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UO Lab in Germany

The Chemical Engineering department initiated an undergraduate student exchange program with the Ruhr University of Bochum (RUB) in 2015.  VT students visit RUB for 8 weeks during the summer, complete the Unit Operations Laboratory course and participate in an undergraduate research project.  Students must also complete a 1 Credit CHE 4024 Unit Operations and Scale-Up (in the Fall Semester of their senior year). 

Due to the exchange nature of the program, VT students pay Virginia Tech summer tuition (in-state or out-of-state) when participating in the program (in addition to the cost of travel, housing, and fees at RUB.)

RUB Unit Operations Lab Student Exchange

Course 136401 and 130000

Summer Exchange Program for VT students at RUB
Tentative 2022 Dates:  May 23 - July 15

Location:

Ruhr University of Bochum
Located in Bochum, Germany

Credit:

Virginia Tech requires a minimum grade of C to award transfer credit. The transfer credit (no grade) partially satisfies the U.O. Lab requirement for the B.S. degree in chemical engineering. Students must also complete CHE 4024 following this U.O. Lab experience.

Costs:

Approximate Costs:

 

Tuition:
Virginia Tech tuition and comprehensive university fees will be billed according to the University Bursar policy for 6 credit hours during the Summer Session

Administration Fee: $300 (this is paid to the Bursar at VT and is non-refundable)

Health Insurance (obtained from CISI through VT – required): ~$35/month

Housing (paid to RUB): ~ €300/month

Social Contribution Fee (paid to RUB): €300 (this allows access to RUB student facilities and includes a regional transit pass for use on trains, trams, and buses in the area)

Travel and Food:  these are the responsibility of the student .

 

Lab:

Students work in groups to complete 7 experiments and corresponding reports (5 credits). Students also work in 2-person groups on an undergraduate research project under the direction of an RUB grad student or faculty member (1 credit).

Scholarships:

Scholarship funds are not currently available through the CHE department for the RUB exchange.

Application Procedure & Deadlines:

Students must have an in-major GPA of at least 2.5 (as of January 2022) to be eligible for the program.

January 28, 2022: Students must submit the following to Ms. Jenn Clark (jclark82@vt.edu) as a single PDF file tilted “lastname_firstname” that includes a current résumé (with both overall and in-major GPA) and a short (less than 1 page) statement of interest (i.e. why you want to participate in the program). (Students applying to both Denmark and Germany programs should submit a single application, indicating interest in both programs but preference for one program over the other.)

mid-February, 2022: Offers  made.

mid-February, 2022: Application materials due to the VT Global Education Office

For more information:

Virginia Tech Global Education Office

 

Ruhr University of Bochum

City of Bochum