Viterbi School of Engineering

I’m so grateful that I was able to spend an entire semester abroad as an engineering student. Coming into college I initially assumed that such an opportunity would only be possible by making sacrifices elsewhere (having to graduate late, dropping a minor/PDP program, etc). By working with my academic advisor, though, I was able to enroll in major-equivalent classes at my host university and maintain the graduation schedule I’d originally planned for myself.

Taking major-relevant coursework abroad also presented me with unique professional opportunities that I wouldn’t have encountered at USC. In developing relationships with my professors and peers at the University of Auckland, I now have valuable academic and industry contacts should I decide to continue my educational or professional career abroad.

I took 4 classes while studying abroad: Dynamics, Implant Design, Tissue Mechanics, and Clinical Solutions in Biomedical Engineering and Materials. All four of these courses counted towards my major, with three of them transferring back for course equivalence and one transferring back as a technical elective.

One interesting opportunity that I had through my Implant Design class was a group project in which we designed a metal implant for a spinal fracture patient. It was fascinating to learn about the many types of implants that can be used to treat various injuries and apply this knowledge to a clinical situation. The School of Engineering at QMUL also offers a lecture series every semester where they bring in professionals and researchers from a variety of fields to talk about their area of expertise. During my semester abroad, I attended a lecture by Professor Didier Queloz, a professor at Cambridge University who won a Nobel Prize in Physics in 2019. The talk was about his work in finding new planets and searching for life on other planets in the universe. It was an awesome opportunity to learn about a new topic in a non-classroom setting!

At the University of Melbourne, I took classes in four different engineering departments that all counted towards my major requirements. I worked on two group projects and it was an amazing way to get to know other engineering students. By speaking with my professors, I was exposed to new areas of research that USC labs don’t focus on. I also loved how the topics of sustainability and ethics in engineering were infused into all my courses. Getting to explore the city of Melbourne and spending time in the beautiful outdoors on the weekends created a great academic/social-life balance while I was there.

Global collaboration is increasingly common in the field of engineering. After returning from studying abroad, I found that many companies I spoke to appreciated that I had experience working on engineering projects in a global setting. I loved my experience in Australia, and have a feeling I’ll be looking for opportunities to work there in the future.

I studied abroad in Brisbane, Australia at the University of Queensland as a chemical engineering student during the Spring of my sophomore year. I took four courses: Electromagnetism and Modern Physics, Social Entrepreneurship, Australia’s Marine Environment and Introductory Macroeconomics. The physics course transferred as PHYS 152 at USC which helped me make progress toward my degree while abroad. Australia’s Marine Environment is another great class catered toward international students and part of it involves a five-day field trip to the university’s research center on a coral cay that is a part of the Great Barrier Reef.

Studying abroad was the best decision I made while at USC. I made some of my favorite memories, got to explore a new country, meet new people and learn at an entirely new university! It is definitely worth pursuing as a Viterbi student and possible if you plan ahead.

Studying overseas is a great option for CS majors, but start the discussion early (during sophomore year) with your advisor so you can build your ideal study abroad experience (during junior or senior year) into your long term course plan. CS students can study abroad after completion of CSCI 201 and CSCI 270. Most CSCI, CECS, and CSBA majors will need to reserve all of their technical electives for their semester abroad. CSGM students can complete the free elective component of the degree for their semester abroad. Popular destinations for CS students include the United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand, but any institution with a Computer Science department could be a possible option!