Bioengineering
The Department of Bioengineering strongly encourages undergraduate students to have an international experience through Service Learning, Study Abroad, or one of our International Internships. Please take time to read through the many programs we offer and contact us with any questions.
Penn Engineering’s global and local service learning programs aim to improve human lives through sustainable engineering in all corners of the world. Students have used their engineering skills to provide sanitation infrastructure, prosthetic devices, computing support and meet other critical needs in areas around the world.
Students can have hands-on experiences like the ENGR566: Appropriate Point of Care Diagnostics (APOC) course trip to Ghana in 2019, shown.
All Bioengineering students are encouraged to study abroad for a summer, a semester, or even a full year. The courses that students choose to enroll in can be used towards their BE degree requirements, if pre-approved. Therefore, students do not have to worry about falling behind in their studies.
Students pursuing a BSE, a BAS, or a dual degree and/or fulfilling premed requirements are all encouraged to explore the Penn Abroad programs. It helps to start planning early. Note: Premeds cannot fulfill premed requirements abroad.
Commonly asked questions about studying abroad include:
Junior year is most common, for one semester or a full year.
While these are popular programs for Bioengineering students, you can find many more opportunities on the Penn Global search page.
There are very clear steps and guidelines for Study Abroad. Please visit Penn Global’s Penn Abroad website for more information and a step-by-step guide on how the study abroad process works.
Whether or not you receive financial aid from Penn, you may be eligible for financial assistance during your term abroad. Explore scholarship opportunities to find your match. For information about scholarship deadlines, consult the relevant offices/Web sites. Please also review Penn’s financial policies for study abroad.
You should schedule an appointment with a Penn Global Advisor to open an application. Once this is done, you can meet with a BE department advisor (Kacy- kacy@seas) to plan out which courses you should take abroad and the courses you should take for your remaining semesters at Penn. You will then work with an advisor in RAS and Penn Abroad to finalize all of your course approvals and schedule.
Penn’s Global Research & Internship Program provides opportunities for outstanding undergraduate students to intern abroad for eight to 12 weeks.
Below are additional opportunities for our students that we can recommend, based on what we know to be quality and reliable sponsors. Penn Bioengineering does not have an established relationship with these organizations, although they have hosted many Penn BE interns in the past. See links below for more information.
American Friends Service Committee Quaker Information Center American Scandinavian Foundation AmeriSpan Connect-123 Internship and Volunteer Programs Cross Cultural Solutions Cultural Vistas Foundation for Sustainable Development Global Routes Global Service Corps IAESTE Idealist InterExchange International Cooperative Education Program International Volunteer Programs Association People to People International Projects Abroad Puentes Abroad Thousand Currents Universal Giving Volunteers for Peace, Inc. Youth Challenge Costa Rica (Reto Juvenil International)
EMGIP – Bundestag Internship USAID Internships World Food Programme Internship
American-Mideast Education & Training Services (AMIDEAST) The Americas Foundation: Colegio La Esperanza Council on Hemispheric Affairs International Peace Bureau Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty Rempart La Sabranenque Trickle Up Program WorldTeach
DAAD (Deutscher Akademischer Austausch Dienst–German Academic Exchange) RISE (Research Internships in Science and Engineering) Pasteur Foundation/Institut Pasteur University of Tokyo Research Internship Program (UTRIP)
