Study Abroad
Broaden
your horizons!
There are many opportunities for Essex students to spend a year or a term studying in the United States, Canada, Australia, Europe, Japan, Hong Kong, the Middle East, Russia, New Zealand or Latin America.
We have exchange agreements with a wide variety of universities and can help students to choose the most appropriate destination.
Studying abroad can enhance your cv
and gives you valuable experience of
another culture and way of life.
Spending an extended period of time
in another country provides an
unparalleled opportunity to see a side
of life which tourists
can never encounter.
If you are on the 4-year course, you
will study
abroad for the whole of the third year.
Or you can
spend a term abroad as part of the
3-year course, usually in the final year
of study. The marks you obtain abroad
will contribute towards your final
degree result. There are no tuition
charges other than what you normally pay
to Essex (if you study abroad for a full
year your fees will be lower than the
normal rate). Also, in many cases the
cost of living elsewhere is lower than
in Colchester, so you should not assume
that study abroad is an expensive
proposition. If you are currently on the
3-year course and are interested in a
whole year abroad, you can change to the
4-year degree course.
For further information on this exciting opportunity, contact the Study Abroad Office, Room 5S.7.27, or e-mail: saoadmin.
Additional Information on 4-Year Course
The Year Abroad is compulsory but students have a free choice of which country to go to. There are European and Middle Eastern options where teaching is in English, or the USA, Canada, Australia, Hong Kong and Japan. For students with appropriate language skills, there are also Latin American and additional European countries.
Study Abroad Student Profile
Hazel Day, third-year BA Humanities student
Hazel studied abroad during her third year at the University of Otago in New Zealand. She is now back at Essex where she will complete her degree.
I studied abroad for one term at the start of my third and final year, and it has most certainly been the highlight of my entire degree. I decided to go to New Zealand because I wanted to go somewhere new and different. New Zealand is a great country with so much to see and do. The scenery is beautiful and the people are really friendly; even total strangers will say hello to you in the street and every shop assistant asks how you are, and the locals are so helpful and knowledgeable.
I attended the University of Otago in Dunedin on the South Island. The University was founded in the late nineteenth century so has some interesting history and is well established but has a very modern approach to learning. The facilities and resources were outstanding and the atmosphere was very positive; the teaching staff were approachable and enthusiastic about what they taught! I studied medieval literature, Victorian literature and Spanish language. It was fascinating to see people’s enthusiasm about old and ancient texts, cultures and architecture because there is not much in New Zealand that pre-dates the Victorian era.
An important aspect about study abroad was the opportunity to be an ‘international’ student – it enabled me to see things from a different perspective and I have been able to meet new people from all over the world and learn about their cultures and experiences. I made the most of my five months in New Zealand by travelling around the South Island as much as possible and experiencing as much of the country as I could, meeting other travelers as I went and gaining so much from the experience on a personal level.
I took my eight year old son with me to New Zealand which added extra demands and pressures, but it was so rewarding. His experience was out of this world, and he added a different dimension to the whole situation – not least, it was his idea to swim with dolphins – and what fun we had!
Have a look at the Humanities at the University of Essex Facebook pages for photos taken by students on their year abroad.