Non-Degree Programs

Deadlines: September for Spring and Summer outbound, March for Fall outbound

Materials: Academic information, study plans, transcript, TOEFL and personal statement.

Procedure: JI Online Application – Screening and Interviews – Confirm Candidates and Nominations – Host University Online Application – Visa Applications – Study Abroad!

The Global E³ network is an exchange system created specifically for engineering students. More than 70 member institutions from all over the world currently participate in sending over 250 students to partner institutions each year.
Joint Institute students can choose from a wide variety of universities all over the world with very different term dates and availability of English courses.

Academic calendars are varied at different universities.

“The one semester exchange at Case Western Reserve University is quite interesting and fulfilling. I not only get to experience the life in the US in advance, but also take courses which are not offered at JI. Also it’s very exciting to live with roommates from different countries.”

Chen Peiyu
Fourth-year student in electrical and computer engineering

“All in all, Global E3 provides a wonderful exchange experience for me in 2019 spring semester. I was warmly welcomed at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. The coordinators and advisors of Engineering Exchange Program were really helpful. Many thanks to this experience!”

Fan Zheliang
Fourth-year student in electrical and computer engineering

Some previously transferred courses

The Catholic University Leuven is one of the oldest and largest universities in Belgium, tracing its history to the old University of Leuven, which was founded in Leuven in 1425. It has a world-wide recognized reputation for innovation and cutting-edge science and is counted among the leading universities of the world. Currently, around 60,000 students study at its main campus in Leuven or one of the numerous satellite campuses, scattered throughout Belgium.

Term Dates
Fall: September – February
Spring: February – early June

“The semester I spent at KU Leuven is full of unforgettable memories. In addition to the beautiful nature and historic sceneries I’ve visited, people there are also wonderful, always making me feel at home. My professors are so nice that I can ask questions anytime, even chat with them. Local students are so friendly that they always invite us to parties, or do fun things together. I will never forget the people I met in Belgium!”

Liu Ziwei
Fourth-year student in electrical and computer engineering

Some previously transferred courses

The Friedrich-Alexander University of Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU) was founded in 1743 and has an illustrious history of scientific innovation. Today, it is one of Germany’s top research universities in engineering. Many of its engineering departments are very highly regarded and some form part of the prestigious “excellence clusters” in Germany.
Third- and fourth-year students can take a wide variety of courses at the FAU, ranging from automotive industrial studies to the architecture of super computers. Both mechanical engineering and electrical and computer engineering subjects are well-represented.

Term Dates
Fall: October – March
Spring:April – July

Some previously transferred courses

The Technical University Munich (TUM) is one of Germany’s most renowned technical universities, with a history going back to 1868. It is dedicated to engineering and the science, with nearly all of its 40,000 students enrolled in a technical degree program.
The TUM is a great place to take engineering courses and learn about diverse subjects such as wind energy, vehicle engineering and other modern areas. Students may take courses in any department, including physics, computer science and electrical engineering.

Term Dates
Fall: October – March
Spring: April – July

“The greatest gift I received from studying at TUM was the people I met and worked with. They are so reliable and enthusiastic! I also love the classes I took. The high quality of teaching makes me realize how lucky I am to choose to study over there. In particular, I get to take any courses I’m interested, which allows me to learn something new other than my major. I’m grateful to everyone who’s helped me!”
Li Songqian
Fourth-year student in electrical and computer engineering

Some previously transferred courses

The KIT was created in 2009 when the University of Karlsruhe (founded in 1825) was merged with the Karlsruhe Research Center. KIT is one of Germany’s leading research institutions in science and engineering, ranking first in Germany and among the top 10 European universities as measured by published research papers.
Fourth-year students are encouraged to take courses at the Karlsruhe School of Optics and Photonics, which is an international graduate school of KIT. There, they can take courses preparing for specializations in Photonic Materials & Devices, Advanced Spectroscopy, Biomedical Photonics, Optical Systems and Solar Energy. Courses in Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning are also available from other departments.

