; Bari, Italy; Madrid, Spain
Dates: Academic year or one semester
Credit hours: varies
Recommended level: rising Juniors
Cost: pay VT tuition; living expenses similar to Blacksburg
Application deadline: 6 months before the start of the target term
For more information: Dr. Mary Leigh Wolfe, mlwolfe@vt.edu

Water Resources Engineering and Watershed Management; Vitória, Brazil

Program: Faculty-led Summer II program at Federal Univ. of Espirito Santo and Federal Univ. of Santa Maria, Vitorio, Brazil. This program is taught in English and is a joint program with Brazilian engineering students combining course work and field trips
Dates: July 1-August 4, 2012 (tentative)
Credit hours: 6 credit hours in watershed modeling, and water resources engineering
Recommended level: rising Juniors or Seniors; CEE majors with appropriate backgrounds can also participate
Summer Session II study abroad program taught in English; 6 credit hours
Prerequisites: course in hydrology
Cost: $3200 plus tuition
Application deadline: December 1, 2012
For more information: Dr. Conrad Heatwole, heatwole@vt.edu

Brazil Semester Exchange Program

Program: Academic exchange wtih Federal Univ. of Espirito Santo and Federal Univ. of Santa Maria, both in Brazil
Dates: One semester, Term 1 (Jan.-July) or Term 2 (July-Dec.)
Credit hours: 12 credits minimum
Prerequisites: none
Cost: VT tuition; living expenses are cheaper than Blacksburg; visa; airfare ~ $1,500.
Application deadline: 6 months before the start of the target term
For more information: Dr. Conrad Heatwole, heatwole@vt.edu

Chemical Engineering

Summer unit operations lab at the Technical University of Denmark

Program: Exchange program designed for a 4000 level chemical engineering lab and easy transfer of credit
Dates: Summer 2013
Credits: Students receive transfer credit for the course (not a grade).
The transfer credit satisfies the 5 credit U.O. lab requirement for the B.S. degree in chemical engineering.
Level of student who can apply: Undergraduate Standing: Junior
Prerequisites: Given on ChemE check sheet
Cost: 3200 Euros
Application deadline: February 2013
For more information: Dr. John Walz

Prague, Czech Republic, Institute for Macro Molecular Chemistry

Graduate level studies learning new techniques in the lab
For more information: Dr. Eva Marand, emarand@vt.edu

Civil and Environmental Engineering

Punta Cana, Dominican Republic

Program: Water Management and Airport Transportation in the Dominican Republic.
Dates: Summer I study abroad program 2013
Credits: Six (6) credit hours available for undergraduate and graduate students
Estimated Cost: $2300 plus VT tuition and airfare
Application deadline: Accepting applications Oct. 1, 2011-Jan. 20, 2012. Early acceptances will be made by Nov. 1, 2011
For more information: Lindy Cranwell: lindycra@vt.edu or 540-231-7296

Tongji University, China

Program: study in China and Blacksburg
Dates: Summer
Credits: 3-6
For more information: Lindy Cranwell: lindycra@vt.edu or 540-231-7296

Riva San Vitale, Switzerland; Swiss Bridge Seminar **This trip is bi-annual and will be available next in Summer 2013.

Program: This program is a bi-annual 10-day trip arranged by CEE faculty. A group of students and faculty travel to Switzerland to visit bridges, construction sites, universities and research labs. Students will divide their lodging between the Virginia Tech Center for European Studies and Architecture and hotels while travelling around the country. Introductory courses taught in Blacksburg and more instruction occurs while in-country. Visits include ETH Zurich, Luzern and other destinations in Switzerland and Italy.
Dates: late May or June 2013
Credits: No credit offered; undergraduate and graduate students are welcome
Estimated cost: $2,800 plus airfare
For more information: Lindy Cranwell: lindycra@vt.edu or 540-231-7296

College of Engineering

Alexandria and Cairo, Egypt; Arab Academy of Science and Technology in Egypt **This program is on hold until Summer 2013. Check back for updates.

