Study Abroad Program: Engineered for the SEC
When you hear “study abroad,” what comes to mind? Foreign languages? Unusual foods? Taking a big step outside your comfort zone?
Regardless, it’s a few weeks, months or longer spent making memories and developing skills that last a lifetime.
You might be surprised to hear that in the SEC, there’s a unique study abroad program that goes beyond making memories and studying foreign affairs or art history. It’s called the SEC Engineering Exchange Program, and It Just Means More of our students are broadening their horizons on an international level.
In its 10th year, the SEC Engineering Exchange Program offers SEC students the opportunity to spend their spring semester in Italy at the Politecnico di Torino in Italy. But, before our students make their way to Europe, Italian engineering students travel to America in the fall to continue their education in engineering — and learn that It Just Means More to study at an SEC university.
Originally, the exchange program began with a focus on mechanical engineering, but now it includes computer and electrical, too. And approximately 130 SEC students have participated.
According to La Stampa Torino, the local newspaper in Torino, Italy, European institutions tend to focus instruction on theory, while American professors spend more time on practical teaching methods. This means SEC students studying in Torino benefit from theoretical teaching methods, while Italian students experience more laboratory training. So, not only do students experience a different culture, they’re also exposed to a different way of learning.
Andrew McArthur, a former mechanical engineering student at the University of Arkansas, was interested in the program as soon as he heard about it. “The University of Arkansas does a great job of exposing students to opportunities abroad. I heard about the program and all its benefits for those in my major and I was hooked,” he shares. “Combine that with the fact that it’s in an amazing city and country, there was no way I was going to pass on this opportunity.”
When asked what he wanted to accomplish during his time in Italy, McArthur’s answer was academia focused: “I hope to become a student, who when tossed into a daunting class, can adapt and overcome the challenges of that class. I want to be able to use my knowledge of the Italian course structure to help in my upper-level classes that might have fewer required assignments. I would also like to say that I achieved success through hard work and flexibility at one of Europe’s engineering hubs.”
The SEC Engineering Exchange Program is currently available to students at the following universities: Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Georgia, LSU, Mississippi State, Tennessee, and Vanderbilt, but additional SEC universities may join at any time.
For students who are interested in studying abroad but maybe not in engineering, the SEC also has a Cooperative Education Abroad Agreement. This is a separate program that allows students from all SEC universities access to study abroad programs offered at other SEC universities. And, bonus: Students may not have to pay out-of-state tuition.
While students taking advantage of the cooperative agreement are taking classes in the countries they’ve maybe only dreamed about, they may also be simultaneously checking items off their bucket lists. Each year, they travel beyond Italy, visiting places like Belgium, France, Germany, Norway, China, and England.
Bradley Burroughs, a communication major who graduated from Auburn University, is an example of a student who always wanted to visit another place. “My biggest piece of advice would be to research your city as much as possible before going,” he explained. “The weekend trips to Madrid and Barcelona were fantastic, but I think my most memorable moment was the weekend our program went to San Sebastian, a beach in the north of Spain. We got to be together and not worry about class or academic tours.”
Whether you’re looking to become an engineer or simply looking for a one-of-a-kind opportunity to travel the world and discover a new way of learning, the SEC gives its students ample opportunity. Because of that, It Just Means More SEC students are getting first-hand experience with different cultures and instructional styles that will stick with them forever.
