University of Connecticut |
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The program is designed to prepare you for a career in the global market by offering you the opportunity to experience first-hand the practice of engineering in another industrialized country, Germany. The program prepares you for work with any of the thousands of companies that have gone global and need engineers that can work in a variety of cultural settings. This five-year program leads to a dual degree, a BA in German and BS in engineering and includes a six-month internship in Germany. The program is open to any qualified engineering student and requires no previous knowledge of German. Students electing EUROTECH receive the same quality engineering education that UCONN has always provided, i.e. programs accredited by the Accrediting Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET). EUROTECH consistently links the two majors, German and engineering, at all levels of instruction. The program introduces you to German-speaking engineering faculty and engineers from Germany from the very beginning. Students start learning German in special EUROTECH tracks of German 1131 and 1132 taught by experienced faculty members. In their course design, the instructors take into account EUROTECH students' interest in math, science, and engineering. At the intermediate level, in the second year, students continue German in special tracks and begin a series of one-credit modules: German 3220, 3221, and 3222. Here they get to work with German-speaking engineers from the university and from industry who address a variety of topics in science and technology. As juniors and seniors, EUROTECH students take all the upper-level German classes necessary to earn a degree in German Studies. Many of our students take some of these classes before or after their internship in Germany at one of the German universities nearby. In the past, we have arranged at least one field trip per year to local companies. Every other year, we organize study trips to Germany for groups of EUROTECH students to give them a chance to visit Germany before their engineering internship abroad. Students are encouraged to do one or two summer internships with companies in the U.S. before embarking on their six-month internship abroad. The German industrial experience usually takes place in the fall or spring semester of the third or fourth year of study. To ensure that the program will meet the needs of Connecticut's industry, the administrators of EUROTECH invited the presidents of German and U.S. firms to join an Advisory Board that oversees the program, assists in its development, and guarantees the students' appropriate preparation for cross-cultural work. The university's initiative has been received with great enthusiasm by industry. The EUROTECH Program sends out an annual newsletter, which not only informs German and U.S. firms of the up-to-date progress of the program, but also gives potential and current students a close and personal overview of the program. Each year about 10% of all first year engineering students enroll in EUROTECH. As word spreads, the number is expected to increase due to students' growing realization that cross-cultural awareness and competence is a great asset for their careers. Upon graduation, EUROTECH engineers will bring not just sophisticated technical know-how to their jobs but also foreign language skills, cultural sensitivity and an international awareness that U.S. companies are finding more and more desirable. During the early years of this program we have:
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