Gaining Global Perspective Through Terms Abroad

Beginning with the class of 1999, all engineering graduates from Union College have been required to complete the “Other Languages; Other Cultures; Other Disciplines” portion of the College General Education program. Students can meet this requirement through completing three courses in a foreign language, completing a three course cultural diversity track (Africana, East Asian, or Latin American Studies), or participating in a variety of programs that require travel abroad. Prior to 1999 engineering students were excused from this portion of the General Education Program because of the perceived rigidity and intensity of the engineering majors. However, with the increasing emphasis on the globalization of engineering, the engineering division felt it could no longer afford to stay isolated. Therefore, the engineering programs modified their curricula to allow students to be away for up to a whole term and still graduate on time. Experience thus far has shown that almost all of the engineering students opt for actual foreign travel. This paper will describe each of the options for foreign study in some detail, discuss the curricular revisions implemented to allow students to participate, and compare present and future methods for assessing the value and impact of the foreign study experiences on engineering graduates.