Study Abroad in New Zealand
Information for Tufts Engineering Students
Lake Wanaka - South Island
Universities
-Located in the heart of downtown Auckland.
- Offers programs in Biomedical, Chemical and Materials Science, Civil and Environmental, Electrical, Mechanical and Software Engineering.
University of Auckland Engineering Department
- Offers programs in Mechanical, Electrical, Computer, Chemical, Civil, Environmental Engineering and Computer Science.
- Located just outside the heart of downtown Christchurch on New Zealand's South Island.
- Downtown Christchurch - 15 minutes by bus
- Sumner Beach - 25 minutes by bus
- Methven / Mt. Hutt Ski Village - 1.5 hours by bus/car
Click here to see a list of course equivalencies.
- Offers programs in science, math and health related degrees.
- Located in downtown Dunedin.
- Less than one mile from the steepest street in the world.
- Widely regarded by students as the best college town in New Zealand.
How to Set-Up a Study Abroad Semester or Year in New Zealand
1) Look at the school's websites and decide which school you are interested in attending. If you choose Otago University in Dunedin, you will need to make sure you have enough science, math and humanities electives (5 per semester), because Otago DOES NOT offer engineering courses.
2)Download an application form for the University of your choice, fill it out and send it in. Do this ASAP. Tufts will not grant you permission to leave until you have a letter of acceptance from your study abroad university. You will be applying to complete of Certificate of Proficiency and are almost assured entrance to the University of your choice, however the application process is slow.
3)Meet with Sally O'Leary, Dean for Study Abroad at Non-Tufts programs. Let her know that you have started or will soon start the application process and ask her about Tufts requirements for studying at a Non-Tufts program.
4) Pick up and fill out a "Study Elsewhere" form. You will have to attach a letter of acceptance from the University you plan to attend (this is why it is important to apply early). If you won't have a letter of acceptance from the New Zealand University you plan to attend by Tuft's deadline, let Sally O'Leary know so that she can give you an extension.
5) Meet with members of your department, your department chair or your advisor to discuss the classes you will take while abroad. Get the classes you plan on taking approved by the department and make sure that a document exists with the course equivalencies for the courses you plan to take in New Zealand. You WILL need to take a full load of classes in order to receive full credit transfer back to Tufts. A "full load" is defined by the University you plan to study at. At Canterbury University this 6 classes, though if you take a liberal arts class each semester, it may be 5 courses. Research the weighting of each course you plan to take and discuss the weighting with Sally O'Leary. This will insure that you receive the course credit you deserve when you return. If you are in the Mechanical Engineering Department, there is already an extensive list of classes documented with Tufts equivalencies. This is available from Anil Saigal, Vincent Manno or Chris Rogers.
6) Meet with Dean Knox and have her evaluate the courses you have completed at Tufts and the courses you will complete in New Zealand. She will make sure that you are headed in the right direction for an on-time graduation. Talking with her is important, because if their are problems with course transfer once you return, she will be the one to help you.
The Final Steps: Getting Ready to Go to New Zealand
1) I suggest getting an open plane ticket. It will allow you to set your departure date once you are in New Zealand. It is highly likely that you will make a lot of friends and want to travel around the country once your studies are over.
2) Housing:
On Campus: All three Universities offer on campus housing, usually in the form of student apartments, but they also have traditional residence halls with dining halls if you are interested. On campus apartments are furnished and will probably even have bed linens, so they are really an easy option. At Canterbury University the Ilam flats are centrally located on the Canterbury campus and a fun place to live for international students.
Off Campus: Off campus housing is very easy to find and very cheap. Many apartments are available furnished, but it is otherwise very easy to acquire cheap used furniture through local newspapers and second hand stores. You can probably set yourself up in an off campus apartment (including deposit) for a couple of hundred dollars (US).
Contacts
These are people to email or meet with to find out more about studying in New Zealand. All will give you glowing reviews of their time in New Zealand and highly suggest that you plan a study abroad.
Addie Sutphen: addie6902002@yahoo.com
Addie studied Mechanical Engineering at the Canterbury University for the second semester of her sophomore and first semester or her junior year. She is currently a senior at Tufts University.
Amos Winter: awinter@mit.edu
Amos studied at Canterbury University for the second semester of his junior year. He is currently at MIT studying robotics.
Chris Rogers: chris.rogers@tufts.edu
Prof. Rogers went to Christchurch on a Fulbright senior fellowship. He conducted research and taught at Canterbury and Lincoln University. He is currently working on a collaborative project with the HIT (Human Interface Technology) lab at Canterbury and Lincoln Universities.
Akaroa Banks Peninsula with Christchurch in the Background
Akaroa is 30 minutes from downtown Christchurch