Monash Abroad
The Faculty of Engineering encourages students to undertake a period of exchange during their time at Monash. Aside from the educational benefits, exchange programs allow students to experience the world, to develop international networks of friends and future colleagues and to develop an appreciation and understanding of the culture of other countries.
Intercampus exchange
Clayton students who are studying in the field of chemical engineering, electrical and computer systems engineering, mechanical engineering or mechatronics engineering or one of the associated double degrees may wish to spend one or two semesters studying at Sunway campus in Malaysia. This arrangement is also available to Sunway students who would like to study at Clayton campus, however, intercampus exchange enrolment is limited to one semester only. Students applying for intercampus study need to have completed 48 credit points in their studies, have an honours weighted average (HWA) of 60% and must maintain a full-time study load per semester. Please note that students can only be admitted to the discipline of engineering they are enrolled in.
Intercampus exchange is an easy process to undertake as you will simply be continuing your course at a different location. The units offered are common to both the Clayton and Sunway campuses. You will be enrolled in the units attempted, receive a mark and grade on completion of the units and the units will appear on your academic transcript. The units will also count in the calculation of your HWA. Intercampus students have the opportunity to experience living in a different culture.
Exchange at another institution
The Monash Abroad exchange program provides you with the opportunity to undertake study at another approved tertiary institution overseas. Monash University has established exchange agreements with over 100 universities in Asia, Europe, the Middle East, North and South America and Africa. You can choose to study at one of these partner institutions and receive credit for the study toward your degree.
Study abroad
If Monash University does not have an exchange partnership with an overseas university, students can apply to enrol as a study abroad student. Study abroad students are required to pay tuition fees (single unit fees) at the host overseas institution. Students are eligible to apply for a grant through the Monash Abroad office.
To apply for an Exchange or Study Abroad Program, a Monash Abroad application form MUST be obtained from the Monash Abroad office.
Exchange partners
You can go to any of the Monash exchange partners who teach engineering, provided they offer the units you need for your course. The Monash Abroad website contains links to the websites of these and all Monash exchange partner universities.
The timing and length of your exchange
In order to be able to go on exchange you will need to have completed three semesters (72 credit points) of your single or double engineering degree at the time of application. Many students participate in the exchange program in their third year but undertake much of the planning and preparation for the exchange experience during their second year of study.
You can go on exchange for one or two semesters of study. If you choose to go for two semesters you can chose to undertake both semesters at one institute or enrol in a different institute for each semester. If you are adventurous you may like to study in two different countries.
Enrolling in EEH Engineering exchange units
Students approved to undertake an exchange program are enrolled in 'dummy' engineering exchange units coded EEH3XXX or EEH4XXX. The codes reflect the level of the unit you will be undertaking on exchange as well as the name of the unit you are studying, the Monash equivalent unit and the name of the institute and country you are studying in eg: EEH3001 Advanced electronics (ECE3603) - Exchange University of California, USA. When your host institution has approved your exchange, you will need to contact the Faculty Office to enrol in these units as you cannot enrol in them on WES.
Exchange results on your Monash transcript
If you pass an exchange unit you will receive an SFR (Satisfied Faculty Requirements) grade. If you fail an exchange unit a grade of N Fail will be recorded against the unit. Your exchange marks will not count towards your honour weighted average (HWA), your grade point average (GPA) or your weighted average mark (WAM). As you will receive a transcript from the exchange partner, you may wish to include this in your cv (along with your Monash transcript) to demonstrate just how well you performed on your exchange.
Step by step guide to arranging a program of exchange
- Visit the Monash Abroad website to learn more about exchange opportunities, our partner institutions and how to choose a study abroad/exchange program. The Monash exchange partner universities can be found at: https://www.monash.edu/study-abroad/outbound/exchange. Please ensure that you check the minimum grade requirements of the partner university. Some partner universities require a WAM average, others a GPA – both of which can be found at the bottom of your study statement available on WES. Please note that the grade requirements listed for the universities are the minimum, and due to competition, students may need higher than what is stated to receive a nomination. If you do not meet the minimum requirements, please select another partner university or host country. You should do some preliminary investigation including looking at the partner institution's unit offerings, the content (syllabus) of their units as well as unit prerequisites, assessment, contact hours per week etc with a view to trying to match them up with the units you have yet to complete in your course. This may seem like a lot of work (as it is), however, your exchange will be well worth it!
- View or attend compulsory Monash Abroad Information Sessions.
- Seek course progression advice to check if study abroad or semester exchange is feasible for you and you will need to upload the email advice or an annotated course progression map on to your exchange application in the Monash Abroad Portal (MAP).
- Draft your Study Plan and nominate a minimum of 8 suitable units.
- Submit your completed application to Monash Abroad by the due date. When you have been advised by Monash Abroad that you have been accepted by the host institution, you must contact the Engineering Faculty Office immediately to arrange enrolment in 'dummy' engineering exchange units.
Please note that 2+2 students are not eligible to participate in exchange and study abroad programs. Under University credit regulations, where a student is undertaking a degree or award offered by the university in conjunction with another educational institution, credit may be granted for no more than half of the university’s component of the course of study, therefore, students must complete half of their degree at Monash University in order to graduate. As 2+2 students are granted advanced standing of two years (96 credit points), which is equal to half the total duration of the four year course, this cohort of students become ineligible to undertake exchange and study abroad programs.