Photo by Kelsey Knight on Unsplash
Overview
Engineering Science at the University of Toronto is a world-class program. And that’s saying a lot: the world is a big place! It’s almost too bad that you have to pick just one place in the world to study. But what if you didn’t have to?
The University of Toronto’s Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering is incredibly excited about offering students opportunities to study and research abroad, with a number of different programs, destinations, and time spans available. In fact, the Dean of Engineering, Chris Yip, has recently been moving towards creating global opportunities for all U of T engineers. His eventual goal is to have every single U of T Engineering student participate in a study abroad opportunity before graduation. “It really is about building a global community and experience for everyone,” says Dean Yip. In fact, in 2018, U of T received $1.4 million in funding, to be allocated over three years, to provide international opportunities to students. There has never been a better time to become a global student than now.
But what is the advantage of studying or working abroad? The first and most obvious is that it’s just a cool thing to do. Traveling abroad will broaden your horizons and give you different perspectives from around the world. It will almost certainly be out of your comfort zone – and that’s great! Being out of your comfort zone is the only real way to create meaningful change in yourself. Most students don’t have the same perspective, or view their education the same way, after coming back from studying abroad.
Moreover, studying abroad will allow you to gain some global competence – the ability to appreciate and understand different global perspectives and cultural diversity in a way others cannot.
Finally, as globalization increases around the world, having some worldly experience is advantageous professionally. If you were a global conglomerate who needed to do business around the world, who would you rather hire, with all else being equal: an engineer who had never left their home country, or one who had traveled through three continents? Past surveys show that 83% of hiring managers in Canada agree that employees who have traveled, understand the global marketplace, and have knowledge of other cultures are more competitive applicants.
International opportunities for U of T Engineering students
ESROP – Global
ESROP – Global is a summer research opportunity at a university abroad and is unique to Engineering Science students. Successful applicants will get to choose one of many research universities around the world partnered with EngSci, then spend the summer traveling to this destination while helping conduct research with the university. To find out more, check out our ESROP blog post.
The Centre for International Experience’s Summer Research Exchange Program (SREP)
U of T’s Centre for International Experience (CIE) provides many opportunities for international exchanges, including the CIE’s Summer Research Exchange Program (SREP). Visit the Learning Abroad website to find information on available exchanges.
PEY
Your Professional Experience Year is an incredibly good time to take an opportunity abroad. Many non-Canadian companies consider U of T PEY students when hiring for internships, so as a U of T engineer, you have the potential to take your year of co-op almost anywhere in the world. In the 2023-2024 PEY year, twenty-one students are working in positions outside of Canada. This is a particularly good option if you intend to enter industry after graduation. PEY abroad is also a great option if you want to spend more time abroad and immerse yourself more deeply in other cultures. During this 12-16 month PEY, you could even become fluent in a new language!
Engineers Without Borders
For the highly-adventurous engineer, a good option to get abroad is Engineers Without Borders. EWB is a Canadian non-profit organization focused on improving life in Sub-Saharan African countries. They tackle a wide variety of problems, from social injustices to business development to improving water and sanitation access for communities across Africa. As an undergraduate student engineer, you can apply for EWB in a Junior Fellowship. A junior fellowship can mean helping with EWB work locally or traveling with the organization to Africa to help cultivate social development. If you are looking to help people with your engineering skills while learning about life in developing nations, this could be the way to do it. Find out more on the EWB website.
Questions?
If you have questions about exchange programs and research abroad, please contact Don Newton, Engineering Science Curriculum and Research Officer (curric.engsci@utoronto.ca).