A world of opportunity:
Internationalization at the U of S
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Engineering study-abroad offers students invaluable experience

By Curtis Berthelot
Asst. Prof. of Civil Engineering

Curtis Berthelot

The Engineering Summer Study Abroad Program is a cooperative initiative between the Colleges of Engineering at the University of Saskatchewan and Texas A&M University.  The program was initiated in 1998 with the objective to provide students with several benefits:

• Provide U of S engineering students with an opportunity to visit several engineering landmark sites in Europe that have had a significant influence on the engineering profession, many of which may not be well-documented in engineering history textbooks.

• Provide U of S engineering students with an opportunity to work closely with engineering students from the United States and Europe and obtain an appreciation for working with diverse cultures and backgrounds.
• Provide U of S engineering students with an opportunity to study under world-class instructors from the United States.
• Expose U of S engineering students to an integrated approach to understanding the influence that history, art, religion, politics, and science  has had on the evolution of the engineering profession, dating back to antiquity.
• Help U of S engineering students to actively participate in the global engineering profession and overcome reservations they may have in seeking professional opportunities from around the globe.  

The program is six weeks in duration and is based out of Sceaux, France.  While in Sceaux, students reside in an 18th-century chateau that is approximately 30 minutes south of Paris.

Paris, home of the Eiffel Tower, is the site of much of the Engineering students’ summer tour.

As part of the program itinerary, students are required to register for two courses that contribute to their U of S degree plan.  Students spend approximately half the program in formal classroom instruction and the other half on field trips throughout France.  Field trips are selected so as to be complementary to the classroom instruction and provide students with direct exposure to landmark engineering sites, as well as an opportunity to experience international cultures.  Field tours include:

• Three days within Paris (museums, art galleries, historical sites, and landmark structures).
• Five days to chateaus,  cathedrals, and civil structures of the Loire Valley.
• One week to the South of France, to landmark ancient Roman and Middle-Ages structures.
• Five free days for self-directed travel.

Program pre-trips are also offered to students who wish to augment their formal study abroad experience in France with a 10-day tour of engineering landmarks in Italy, Great Britain, or Germany/Switzerland.  The pre-trip does not include formal classroom course work, but students receive instruction about the engineering behind ancient structures and the engineering techniques that have been used dating back to antiquity.

Overall, students who have participated in the Engineering Summer Study Abroad Program have stated it is one of the best things they did during their engineering education and has changed their professional and personal development.  As well, students have commented that the study abroad experiences contributed significantly to their global vision and more thorough understanding of the role the engineering profession has had on our society and technological development throughout history.

For more information, please contact Dr. Curtis Berthelot of the Department of Civil Engineering, or the U of S International Office.

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