Term Dates
Fall: October – March
Spring: April – July

“Studying abroad at KIT is a chance for me to step out of my comfort zone and visit places I’ve never been. Courses are competitive, covering various areas. No matter which subject you’re in, you are always able to find courses of your own interest. Also, I really enjoyed sceneries – Karlsruhe is so convenient to travel around, not only in Germany, but also in Europe. Overall it’s an unforgettable experience for me!”

Feng Shuwan
Fourth-year student in electrical and computer engineering

Some previously transferred courses

With more than 44,000 students, the RWTH Aachen is Germany’s largest university focusing on technical subjects. It receives the most external funding of all German universities and is highly regarded internationally.
Within Germany, it is regularly recognized as having the best programs in electrical, mechanical and chemical engineering.
Junior and Senior students can take a wide variety of courses at the RWTH Aachen ranging through all fields of engineering.

Term Dates
Fall: October – March
Spring: April – July

“RWTH Aachen University is a place one can enjoy both studying and living. The curriculum here is designed to develop students’ interests, making studying a pleasant journey to take on. On the boarder of Germany, the university is close to Netherlands and Belgium, making travel around a breeze.”

Hu Yuwen
Fourth-year student in electrical and computer engineering

Some previously transferred courses

The Delft University of Technology is one of the leading engineering research universities in Europe. Founded in 1842, it currently has 19,000 students in applied sciences and engineering.
The Joint Institute has a student exchange agreement allowing senior students to take courses at one of four participating faculties at the TU Delft:
Faculty of Aerospace Engineering (AE)
Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Sciences (EEMCS)
Faculty of Industrial Design Engineering (IDE)
Faculty of Mechanical, Maritime and Materials Engineering (3ME)

Term Dates
Fall: September – January
Spring: February – July

“Studying at TU Delft has broadened my global vision and helped me greatly in my studies. The university has a complete engineering curriculum that I can find most of the courses I want to take. Life here is slow and comfortable. I really appreciate this opportunity JI’s provided!”

Zhou Shijie
Class of 2019 student in electrical and computer engineering

Some previously transferred courses

The School of Engineering at San Sebastián, also known as TECNUN, is the Technological Campus of the University of Navarra. The School of Engineering offers numerous degrees in engineering at its two campuses in the city of Donostia-San Sebastián. JI students can not only attend the winter program organized by the university, but also can choose to come to the beautiful San Sebastian for a semester.

Term Dates
Fall: September – December
Spring: January – May

The Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm (Kungliga Tekniska Högskolan, KTH) was founded in 1827 and today provides a significant part of Sweden’s university-level higher education. It is regarded as one of the leading universities in science and technology internationally. More than 14,000 undergraduate and 1,700 postgraduate students study at KTH.
Senior students can take a wide variety of English-language courses at the KTH. A wide selection of engineering, humanities, math and science courses is available.

Term Dates
Fall: August – January
Spring: January – early June

“We went to KTH during the spring term for exchange, and the experience has benefited us a lot. We not only took interesting courses, but also travelled around and explored the nation with our new friends we met at KTH. Plunging into a totally different culture is so exciting and challenging! We will always miss KTH and fika!”

Shao Yumeng
Fourth-year student in electrical and computer engineering

Some previously transferred courses

The University of Warwick lies on the outskirts of Coventry in England. It was founded in 1965 and rapidly became one of Britain’s leading universities and research institutions. It is not large, with around 26,000 students, of which around 10,000 are post-graduate students. However, the engineering school has a very strong connection to industry, with many companies co-located on campus.
A good time for JI students to visit is the spring term, which runs from January to March, and features a full range of courses.

Term Dates
Fall: September – December
Spring: January – March

Founded in 1856, the University of Maryland is located in College Park, just outside of Washington DC. With over 37,000 students and 100 undergraduate majors, the University of Maryland has much to offer.
The term dates are very favorable for JI students, since the spring term (January – May) features a full range of courses and ends before JI’s summer term starts.

Term Dates
Fall: September – December
Spring: January – May

Some previously transferred courses

North Carolina State University (NCSU or NC State) traces its origins to 1887, where its precursor was founded as a land-grant college. With 34,000 students is the largest university in North or South Carolina.

