See the world without pausing your degree. Explore the global technology landscape while gaining the same deep EE and CS insights you’d get on campus. With study abroad pre-mapped to your major, you can experience a new culture and earn academic credit at the same time.
The academic integration of study abroad into the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science makes the option of international education a reality! Engage the breadth and depth of EE and CS while exploring a global perspective and gaining academic credit toward your degree.
Edward Liu (EECS B.S., 2019) and friends in Venice, Italy
“People often ask ‘Why would you leave the best EE/CS university in the world to study abroad at a university likely teaching your subject at a lower caliber?’ But you don’t study abroad to learn CS. You already have three or four years (or more, if graduate school is in the cards) to do just that. You study abroad to gain perspective, to ask yourself ‘where do I fit in in this world?’ To learn other lifestyles. To learn a new language. To develop an identity outside of the academic one that you’ve known for the last decade of your life. To develop into your own independent person apart from things and people you’ve known.”
Yuan Yuan, CS B.A. 2017
Plan ahead! Visit studyabroad.berkeley.edu or schedule an appointment with a study abroad advisor for more information.
Meet with a major advisor to confirm the degree requirements and to create a program plan that includes your study abroad experience.
Check out other opportunities for traveling abroad:
Global Edge
Berkeley Sophomore Semester
Berkeley Summer Abroad
Global Internships
Studying abroad allows our majors to broaden their horizons and gain an international perspective. Students can take advantage of these opportunities to learn about and participate in developing research in other countries.
Study abroad will help students:
While students can study abroad at just about any point in their academic careers, the particular term and length of time chosen to study abroad depends on the requirements a student has left to complete the major and whether or not they plan to take courses towards the major while abroad.
EECS and ECE majors need to schedule an appointment with both their ESS advisor and a department advisor when considering studying abroad. CS students should meet with a department advisor. Your advisor can help you determine how to best fit a study abroad experience into your academic schedule.
In addition to their general education requirements, EECS, ECE, and CS students have a wide variety of options in completing major requirements abroad. Many of the Berkeley Study Abroad partner universities have specific Electrical Engineering and Computer Science departments/programs or offer relevant courses through other departments. Please meet with your major advisor to determine if your Berkeley Study Abroad courses will satisfy major requirements.
Even if the BSA courses do not fulfill major or college requirements, Berkeley Study Abroad programs offer amazing experiences to add to your academic repertoire. Our students have taken a wide variety of courses in countries such as New Zealand, Hong Kong, London, Singapore, Chile, and Taiwan.
The requirements for getting courses approved vary by Major. Work with your ESS advisor to confirm how classes may count for the EECS major. The Department allows EECS, ECE, and CS majors to satisfy at most three upper-division course requirements at another four-year institution. EECS and CS minors may satisfy at most one upper-division course requirement elsewhere. Study abroad courses must be evaluated and approved before your study abroad experience commences. We suggest making prior arrangements and consulting with advisors to ensure the course(s) you select is transferrable. This should be done no later than the semester before studying abroad.