Auburn University’s College of Architecture, Design, and Construction has made a strategic commitment of providing international learning opportunities for all of our students through study abroad programs, exchange programs, and special field classes. We believe that studying abroad is an invaluable experience: a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to live in a foreign country, to experience its customs and culture, and to adapt to new surroundings. Studying abroad introduces our students to new and unfamiliar environments through which knowledge can be gained from experiential learning. It is also our belief that we must strive to understand one another, now more than ever. Perhaps we can best comprehend similarity and differences through a personal experience of another culture. The successes gained through these experiences both equip and prepare individuals to thrive in a global world. Through international education, we hope to become a more diversified, culturally aware and understanding world.
Department of Building Science
The overall goal of the Study Abroad Program is to expose building science students to construction-specific companies, projects, practices, and professionals in a culture that they would never be exposed to otherwise. The Building Science class is a five week class that is comprised of three construction-related activities per city visited. These construction-related visits include, but certainly not limited to, construction projects, material suppliers, construction firms, and equipment manufacturers. In addition to construction-related visits there will also be one cultural event per city such as ballets, operas, concerts, and musicals.
Building Science students who take the advantage of the program are given the opportunity to not only study European construction practices, but also to participate in a special thesis class, which meets the four hundred (400) hour senior thesis project required for graduation. For more information, visit the Department of Building Science website.
Department of Industrial Design
This year the Industrial Design traveling program is primarily in joint venture with Shu-Te University’s Department of Product Design. We have 11 students from Auburn in the program visiting Shu-Te University for approximately eight weeks and conduct classes using Shu-Te’s facility. Shu-Te University provides approximately 30 to 40 Taiwanese students to join our group to work on product design projects together. Each Auburn student is assigned into a group of three to four Taiwan students so that students can learn from one another. In this program students have a high possibility to work on projects that is sponsored by industries in Taiwan. As part of this program of study we will visit several other universities in Taiwan with industrial design programs. For more information visit the Department of Industrial Design website.
School of Architecture
In 1977, the School established a nine-week traveling “Study Abroad†Program which has most frequently been conducted in Western Europe. As a teaching venue, these travels are intended to challenge our students and faculty to test their ideas and knowledge of environmental design and planning against the realities of varied contexts and, in the process, expand their understanding of the nature of their varied disciplines and their effect on human experience. A new format utilizing rotating faculty and an in-place program was implemented in the 2005 spring semester. An important development with the University’s Office of International Education has resulted in a significant reduction in tuition for undergraduate students studying abroad. The student pays a study abroad fee ($350) in lieu of tuition.
The School of Architecture continues to explore innovative, context-based studio formats. In addition to the “Study Abroad†Program, the School has provided new opportunities for student travel to Cuba, and the American Southwest. Recent faculty interest in both China and Portugal have led to exchange opportunities for students to travel and study in both. A continuing relationship with the Clemson University Architecture program’s Genoa studio is funded through a scholarship from TVS architects in Atlanta. This scholarship allows one student each year from the School to attend the Genoa studio. A student exchange to Mexico and Canada (funded through the FIPSE Program) began in the 2004 fall semester. In addition to these established opportunities, the School of Architecture works closely with students to tailor study abroad opportunities for all of our students. For more information visit the SoA Study Abroad website.
Contributed By: Rusty Smith