Advising Services
- Engineering Students
- Transfer Students
- Video Resources
Engineering: There are engineering students who want a study abroad experience that focuses on engineering, or that can offer engineering coursework.
Gen. Eds: There are other engineering students who would rather take General Education (GE) requirements abroad and keep the engineering work back at UCSD.
Both: And there are still others who look to do a mixture of engineering and GEs.
How will you study abroad?
Tip: Want to study abroad sooner - and in summer while taking G.E.'s? Consider UC San Diego's Global Seminars - a great option for engineering students who want to satisfy G.E.s and other UCSD-specific requirements (like the DEI requirement). Open to students as early as the summer after their first year.
Summer: Summer is the most popular time for engineering students to study abroad. The upside to summer = it will not interfere with engineering course planning during the year. The downside = summer tends to be shorter in duration and options may be more limited for engineering-focused programs.
Fall: A Fall program option is second to summer in popularity. That's because many universities around the world work on the semester system, meaning that usually Fall Semester = end of our summer + Fall Quarter. Spring Semester = Winter Quarter + Spring Quarter. While there are exceptions to this rule, Fall usually means being away one quarter while Spring covers two.
Mid-Point: Many engineering students study abroad during their third (Junior) year, though others may go as early as their first summer or during their second year, and as late as their final Quarter or Summer.
FOMO: Many Seniors in engineering may find it harder to choose between study abroad and the prospect of a paid internship back home, so try to plan your timing early enough to maximize all of your opportunities!
Technical electives: Students wanting to study abroad in Engineering may wish to seek courses that can satisfy their Electives (Technical, Breadth, etc.). These may be a bit easier to find, and allow for students to potentially study an engineering concept/course unique to the study abroad location. Provide course descriptions: courses must have enough detail to allow for your engineering advisor to properly assess.
Major-specific courses: Students also seek out specific courses, which may require a greater degree of flexibility when it comes to location choice. Provide course descriptions: courses must have enough detail to allow for your engineering advisor to properly assess.
General Education and other courses: Students may choose to take courses for their GEs, or their second major, a minor, etc. Provide course descriptions: courses must have enough detail to allow for your College advisor, 2nd major advisor, minor advisor, etc. to properly assess.
Courses in English*: When researching courses, make sure that they are taught in English... *Unless of course you are looking to study abroad in another language!
Get advised: Always be sure to discuss courses you intend to take abroad with your engineering advisor!
Search By Department or College (link below): Look up programs that were previously attended by students in your engineering major. (Note: some of the listed programs may not be engineering-focused programs, but rather G.E.-focused programs that engineering students took abroad.)
Campus Credit Database (link below): UCEAP's database of courses taken by UCSD students participating on UCEAP, and how those courses have been applied back to UC San Diego's academic departments and colleges.
UCEAP Course Catalog: (link below): UCEAP's database of courses taken by all UC students participating on UCEAP.
Use the UCEAP Academics Tab: To find ALL available courses on any UCEAP program, check out the Academics Tab. On UCEAP's website, each program is listed with a series of tabs. The Academics tab contains important credit and course information, including links to all available courses, often found through the host partner's university website.
BioEng Majors: Bioengineering Study Abroad page.
CSE Majors: CSE Study Abroad page (including list of previous courses).
ECE Majors: ECE Study Abroad page (including list of previous courses).
MAE Majors: MAE Study Abroad Page (including list of previous courses).
Nano Majors: NanoEngineering Study Abroad page.
Your engineering advisors at Jacobs School of Engineering must approve any engineering coursework that you take abroad. (Your College’s advisors must approve any General Education courses you take abroad.) To prepare for your advising appointment with your engineering advisor, be sure to do the following:
UCEAP has some great options for Summer: Programs in Engineering, open to Sophomores+, and taught in English!
Secure course approval: While UCEAP awards UC credit automatically, you must still gain approval from your engineering department and college for any UCEAP courses to count for major or GE requirements.
Utilize financial aid & scholarships: UC-based financial aid may be applied towards UCEAP, and UCEAP offers scholarships targeting STEM students.
Meet eligibility requirements: For most engineering-focused programs, the eligibility requirements typically involve class level and GPA. (Note: Requirements vary by program.) Some programs carry a language requirement, though most engineering-focused programs tend to be in English.
Confirm program dates: Take note of when the program begins and when it ends, and ensure that it does not overlap with any of your other commitments.
Use the Academics tab: On each UCEAP program page, you can find out how many courses you will need to take, how many credits you will earn, where you can find links to courses, etc. via the Academics tab.
Apply by the deadline: Click here for deadline information. If a deadline has passed, reach out to Study Abroad to see if a late application might be possible.
UCEAP Research opportunities: UCEAP offers hands-on research and lab experiences. Note: some of these programs are very popular and may have limited space. For more information on UCEAP Research opportunities: Click here.
UCEAP's Frequently Asked Questions: All of your UCEAP questions answered via our UCEAP FAQ page.
Seoul's prestigious private research university. A very popular program among UCSD Tritons.
Engineering and Science at Tohoku. STEM Research in Osaka. STEM Research in Tokyo. Your opportunity to engage in engineering research in Japan!
A high-level STEM internship at Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD). Focus on Singapore's innovative entrepreneurship atmosphere.
The HKUST experience offers quality engineering coursework in English. Engineering majors will find value in HKUST's interdisciplinary programs offering coursework across disciplines and departments.
National Taiwan University (NTU) is a leading research center and Taiwan’s top university. Offering a wide range of subjects, with engineering departments having strong course offerings in English.
Excellent Engineering course options. Courses taught in English. Access to Copenhagen and the rest of Europe. A blend of modern style and ancient heritage.
Several U.K. universities to choose from. Excellent Engineering options. A full British immersion experience.
Several Irish universities to choose from. Excellent Engineering options. A full Irish immersion experience.
A unique bilingual experience at Carlos III University of Madrid. English course offerings in the areas of Engineering.
Take Engineering and French at a beautiful university in the heart of southern Europe. The languages of instruction are English and French. French language study is required.
YEARLONG PROGRAM. Imperial College is a world-renowned STEM institution. Open only to Engineering, Computer Science, and Earth Science majors. Must study abroad for a year.
An excellent Australian university in Melbourne offering courses in engineering. Attend courses with Australian students in an immersive experience down under.
University of Canterbury has strong programs in STEM areas, such computer science and civil engineering. It's wide range of courses makes it ideal for any major, especially if you are interested in science.
Spend the summer as an engineering or computer science intern. Placements are in large and small companies in a variety of both computer science and engineering fields. Program through UC Davis.
Non-UC based programs. Earn Transfer units to apply toward your academic requirements. Wide choice of options and price points.
UC San Diego's bilateral partnership programs. Pay UC San Diego fees while studying abroad at a foreign institution.
An IDEA Center WISE Session. How to Study Abroad as an Engineering Student at UC San Diego.