The College of Engineering encourages its students to study abroad through the UC Education Abroad Program (UCEAP or EAP).
In our globalized world, engineering programs are becoming increasingly international, and in the course of their careers, many engineers will find themselves working abroad or collaborating with engineers from around the world. Many engineering firms are multinational in character, and engineers with cross-cultural skills will be increasingly in demand in the workforce. EAP provides an opportunity for getting a jump on your career. Some students spend just a summer abroad while many others go for the entire year.
Getting Started
We strongly recommend you consider this question, as the answer will impact how you search for programs:
What is most important to you about the study abroad experience?
- Going to a particular country
- Going during a specific term (fall, year, summer)
- Taking courses in your major
- Learning/improving language skills
Based on your priorities, this may lead you to a particular destination or term abroad.
Important Notes
- Majors with required capstone cannot go abroad in their senior year.
- Student must meet with the engineering EAP advisor on selection of coursework to be completed abroad and obtain pre-approval of courses to ensure courses taken abroad will be applied toward degree requirements.
- Students must check with EAP to make sure that the identified major substitutes are open to visiting students.
- Not all countries offer engineering curriculum that matches the COE curriculum in the same order that we teach.
- Most Computer Science and Engineering courses in Brazil, Chile, France, Germany, & Japan are not taught in English.
- Summer programs generally offer GE, language acquisition courses, research, or internship opportunities. Very few COE courses offered in summer.
Process/Timeline
Students who are interested in studying abroad should schedule an advising appointment as soon as possible. In general, the process starts a year prior to your intended departure.
Timeline for fall quarter abroad:
- October: schedule an appointment with COE Study Abroad Advisor Frances
- November: prepare courses for UCSB faculty review. All major courses must be reviewed prior to departure.
- December break: work on your EAP application, noting all EAP application deadlines.
- January: most application deadlines. Check UCSB EAP page for deadlines.
Timeline for spring semester abroad:
- February: schedule an appointment with COE Study Abroad Advisor Frances.
- March: prepare courses for UCSB faculty review. All major courses must be reviewed prior to departure
- April: work on your EAP application, noting all EAP application deadlines.
- Early May: all application deadlines. Check UCSB EAP page for deadlines
Major Specific Information
Looking for how to get started searching for programs? Looking for another destination? Click here to watch an introduction to looking for programs.
Destinations listed are destinations frequently chosen by UCSB Engineers. Other countries very likely may be possible! Meet with the COE study abroad advisor to discuss. We're always looking to discover new options.
Mechanical Engineering
Quarter usually abroadfall of 3rd year
Previous locations with junior curriculum in English:
- Melbourne, Australia
- Hong Kong
- Bologna, Italy
- Auckland, New Zealand
- Edinburgh, Scotland
- Cape Town, South Africa
Resources
UCSB EAP: for application due dates and procedures, financial aid & scholarship info, and general study abroad advising.
Hear from previous UCSB Engineers who have studied abroad
UC EAP website: for program searches and options.
List of the United Kingdom campuses that offer Engineering disciplines
Gaucho Credit Abroad: how previous UCSB students have applied credit.
UC EAP course finder: what previous UC students (not just UCSB) have taken.
To book an appointment with the COE study abroad advisor Frances: https://shoreline.ucsb.edu/meetings/1336990/coefrances
EAP Course Assessment Template (xlsx): Used to propose courses for substitutes in the major, to be filled out after meeting with the COE study abroad advisor.
Sample EAP Course Assessment (PDF): Please review prior to filling out & submitting your own course assessment for review.
Need some help navigating how to look for courses abroad? Check out this quick overview video.
Questions
To find out more about EAP for engineering students, go to the EAP website or email your questions to: francesf@ucsb.edu.
I've gone abroad, now what?
Your grades will take several weeks, even months to be converted to UCSB credit. You'll see them first in your EAP portal but cannot petition to apply them to requirements until you see the courses and grades in GOLD. Watch this short video on what to expect and what to do next.
To apply courses to your major requirements: contact your major advisor
To apply courses to GE: use the following form to make your request and submit via email to francesf@ucsb.edu: https://engineering.ucsb.edu/sites/engineering.ucsb.edu/files/docs/gradmatters.pdf
