Global experiences

• Oct. 11: Applications open
• Oct. 20: Applications close
• Oct. 23: Selected Students notified
• Oct. 24 - 30: Students complete Risk Management documentation and waivers, registration, and make deposits. 

*Deadlines for subsequent deposits will be determined by the Educational Travel Provider. Students will be notified of this timeline after acceptance. 

• Oct. 31: Notifications to students who were not selected for programs.
• Feb. 15: All trips in field!  
• Feb. 22-23: All trips return to Calgary!

Please note that the Chemical Engineering Trip to the Netherlands has non-standard dates and will run from Feb. 14 - 22, 2025. 

Students will receive updates on other deadlines for program related requirements. They may include D2L module completion, pre-departure orientation attendance, program specific registrations, etc. 

On this program you will travel to the Netherlands and see the beautiful cities of Amsterdam, Eindhoven, and Rotterdam. This trip includes visits to the Rijksmuseum, the Science Gallery Rotterdam, and the Philips Museum that will give you the opportunity to learn about the intersections of art, technology, culture, and medicine. See the preserved specimens in Body Worlds and explore the topics of healthcare research, innovation, and ethics in using cadavers for educational purposes. You will also have the chance to visit educational institutions performing groundbreaking research such as the Eindhoven University of Technology and Erasmus MC University. The University of Amsterdam’s science campus is also a must see as it is located on the Amsterdam Science Park. Students will send a whole day in the ASP visiting the university facilities, the start-up village, and research institutions. 

Student contribution: up to $2,000

Learn more. 

On this program you will travel to the Netherlands and see the beautiful cities of Amsterdam, Enschede and Utrecht. Students will be immersed in different areas of Chemical Process Engineering, as well as have the chance to connect with Dutch peers. The diversity of the Chemical Engineering Industry in the Netherlands, including materials development and production, the food/beverage industry and energy industry will be highlighted. This trip will tentatively include visits to places like Friesland Campina, Bolletje, NX Filtration, Grolsch, Zeton, Ten Cate, Shell and the University of Twente. Students will also have time to explore the rich Dutch culture in the city of Utrecht and Amsterdam. 

Please note: This program has non-standard dates and will run from Feb. 14 - 22, 2025.

Student contribution: up to $2,000

Learn more. 

On this program you will explore Lisbon, Sintra, Obidos, Nazarre and Porto, learning about urban planning, sustainability and infrastructure challenges. Observe the different architectural styles and infrastructure of Lisbon, a 2020 European Green Capital Award winner. While in Sintra, you will visit the 16th-century Aqueduto de Obidos, a 3 km long aqueduct comprised of 127 arches and stone masonry structural engineering. A visit to Nazare follows to learn about the hydrology behind the largest waves in the world. Tour the UNESCO World Heritage Site of the University of Coimbra, one of the oldest universities in Europe to see the Biblioteca Joanina, an 18th-century baroque library on campus, followed by a possible visit to the Faculty of Engineering.  Ride the funicular in Porto to learn about the geotechnical engineering behind its construction. You will also tour of the University of Porto campus and a visit to the Faculty of Engineering to learn about their sustainability initiatives. 

Student contribution: up to $2,000

Learn more. 

Join us on this immersive exploration into the realm of electrical engineering; visiting Amsterdam, Eindhoven and Delft. You will experience a vibrant spectrum of electrical engineering enterprises and educational institutions, all renowned worldwide for their unparalleled expertise. Throughout this visit, we will delve into the following facets of electrical engineering: chip manufacturing at ASML, quantum computing at the House of Quantum, vehicle design at DAF, and optics and power electronics at TU Endhoven.

Student contribution: up to $2,000

Learn more. 

Over the course of this trip, you will get travel through Geneva, Lausanne, Zurich and Bern. Beginning in Zurich, you will explore ETH Zurich, the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, and the Department of Civil, Environmental, and Geomatic Engineering known for its cutting-edge geomatics engineering research and programs. Additionally, there will be a visit to the Leica Geosystems/Hexagon Swiss corporate office to learn about and see the latest technologies and applications of Leica/Hexagon products.  Halfway through the week, the group will travel to Geneva via Bern and visit Swisstopo, the Federal Office of Topography, for insights into Switzerland's national mapping agency. From Geneva, you will take a day trip to Lausanne, where they will visit the Ecole Polytechnique federale de Lausanne, and the School of Engineering and visit the offices of senseFly and Pix 4D to learn about drones, sensors and software for GIS, mapping and surveying. To end the program, you will enjoy tours of the United Nations and a site visit of Cern, as well as the Museum of Science or Natural History.

Student contribution: up to $2,000

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See the cities of Saarbrucken, Karlsruhe, and Stuttgart in Germany, through the eyes of a Mechanical engineer. Not only will you get to visit the historical Völklinger Ironworks, which is now a UNESCO World Heritage site, you will also participate in a wide array of industry visits to places like Porsche, INM laboratories, Saarstahl isteelmaking plant, Villeroy & Boch, and more! The Karlsruhe Institute of Technology and the University of Saarland are also scheduled institutional visits that will showcase the innovation and excellence in this field of engineering. 

Interested but want a sneak peek? Check out this video from Villeroy and Boch that follows a graduate of the INM, Jana Staudt, and her job in the company.

Student contribution: up to $2,000

Learn more. 

