Foreign Study

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Engineering students may pursue a variety of study abroad programs through Dartmouth's Off-Campus Programs Office. Students interested in foreign study should contact Professor Erland Schulson, Chair of the Engineering Sciences Department.

Special Engineering Programs

Thayer School offers two exchange programs designed especially for Dartmouth engineering majors: one with Thailand's Chulalongkorn University (or 'Chula'), located in the center of Bangkok, and another with The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK).

Adobe PDF file icon Engineering programs slide presentation (PDF)

Grand Palace and Temple of the Emerald Buddha, BangkokGrand Palace and Temple of the Emerald Buddha, Bangkok

How it Works

Three students from Chula and Hong Kong exchange places with three students from Dartmouth (6 students total). The program is designed for third-year undergraduate students (juniors) from Dartmouth and for final year students from Chula and Hong Kong.

Language

All courses taken by exchange students at each institution will be taught in English. Dartmouth students will be introduced to the Thai and Chinese language prior to the exchange, and will have the opportunity to study Thai and Chinese, but knowledge of these languages is not required for participation in the program.

Finances and Housing

Participating students pay normal tuition to their home institution. Neither institution charges their exchange students for any tuition or application fees, but fees at the host institution may apply for administrative, housing, or student services related fees. Room, board, travel and insurance are the financial responsibility of the exchange student. As an official Dartmouth exchange program, any pre-existing scholarship aid continues during the exchange.  Financial aid is available for official exchange programs arranged through the College.  Students will receive no more scholarship assistance than they would have received for a term at Dartmouth.  Any extra costs associated with the program will be covered by additional loan assistance. If a student withdraws early, the withdrawal and refund policies of the student's home institution apply.

Travel arrangements are the responsibility of each exchange student.

The host institution will assume responsibility for facilitating housing, generally in an on-campus residential dormitory or in a nearby apartment, but the student is responsible for the housing costs.

Hong Kong campus
CUHK's campus

Student Life

Exchange students are given access to the full range of services normally available to foreign students regularly enrolled at the host institution. These include adequate orientation, an appointed qualified academic advisor, and access to library, computer, and recreational facilities.

Orientation sessions both at their home institutions, and upon arrival, will cover academic expectations, administrative and logistical details, health and safety issues, and cultural awareness.

Admission and Eligibility

These exchange programs are administered through the Off-Campus Programs Office at Dartmouth. Applications are from second-year students who wish to participate in their junior year. Senior year participation may be possible, but only with the approval of the Registrar and the Engineering Sciences Department (Chair: Professor Schulson). Selected students must be Engineering Sciences majors or modified majors by the time they enter the exchange program. Transfer students are not eligible. Applicants must have an overall grade point average of or equivalent to 3.0 or higher. Exceptions may be made only with the written consent of the host institution.

Dartmouth students must submit a student exchange application along with recommendations from two Dartmouth faculty members, one of whom must be a Thayer School faculty member.

Deadline

Applications for the 2012/2013 academic year are due at the Off-Campus Programs Office by February 1, 2012.

Thailand

About Chula

Chulalongkorn UniversityChulalongkorn ("Chula") University

Chula's 500-acre campus has over 19,000 undergraduate students and nearly 10,000 graduate students. Its "Faculty of Engineering" was founded in 1913 and is the oldest and arguably the most preeminent engineering school in Thailand. In 2004, The Faculty of Engineering established an English-language subsidiary—the International School of Engineering (ISE).

Program

There are currently about 200 students in each undergraduate class at ISE, and four specializations (or majors):

Chula is named in honor of King Chulalongkorn who was instrumental in the modernization of Thailand.

Dartmouth engineering majors at Chula enroll in at least four courses available to students of the Faculty of Engineering, but will concentrate on courses offered in ISE. Because Chula's ISE is on a semester system, the courses will extend beyond the length of a normal Dartmouth term. Coursework will be completed around the end of April with the remainder of Dartmouth's spring term available for internship or project opportunities.

All undergraduate students at Chula are required to purchase and wear a university uniform. For more on this requirement, see Chula's Office of International Affairs.

Foreign Study Thailand: Part One

Watch Foreign Study Thailand: Part Two

Hong Kong

On its 137-hectare campus overlooking Tolo Harbour, The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) has over 20,000 undergraduate and postgraduate students, of whom 3,000 come from regions outside Hong Kong.

Hong Kong campus

CUHK established a Faculty of Engineering in 1991. Departments include:

Exchange students typically enroll in four to five 3-unit courses per semester. Most 3-unit courses are composed of 3 hours of lecture or 2 hours of lecture and 1 hour of tutorial per week.

Adobe PDF file icon CUHK's Information Sheet 2012-13 (PDF)

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