The program involves an intensive four-week, summer study in robotics at the Arab Academy of Science and Technology in Egypt (the site of Tech's graduate VT-MENA program). Students learn about both the fundamentals of robotic systems through developing a small robot and Egyptian culture at the Alexandria, Egypt campus.
For more information: Dr. Sedki Riad

Rising Sophomore Abroad Program (RSAP)

Program: Combines a semester-long course with a two week in-country experience. The class is designed to introduce students to global teaming and leadership in engineering. The course emphasizes the importance of achieving cultural competency as engineers, as well as the cultural, social and economic aspects of practicing engineering abroad.
Dates: May 19 - June 2, 2013
Credits: 3 credits
Elegibility: Prerequisite ENGE 1024, Co-requisite EGNE 1114 OR 1104
Cost: approx. $4,000 includes airfare, program fee, lodging, some meals, and in-country travel. Scholarships are available.
Application deadline: Oct. 1 2012
For more information: http://www.eng.vt.edu/international/rsap

Computer Science

VT-MENA, Cairo, Egypt

Arab Academy for Science and Technology
M.S. and PhD in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, and Electrical (Communication) Engineering
For more information: Dr. Sedki Riad, sriad@vt.edu or www.mena.eng.vt.edu/

Electrical and Computer Engineering

Shandon University, China

Program: Research experience
Dates: Summer
For more information: Dr. Rolf Mueller, rolf.mueller@vt.edu

University of Nottingham, United Kingdom

Program: Research Experience
Dates: Summer
For more information: Dr. Dushan Boroyevich, dushan@vt.edu

Nanjing University of Posts & Telecommunications, China

Program: Research Experience
Dates: Summer
For more information: Dr. Tom Hou, hou@vt.edu

VT-MENA, Cairo, Egypt

Arab Academy for Science and Technology
MS and PhD in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, and Electrical (Communication) Engineering
For more information: Dr. Sedki Riad, sriad@vt.edu or www.mena.eng.vt.edu/

Engineering Science and Mechanics

Milan, Italy; Politecnico di Milano

Dual degree programs available
For more information: Dr. Scott Case (scase@vt.edu), Dr. Muhammad R Hajj (mhajj@vt.edu)

Calcutta, India; Dual-degree program with Jadavpur University

Available to PhD students; requires thesis and two committees
For more information: Dr. Muhammad R Hajj (mhajj@vt.edu)

Thailand, King Mongkut University of Technology

Senior design project
Students from Thailand will spend the first 6 weeks (1st summer session, May 15 — June 30) at Virginia Tech.
Students from Virginia Tech will spend the second 6 weeks (2nd summer session, July 1 — August 15) at a host university in Thailand.
At Virginia Tech, all students will take “Globalization and Cross-Cultural Engineering” during the 1st summer session (May 15 — June 30).
In Thailand, all students will take “Probability-Based Engineering Analysis and Design” during the 2nd summer session (July 1 — August 15).
For more information: Dr. Surot Thangjitham (surot@vt.edu)

Industrial and Systems Engineering

Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Germany

Program: Study Engineering, Computer Science, Economics or Business in Germany. Pre-approved courses for ISE students with easy transfer credits.
Dates: Academic year Fall 2013-Spring 2014; Spring only is also an option but may limit course selection
Level of student who can apply: Targeted towards ISE students in their 3^rd year (or 4^th year on 5 year plan), but open to other students in Engineering, Computer Science, Economics or Business.
Prerequisites: Required completion of 2000 level German classes before departure.
Cost: VT Tuition, travel, housing and food. Scholarships are available
Application deadline: October 2, 2012
For more information: Dr. Chris Wernz (wernz@vt.edu)

Nantes, France; École des Mines de Nantes

Dual Masters degree program offered
Collaborative senior design projects available
For more information: Dr. Joel Nachlas (nachlas@vt.edu), or click here for program information and degree requirements.

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Engineering in Brazil
**This program is on hold until Summer 2013. Check back for updates.

