Abroad Socrates is the name given to the European Commission programme to support student exchanges throughout Europe. The Faculty of Engineering at the University of Strathclyde has been committed to this programme for a period of several years. During this time, the Faculty has built up a wealth of experience in student exchanges and now sends over 100 students each year to institutions in Europe where they take classes which count toward their degree. Students do not lose time in completing their degree course since the classes taken abroad are carefully selected to converge with the study they would otherwise be undertaking at Strathclyde.
Exchanges take place for periods of between three and nine months.
Many students opt to spend a single semester at a foreign institution, normally during their second and third year of study. Exchange agreements are in place with over 30 different European institutions. Students choose between institutions in France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Austria, Denmark, Sweden and Belgium. Language classes, taken as electives during the first three years of study, prepare students for spending time abroad. All exchanges are operated on an entirely voluntary basis.