G402 BSc Hons Computer Science/North America-Australasia and
G403 BSc Hons Computer Science/Europe

North-America, Australasia or Europe?

The Computing Department offers two international degree schemes, one targeted at North America and Australasia and the other at Europe. The two schemes offer a unique opportunity to spend your second year abroad at one of Lancaster's world-class partner institutions. The schemes build upon the highly successful exchange programme the University of Lancaster has operated over 20 years with Universities in the USA and Canada, and more recently Australia, New Zealand and Europe. The year abroad is not an add-on to your degree; it is fully integrated so that you can complete your BSc in just three years. Students who have used this opportunity often say that their year abroad has been a unique life-changing experience that has considerably increased their employment prospects in a world-market economy. It is also an incredible opportunity to discover a foreign culture, broaden one's personal horizons, meet new friends, and better understand the very rich world we live in.

At Lancaster, we have designed our international B.Sc. in Computer Science with simplicity in mind. Part I is identical to G400. During your first year you apply at the particular institution you would like to spend your second year abroad at. While abroad, you study courses that are compatible with those you would have studied in Lancaster during your second year. All partner universities of Lancaster are world-class institutions offering courses of extremely high standards. Your year abroad is thus an opportunity to choose subjects you possibly would have not been able to study at Lancaster, as long as they remain compatible with our general B.Sc. requirements.

When you come back the results you obtained abroad are converted into Lancaster grades and count towards your degree's classification. You then spend your third and final year here are Lancaster.

What help do you get before and during your year abroad?

The University's International office takes care of your logistic needs while the Departmental study abroad adviser takes care of your educational needs. After a series of briefings with advisers, and informal get-togethers with students who have just returned from their year abroad, you decide which University you would like to attend. The departmental adviser will then help you select appropriate courses to take, while the International office will help you fill out all the relevant paperwork (accommodation, visas etc). During your year abroad, the International office at the Partner University will take care of your welfare via meetings, social events and excursions. Your Lancaster University Departmental adviser will remain in close contact with you, via email and a virtual tutorial group, to ensure that your academic studies are progressing satisfactorily.

What will it cost?

The year abroad does not cost as much as you think. We normally recommend students to budget for an extra £600-£2,000 over their standard annual expenses depending on where they travel. There is financial help available in the form of (i) reduced fees to Lancaster University, (ii) an enhanced student loan, (iii) an Erasmus bursary for students going to Europe (£1800/year in 2006), and (iv) your Local Education Authority (LEA) might provide you with additional funding, although this is worth checking now as different LEAs have different policies. In Europe, you are also entitled to use public health services if you are enrolled on the NHS, thus making any additional medical insurance particularly affordable. There are also opportunities to earn extra money whilst abroad. In North America, the student visa allows you to work on campus only, but there are many positions available. In Australasia, the student visa allows you to work anywhere, and you have a three-month summer break (November February), in between the two semesters, in which to do this and/or travel. In Europe, you are also entitled to work anywhere in the European Union if you are a British national. In fact, travelling around your host country is the most significant 'extra expense' incurred by students during their year abroad… but it has to be done! You can find out more about the help available to finance the additional costs of year abroad here.

Typical entry requirements

A/AS-Level: AAB A-level grades. We expect three A-levels. One of the A-levels must be Maths.

General Studies: Not included in the offer.
UCAS tariff: 340 UCAS tariff points.
Key Skills: Not included in the offer.
GCSE: English Language grade C.
AVCEs: Not included in the offer.

BTEC: DDM grades overall.
HNC/D in Computing: Merits in all relevant units with pass in remaining units considered for first year entry. Direct entry to Part II is not possible for this scheme.
Mature students: Applications welcome. Evidence is required of formal study, including Access to Higher Education courses, within the past three years. We always interview mature students.

Because study abroad places are limited (25 per year), competition is high and thus placements are conditional upon getting good grades in both your entry qualification and within the first year of study at Lancaster. Our current typical offer is AAB with Math for our international schemes.

If, at any time during your first year, you decide that you no longer want to study abroad, you can simply switch to the 'standard' degree scheme… but isn't it nice to have the choice of accepting or refusing a place?

Still undecided?

Here are some examples of typical answers from students when asked about their year abroad… “Wonderful best year of my life. I discovered new interests, met loads of incredible people, and took part in activities and events that I would never have had the opportunity to do in England”… “Absolutely brilliant! Worth every dollar!”.

If you require further information, specifically about the year abroad, then please feel free to contact

Dr François Taïani
Study Abroad Adviser
Dept. of Computer Science
Lancaster University
Lancaster LA1 4WA
Email: taiani@comp.lancs.ac.uk
Tel: 01524 510338

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