Available to ISE, CEE and MSE students
Option 1: Students take Portuguese in the fall semester at VT and leave for Brazil the second week in January. Students live in Rio de Janeiro and study Portuguese daily until the Brazilian semester begins in March. In Rio de Janeiro this is their summer and Carnival time and student even get two weeks off during Carnival. Students will continue to study Portuguese during the Brazilian academic semester and will also take either Engineering or Business. Students have the option to take the Brazilian Government Language Certification exam to be certified as proficient in Portuguese by the Brazilian Government.
Option 2: Students take Portuguese in the spring semester at VT and leave for Brazil the second week in June. Students live in Rio de Janeiro and study Portuguese daily until the Brazilian semester begins in August. Studies in Portuguese continue and students also take either Engineering or Business courses. Unfortunately, the Brazilian Language Exam is only given in April.
What students have upon completion of the program:
- Engineering courses — You will receive credit toward your Engineering degree for engineering courses taken in Brazil.
- Business courses — Business courses may be applied toward satisfying non-engineer degree requirements. Consult with your academic advisor to verify transfer credits.
- Portuguese Language Certification — If you pass the Brazilian Government Language Exam then you will receive the Brazilian Government Portuguese Language Proficiency Certificate.
- The ability to travel and work in Brazil as a practicing engineer.
For more information: Dr. Vinod Lohani (vlohani@vt.edu)

Mechanical Engineering

Rising Sophomore Program at TU Darmstadt, Germany

Program: For students in ME and MSE, three-week course
Dates: June 9-29, 2012
Credit hours: 3 credits, ME students may count this course towards their ME technical electives list #2.
Level of student who can apply: Rising sophomores apply during freshman year. Space permitting, rising juniors may partictpate as well.
Cost: Students are responsible for their own VT tuition and fees for 3 credit hours, airfare, local transportation, housing and food. Local transportation, accommodations, breakfasts, entrance fees etc. will be approximately €583 (US$780).
Application deadline: apply via VT Education Abroad by April 27, 2012
For more information: Dr. Jan Helge Bøhn (bohn@vt.edu), http://www.tud.vt.edu/TUDsummer/

Senior Year at TU Darmstadt, Germany

Program: ME students can elect to complete their senior year at TUD.
Dates: Early-Fall session (September - October); German academic year (October - July)
Credit hours: A large number of ME technical and AREA 2, 3, and 7 electives at TUD have been pre-approved for transfer back to Virginia Tech.
Language: Courses are taught in German. Assuming no prior German language skills, students can start learning German as late as in the Spring semester of their junior year (6-credit intensive language courses: spring, summer I, summer II).
Eligibility: Students should have a GPA above 3.0 prior to leaving for Germany, either overall or in-major.
For more information: Dr. Jan Helge Bøhn (bohn@vt.edu), www.tud.vt.edu/

VT-TUD dual BSME degree program

Program: ME students can elect to complete their senior year at TUD. Upon successful completion the student will earn a VT BSME degree and a TUD BSME degree.
Dates: Early-Fall session (September - October); German academic year (October - July)
Credit hours: A large number of ME electives and required courses at TUD have been pre-approved for transfer back to Virginia Tech.
Language: Courses are taught in German. Assuming no prior German language skills, students can start learning German as late as in the Spring semester of their junior year (6-credit intensive language courses: spring, summer I, summer II).
Eligibility: Students should have a GPA above 3.0 prior to leaving for Germany, either overall or in-major.
For more information: Dr. Jan Helge Bøhn (bohn@vt.edu), www.tud.vt.edu/

Sophomore Fall Semester at University of Melbourne, Australia

Program: Students direct-enroll with U. Melbourne and take classes which count towards their VT BSME degree
Dates: Fall semester of the sophomore year
Credit hours: approved courses transfer to VT as PHYS 2306, ECE 3054, ME 2004, CLE Area 2. Students must individually complete the VT COE Transfer Credit Request form.
Level of student who can apply: apply during Freshman year.
Cost: Melbourne tuition
Application deadline: Direct-enroll with U. Melbourne according to their timeline
For more information: Dr. Jan Helge Bøhn (bohn@vt.edu), Program PDF

VT-TUD dual MSME degree program: This is a four-semester program: Three semesters of course work (45 semester credit hours) followed by a semester of graduate research (15 semester credit hours). This is a symmetric program, and each student gets to choose where to do Year 1 and Year 2. The coursework at TUD is in German while the exams are in English (oral exams). The thesis is written in English. Graduates of all university BSME degree programs may apply for admission.
For more information: Dr. Jan Helge Bøhn (bohn@vt.edu), or www.tud.vt.edu/

NSF REU: Automotive Technologies: The US National Science Foundation (NSF) is funding undergraduate research experiences at VT and TUD in the area of automotive technologies. This program is open to undergraduate engineering students from any university, though is restricted to US citizens, US permanent residents, and US nationals. German language skills are not required.