Historically, engineering has been one of its core strengths and its engineering program is highly regarded.

The term dates are very favorable for JI students, since the spring term (January – May) features a full range of courses and ends before JI’s summer term starts.

Term Dates

Fall: August – December

Spring: January – May

“Exchanging at NC State University is a precious opportunity for

me to experience the unique American culture and college life. It’s also interesting to see the similarities and differences of education in different countries, which prepares me better for studying abroad in the future.”

Peng Chen

Fourth-year student in electrical and computer engineering

Some previously transferred courses

Documents of application:
Online application;
Basic personal information, personal statement and etc.;
Some programs need TOEFL or IELTS scores.

Duration: 3 weeks courses + 1 week independent travel
Course：Data Analysis, Applied Mechanics, Spanish Language and Culture
Open to：All students

“Never before would I have thought I would one day go to the furthest place of where I live on Earth and regard that place as home for an entire month. Never before would I have expected that the teachers, buddies, and hosts in ITBA and Buenos Aires would be so overwhelmingly friendly and caring to us throughout the whole time. And never before would I have imagined to have the one of a kind experience of hiking within the breathtaking landscape of the Moreno Glaciers and be at the end of the world to meet wild penguins. “I’ll be back. You have my promise.” “I want to live like an Argentine.” “Mark my words: One day I will settle down beside the Argentina Lake.” Dreams have become promises, just as to return to where we met and who we were in that unforgettable summer of 2019.”

Li Tianjun
Second year student in electrical and computer engineering

Duration: 4 weeks courses + 1 week independent travel
Course: Engineering Acoustics
Open to: Second year students and above

“The winter program in Australia is really awesome. You can experience a natural environment that is very different and extremely beautiful. The teaching quality in the University of Adelaide is also quite excellent, and I had a very good time studying there. Hope that one day I could go back!”

Xie Jinglei
Third year student in electrical and computer engineering

Duration: 3 weeks courses + 1 week independent travel
Courses: Entrepreneurship, International Business, Business Analytics, Introduction to Big Data, Machine Learning, and more
Open to: All students

“What impressed me most in the past three weeks is that we get to live in the city center of Montreal. To travel to University of McGill, which is outside the city center, we have to walk across the CBD area or through the underground city, encountering people who are rushing in between home and work. To commute like this, to cook on our own and to hide from the heavy storm is a lifestyle we never get to try before and we quite enjoy living like a local!”

Feng Hanyang
Second year student

Duration: 3 weeks courses + 1 week independent travel
Courses: Experimental Interaction Design, Gamification
Open to: All students

“Tallinn is a beautiful city with its unique culture and history. The courses of the program are not easy but quite interesting, emphasizing on developing our ability of designing and creating. It is a fantastic and unforgettable experience, and I will be happy to come again!”

Zhang Yuxuan
Second year student in electrical and computer engineering

Duration: 4 weeks courses + 1 week independent travel
Courses: Project Management, French Language
Open to: All students

“Attending the UTT Winter Program was an unforgettable experience. The French course enabled us to explore France—the country of romance, and the project management course trained our skills that would be useful in a future engineering project. Besides, France has beautiful sceneries as well as long and fascinating history, making it an ideal location for a winter vacation.”

Zhong Zhen
Third year student in electrical and computer engineering

Duration: 4 weeks courses + 1 week independent travel
Courses: CanSat: Hands on Satellite Design, Programming in Java, Startup Crash Course, 3D Printing, Artificial Intelligence and Robotics
Open to: All students

“Me and my friends experienced the most advanced technologies in the world as well as the unique European culture during the TUB Tech winter program. In classrooms, we got to pitch our own ideas at the start-up crash course, learning how to look at business from a brand new angle. At weekends, TUB organized various cultural activities to fill our spare time, allowing us to interact, also exchange jokes and laughs with teachers and students from all over the world. Traveling in Switzerland, Czech, Netherlands and other cities in Germany was awesome too. The experience has left us with tons of exciting moments and so many pictures that we don’t want to delete.”

