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Foreign Study

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 Program

Thayer School offers an exchange program designed especially for Dartmouth engineering majors with Thailand's Chulalongkorn University (or 'Chula'), located in the center of Bangkok.

Grand Palace and Temple of the Emerald Buddha, Bangkok

About Chula

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.

How it Works

Two to three students from Chula enroll in fall term at Dartmouth and a like number of Dartmouth students spend spring semester at Chula. The program is designed for third-year undergraduate students (juniors) from Dartmouth and for fourth-year students (seniors) from Chula.

Language

Although classes at Chula are mostly taught in the Thai language, The Faculty of Engineering established an English-language subsidiary—the International School of Engineering (ISE)—in 2004. All courses taken by exchange students at each institution will be taught in English. Dartmouth students will be introduced to the Thai language prior to the exchange, and may have the opportunity to study Thai while at Chula, but knowledge of Thai is not required for participation in the program.

Chulalongkorn ("Chula") University

Program

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

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 the spring term available for internship or project opportunities.

Finances and Housing

Participating students pay normal tuition and fees to their home institution. Neither institution charges their exchange students for any tuition or application fees. If a student withdraws early, the withdrawal and refund policies of the student's home institution apply. As an official Dartmouth exchange program, any pre-existing scholarship aid continues during the exchange.

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, but the student is responsible for the housing costs.

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

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.

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.

Admission and Eligibility

This exchange program is 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 is also possible with the approval of the Registrar and the Engineering Sciences Department (Chair: Prof. 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 academic year 2010/2011 are due at the Off-Campus Programs Office by February 1, 2010.

For More Information

... contact Professor Francis Kennedy. Professor Kennedy oversees the program and will be at Chula during the exchange to provide advice and assistance.