TUD Summer School: This a five-week summer language and culture program at TUD. It is open to all Virginia Tech undergraduate students. Mechanical Engineering students can participate in an optional two-week internship at TUD immediately following the five-week program

For more information: Dr. Jan Helge Bøhn (bohn@vt.edu), or www.tud.vt.edu/

Mining and Minerals Engineering

European Courses Overview

European Mining Course (EMC)

Program: One year in four countries. This program is split into four quarters which include course-work at each host university and field excursions to various mining, minerals processing or equipment manufacturing operations
Dates: One academic year, September 2013-April 2014
Locations: Helsinki University of Technology (Finland), University of Exeter (England), RWTH-Aachen (Germany), and the Technical University of Delft (The Netherlands).
Credit hours: 54 credit hours of course and field work, up to 18 of which may be transferred for credit toward BS requirements in MinE
Prerequisites: all first and second-year course-work required for the MinE curriculum; ESM 3024; MinE 3504, 3514, 3534, 3544. Participation during the fourth year of study in MinE is recommended
Cost: VT tuition and fees. Housing and transportation during the course are substantially subsidized by the Federation of European Minerals Programs (FEMP) however students may be required to pay some portion of these costs.
Eligibility: Students in academic good-standing and majoring in Mining and Minerals Engineering (MinE) are eligible to participate in the EMC. Students generally participate during their fourth year of study in MinE.
Application deadline: January 1, 2013
For more information: Dr. Emily Sarver esarver@vt.edu
European courses and MinE Equivalents

European Geotechnical and Environmental Course (EGEC)

Organized and conducted similarly to the EMC, but include different course topics provided by different universities (see below).
Host Universities: University of Exeter (England), Technical University of Delft (Holland), University of Miskolc (Hungary), and the University of Wroclaw (Poland).
Course topics (partial list): Geohydrology, geophysics, geotechnics, soil and rock modeling, underground excavation, environmental risk assessment, bioremediation,
recycling, underground waste management, reclamation modeling.
For more information: Dr. Emily Sarver esarver@vt.edu

European Minerals Engineering Course (EMEC)

Organized and conducted similarly to the EMC, but include different course topics provided by different universities (see below).
Host Universities: Helsinki University of Technology (Finland), University of Exeter (England), RWTH-Aachen (Germany), and the University of Wroclaw (Poland).
Course topics (partial list): Recycling, physical separations, process design and equipment selection, process automation, hydrometallurgy, pyrometallurgy, mineral economics, chemical engineering for minerals engineers.
For more information: Dr. Emily Sarver esarver@vt.edu

Materials Science Engineering

The MSE department currently has opportunities for students to participate in summer cultural exchange programs at two universities. For more information: Dr. Bob Hendricks robert.hendricks@vt.edu or http://www.mse.vt.edu/AcademicGroups/MSEInternationalPrograms/tabid/904/...

MSE Academic Advising: Michelle Czamanske, mczamans@mse.vt.edu

Tianjin University, China: School of Materials Science and Engineering

Summer 3 week cultural exchange program: no language requirement, 3 credits
Semester(s) abroad: language required, Jr. status or higher, receive academic credit & graduate on time

Tecnische Universität Darmstadt, Germany: Department of Materials and GeoSciences

Summer 3 week cultural exchange program: no language requirement, 3
credits
Semester(s) abroad: language required, Jr. status or higher, receive academic credit & graduate on time
International research experience program: 10 weeks, no language requirement, typically during summer, no academic credit, paid

A-Z Index:

International Programs - Faculty Designed Programs

Faculty Designed Programs (International Programs)