The best thing to do if you are interested in studying abroad is to visit the Office of International Education’s Study Abroad website. Most BME students study abroad through Georgia Tech faculty-led and exchange programs, but students can study through other college and university programs as well. Humanities/social science courses, and introductory science and engineering courses are readily available in most of these programs, which make them attractive to students from many majors. A few programs, including three BME programs, offer courses targeted to appeal to specific majors.
The BME Galway Summer Program is situated in the West of Ireland, which has become the European capital for the healthcare and medical device industries. This program, a collaboration between the Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering and the National University of Ireland, Galway, seeks to leverage this remarkable concentration of medical device companies. It is designed for third and fourth year BME students who are interested in an international experience which enables them to combine classroom learning with field trips to medical device companies to learn first-hand their R&D and manufacturing practices.
The BME Beijing Summer Program is a collaboration between the Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and the Department of Biomedical Engineering at the Peking University (PKU). It is designed for third and fourth year BME students who are interested in an international experience which immerses them in a multicultural learning environment. All courses will be taught by Georgia Tech faculty in English. Some of the courses offered will also be attended by PKU BME students. This program affords the opportunity for an undergraduate research experience in the laboratory of a member of the PKU BME faculty. Field trips to biomedical device companies (e.g. GE Healthcare and Siemens Healthcare) and hospitals in Beijing and Shanghai complement classroom studies and allow students to gain insight into the field of biomedical engineering in China.
Students may also choose to pursue opportunities to work abroad. The Georgia Tech Global Internship Program provides students the opportunity to gain experience in their field, develop the skills employers need in a global economy and get exposure to cross-cultural communication and learning. Registering an internship is free and the internships are often paid positions. The duration can be from 10 weeks to one year.