Yang Ziqi
Second year student in electrical and computer engineering

Duration: 4 weeks courses + 1 week independent travel
Courses: German Language (Vw110)
Open to: All students

“Language learning is a profound process which contains not only vocabulary, gramma and pronunciation but also the culture that the language belongs to. We visited historical exhibition in Berlin, car factories in Leipzig and Dresden, and communicated a lot with local people. After the program, most of us continue to learn German, wishing to have a deeper understanding of the nation, the people and the language. “

Chen Yujie
Third year student in electrical and computer engineering

Duration: 3 weeks courses + 1 week independent travel
Courses: European Art and Culture – Through the Perspective of a Middle-European Town
Open to: All students

“Pecs is small enough to be safe, and big enough to be interesting. The lectures are not limited in the classroom, and the workload is not heavy. We had enough time to explore the city with classmates and teachers, and to get know of each other.”

Li Oumeng
First year student

Duration: 3 weeks courses + 1 week independent travel
Courses: Japanese Language and Culture
Open to: All students

“I really enjoyed my time in Kyoto, as well as at Ritsumeikan University. Mr. Tanaka and other teachers were very kind and helpful. During the program, I did many fun activities and visited lots of beautiful temples and shrines. I even went to Osaka for my idol’s live show! I will definitely return in the future.”

Shen Tianhong
Class of 2019 student in electrical and computer engineering

Duration: 4 weeks courses + 1 week independent travel
Courses: Japanese Language, Japanese Business and Economy, Education in Japan, Contemporary Japanese Culture and Society, Media and Contemporary Issues in Japan
Open to: Second year students and above

“The program with Sophia University is a good chance to know and learn more about our neighbor, Japan. In Sophia, you can have a totally different perspective to see the world.”

Shi Jian
Third-year student in electrical and computer engineering

Duration: 2 weeks courses + 1 week independent travel
Courses: Turbomachinery, Nuclear Engineering, Electrical Engineering
Open to: All students

“I like for you to be still; as though voices are absorbed by the heavy snow. I like for you to be still; waiting for another challenging moment. And I am happy, happy to have seen everything true and pure.”

Zhong Shijie
Second year student in mechanical engineering

Duration: 4 weeks courses + 1 week independent travel
Courses: Machine Learning and Data Analytics, Spanish: Communication and Culture
Open to: All students

“The Spain program consists of tech lectures, language courses, designed city trips and a one-week self-guided tour. During our stay in Spain, not only did we learn a lot, but we also enjoyed the fantastic scenery and experienced the local customs and culture. The winter program in Spain is a really meaningful and unforgettable trip, broadening our horizons and strengthening our friendship.”

Ji Yuyuan
Second year student in mechanical engineering

Duration: 4 weeks courses + 1 week independent travel
Courses: Humanitarian Engineering
Open to: All students

“The 27 days in UK gave us enough time to experience this great country. Enthusiastic, poetic, graceful, traditional, vigorous, diverse, that is England. Monotonous food, capricious climate, invasive history, precarious society, that is also England. All of them form the memorable and wonder England in my deep deep dream.”

Li Beiming
Second year student in electrical and computer engineering

Duration: 2 weeks courses + 1 week independent travel
Courses: Mechanic Design, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Cyber security, Computer science in healthcare and Computer programming
Open to: All students

“The three-week-long winter program is a brilliant journey overall. We have gained a rich fund of knowledge, special tastes of another country’s culture and many new good friends. There were unforgettable times when we stared at the flourishing city, painting the darkened night sky with wonderful memories and expectations.”

Bai Yuanchen
Second year student in electrical and computer engineering

Duration: 4 weeks courses + 1 week independent travel
Courses: Research Program
Open to: All students

“This 40-day experience have left us with great memories. We met professors and PhD students who guided us to carry out work in the lab. We also met friends from different countries to celebrate Chinese Spring Festival, watch ice hockey match and so on…The most special part of this program is to give us the opportunity to experience the lab work and daily life of the US students.”

Qiang Lyubing
Second year student in electrical and computer engineering