International Opportunities
Doing it your way: how to internationalise and professionalise your PHIR degree
“The best few months of my life!” (James, Czech Republic, International Semester 2009)
In PHIR we encourage you to customise your degree, especially by taking time out to study internationally, complete a work placement, or both. There are several ways to internationalise and professionalise your degree, a number of factors to consider, and many benefits.
The International Semester Scheme
Virtually every student in PHIR has the opportunity to apply for a one-semester exchange with an overseas university. Tuition is in the English-language, and you can study the host language while you are there. You take the semester in the second half of your second year, keeping your degree to 3 years in total, and your international studies are taken into account when calculating your overall degree results. We have partners in Taiwan, the Netherlands, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Sweden and Finland, and there is competition for places.
International Semester: Partner Universities Factsheet (PDF)
Photo by: robobby - This photo is under the Creative Commons license
The English-Language Year Abroad Scheme
All students can apply to spend the 3rd year of a 4-year programme studying at one of Loughborough University’s international partners. Tuition is in English, and the competition is University-wide. Places are available at the University of Toronto, Canada, Kansai University in Japan, Curtin University of Technology in Australia, and Purdue University in the United States. We also have places at one of PHIR’s international partners, Wenzao Ursuline College of Languages, in Taiwan – a great place to study Chinese. In 2010-11, a PHIR student was the first from the Department to spend the year in Kansai, Japan. Of his year abroad, he wrote:
“I've had a great deal of fun this year, and I've learnt a lot about Japan, the world and myself. Overall, it has been the most amazing experience!” (David, Kansai, Japan, Year Abroad 2010-11)
In 2011-12 we have three students already settled in Purdue in the USA, Kansai in Japan and Wenzao in Taiwan. If successful, you receive the Diploma of International Studies.
English-Language Year Abroad: Partner Universities Factsheets (PDF)
The Foreign-Language Year Abroad Scheme is for students taking a foreign language (French, German, Spanish as part of the Loughborough degree, and it extends your degree programme from 3 to 4 years in total. The third year is spent abroad at university in a France, Germany, Austria and Spain, or you can split the year between two different countries if you are proficient enough in each language. If successful, you receive the Diploma of International Studies. Loughborough students have been taking these opportunities for many years, and one who graduated in 2003 told us that:
‘I’ve said before that it was the one factor above all else that made me employable - even in Finance!’ (Foreign-Language study year in Germany)
Foreign-Language Year Abroad: Partner Universities Factsheets (PDF)
Quotes from Foreign-Language Exchange Students
European Parliament
Working Abroad as an English-language school Assistant
If you study French, German or Spanish as part of your degree, you can apply for a place as a British Council English-language assistant in a French, German, or Spanish-speaking country: Canada, la Réunion and countries in Latin America are possible destinations. This is a chance to really improve your language skills, and get professional experience at the same time.
Work Placements in the UK and abroad
You can also spend a year between the second and final years of your degree programme working in a job placement, in the UK or abroad. If you find a job that meets the criteria of Loughborough University’s Diploma of Professional or International Studies, you can work towards this additional qualification. Alternatively, you may prefer to put your studies on hold for a year while you work, and we will support you in this.
Finance?
This varies. Students taking an International Semester pay their usual annual fee to Loughborough, and are not charged additional tuition fees abroad. Along with the Foreign-Language Year Abroad (for which there is currently no fee payable to either Loughborough or the institution abroad), International Semester students are awarded a European Union ‘Erasmus’ grant to help cover travel costs; in recent years this has averaged at about €1000 per semester. Students taking an English-language Year Abroad pay a full annual fee to Loughborough for the duration of the placement, but no additional tuition fees abroad. Assistants are paid a monthly salary for a 12-hour working week, are eligible for an Erasmus grant if in an EU country, and there is help with accommodation. Finally, Work Placement students are usually on a salary, sometimes a good one, and, if aiming for one of Loughborough’s University diplomas, are charged reduced tuition fees for the year. If the job is in an EU country, moreover, they may also be eligible for an Erasmus grant.