On this program you will explore the world of software engineering in the cities of London and Cambridge. You will visit the Centre for Computing History, the National Museum of Computing, and Bletchley Park to learn about the significance and impact of computing in world history. This program will also take you to the University of Cambridge where you will get to see their Engineering department as well as their on campus museums. Enjoy a guided punt tour as well as visits to the Cambridge Colleges. Industry visits to Toshiba, Ocado, Wayve, Microsoft and others will also be incorporated into our programing. Finally, a trip to Cambridge would not be complete without a stop at the Raspberry Pi store. Please join us on this adventure in England!

Student contribution: up to $2,000

Learn more. 

1. Once the application period closes, applications will be reviewed to check for eligibility.
2. Written answers will be reviewed to ensure applicants understand the commitment to the program, intend to contribute positively to the group experience, and will represent the University of Calgary and the Schulich School of Engineering well. 
3. Eligible students will be entered into a lottery for each departmental trip.
4. Students will be selected and notified. 
5. A waitlist for each department trip will be created based on the remaining qualified applicants in their respective department lottery pool. Should there be a vacancy, further students may be selected from the lottery.

Please note: If a minimum standard of 30% of participants on each program drawn from the lottery are not female, the lottery will be redrawn. If there is a case where 30% cannot be achieved for a program based on the number of female applicants, we will aim for 30% across all programs as the minimum standard. 

As participants are expected to share rooms, students will also be selected though the lottery system in pairs with consideration of their gender to ensure we have appropriate accommodations. 

Students in second year or above may apply if they: 

• Are a Schulich student in good academic standing (GPA of 2.0 or higher)
• Have not participated in a previous year
• Are eligible to travel to the program destination
• Agree to participate fully in the program itinerary 
• Are prepared to submit their travel documents upon acceptance to the program (i.e.: copies of passports, visas, etc.) 

Students with a disciplinary probation record are not eligible for the Global Experience program. Additionally, selected students must maintain 'Good Conduct Standing’.

If there are any questions or concerns about eligibility, please email globalengineering@uclagary.ca. 

The student assumes all financial risk and responsibility for their trip payment should they cancel, as payment will not be refunded. Students may purchase their own trip cancellation insurance if they wish.

• You can expect to: 
  • Travel and participate in a planned itinerary as a group
  • Share a room, assigned by the Schulich School of Engineering
  • Make on-time payments
  • Have a valid passport, medical/health insurance, vaccinations, visa, etc.
  • Participate in pre-departure online education and mandatory trip meetings
• Students are expected to cover additional expenses (managed directly by program participants):
  • Meals (some will be provided, depending on program)
  • Additional baggage fees (if required)
  • Travel documents (if required)
  • Passport and photos (If required)
  • Immunizations based on recommendations from travel clinic, cost varies depending on individual circumstances and destination countries
  • Travel insurance (emergency response is included)

Students pay for approximately 50% of the trip cost with the remaining 50% paid by the Schulich School of Engineering. 

Global experience programs are not eligible for SSAF funding as they are already heavily subsidized. 

Please read the Student Participation Agreement and the Schulich School of Engineering Guidelines for Student Trip Room Arrangements for exact details.

• Rooming arrangements will be made aligning with the Schulich School of Engineering Guidelines for Student Trip Room Arrangements and in consideration of maintaining a student accessible budget for the programs.
• Students can expect to have shared rooms with separate beds, assigned by the Schulich School of Engineering. 
• Most programs will have 2 students per room. However, some programs may use accommodations (such as hostels) with more students per room.
• Rooming assignments will be made with the default expectation of same-gender rooms.
• Once accepted to programs, students may choose individually whether they would like to opt-in to gender-inclusive rooming where their roommates may be students of all genders and gender identities
• In some instances, Gender Inclusive Rooming will be contingent on accommodation options available abroad, which can vary from country to country. 

Please note:

• Students who select the Gender Inclusive Rooming option must be open to living with a person of any gender.  
• Global Experience programs strive to create an inclusive community where students can feel comfortable disclosing their sexual orientation with who they choose.  
• Matching of roommates is done by the Schulich School of Engineering and relevant program admin and chaperones will be advised of your selection to support accommodation bookings. 
• If you have chosen Gender Inclusive Rooming, you may still be roomed in a same-gender arrangement, based on the selections of your group and country you travel to. If mixed-gender rooming is a needs-based accommodation, or you would simply like to initiate a conversation with one of our staff regarding your gender-specific rooming needs, please connect with us at globalengineering@ucalgary.ca. 
• Global Experience programs are a safe and welcoming community for all students. Should you feel at any point, regardless of same-sex or mixed-gender rooming, that you would like to discuss your rooming situation, please connect with your chaperones while in field as a first point of contact, and/or our team at globalengineering@ucalgary.ca. 
• All students must comply with the UCalgary Code of Conduct while participating on our programs.

• All participants must adhere to all entry and exit requirements (i.e.: vaccinations, visas, etc.) as required for the destinations visited on these programs. Failure to do so may have consequences such as being denied access to accommodation/housing, program activities, or to the host country itself.
• If you are selected for a global experience trip and do attend, you will not be eligible for future global experience trips. 
• “Eligible to travel”, as seen above, means you currently have valid visas (if required) and a passport which is valid six months past the return date of the trip. It is the student's responsibility to be certain they are eligible to travel to the destination country before they apply, accept an offer, or pay any deposits towards this program. If you have a non-Canadian passport we recommend you verify your travel requirements in advance of completing this application. 
• Everyone is welcome to participate, regardless of their preferred mode of mobility. Students selected to go on these programs should be prepared to navigate the cities being visited by walking or public transit between activities. If there are any questions or concerns about this, please email globalengineering@ucalgary.ca.