There are many opportunities for BCT students to spend a semester away from UMass – either elsewhere in the country or abroad. These opportunities provide our students with tremendous experiences for their personal life and career. The links below are good places to start your planning.
Domestic Exchange Program
You can spend a semester or a year at one of over 180 participating colleges and universities across the country. It is an educational opportunity you don’t want to miss! Follow this link for more information:
International Exchanges (via UMass’ International Programs Office)
The UMass IPO has various programs and provides assistance in getting documentation and setting up your semester abroad. Deadlines to apply for spring study abroad are usually early to mid-October. For fall study abroad, deadlines start in March but go as late as June.
Students can start the process by doing the following:
- Check with your advisor in BCT and find out which semester will work best for your studies abroad. Spring of sophomore or junior years are usually good times.
- Explore destination options on the IPO Education Abroad website.
- Explore course options. The Database for International Course Equivalencies (DICE) lists more than 150 BCT and other courses that have been approved as matches to UMass coursework at institutions overseas (look for the “BCT” tab in the spreadsheet). This tool can help you in selecting a study abroad program.
- For courses that are listed in DICE, fill out the International Course Approval Form (ICAF) and email it to IPO. Those course equivalencies do not need to be approved by your advisor.
There are lots of different programs available and it is a good idea to talk to IPO as a first step. Below are some specific universities that offer courses relevant to BCT (some of which are listed in the DICE database):
- Deakin University, Melbourne and Geelong, Australia
- DIS Copenhagen, Denmark
- Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh, Scotland
- Heriot-Watt University, Malaysia
- Napier University, Edinburgh, Scotland
- University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia
- And others…
Financial Aid
Information about financial aid for studying abroad can be found here.
Other Programs and Resources
- Yestermorrow – Sustainable Design-Build Semester Program – This is a full-immersion, credit-bearing semester in green building and design offered in Vermont. You can receive a Minor in Architecture for attending a semester.
- We have good connections to the University of Innsbruck, Austria (wood structures, passive house). Research-placement funding may be available at: www.marshallplan.at
- For exchanges with German universities, there are various grants available here: www.daad.org/scholarship
- The GREEN program
- The CELL program
Past students in the BCT Program have gone to…
(click the pins to see what they thought of the experience)