The advent of the global market means there are now numerous opportunities to develop a career outside of the UK. This is especially true of the computing and microelectronic industries. For this reason, several years ago we introduced two new versions of our degree courses which allow you to spend one year of your course studying at a university in another country. This gives you the opportunity to experience a different culture, to gain a wider perspective of the world and to make contacts which may prove useful in a future career.

The courses are designed so that you spend your third year at another university. The Study in Continental Europe courses allow you study in a European country, whilst the Study Abroad courses allow you to study in a country for which English is the language of instruction. This includes the USA, Australia, Canada and some universities in Hong Kong. If you go to a non-English speaking country then you will need to take suitable language units during your first two years so that you become proficient to study in that country.

There are a wide range of options for both the country and university that you visit. The main criteria are that the courses offered by the partner University are of a standard and content comparable to that at Bristol and that we have or are able to set up a suitable contact. This enables us to ensure that your studies will progress as we would normally expect and that you will have a suitable advisor whilst you are abroad. To date, we have had many students take this route, visiting countries such as Germany, France, Italy, and the USA.


Clifton Suspension Bridge

Nikita Patel 2006 Graduate

When I came to the University I knew I wanted to move to the United States upon graduation to pursue a career in animation. With this decision in mind, along with the support of staff, I spent my third year in Texas at Rice University.
I signed up for various Computer Science units in Texas and took the opportunity to learn new skills such as Digital Photography. Aside from studying, the social life at the University was very active and the weather unbelievably warm. This gave rise to many outdoor events held by the halls of residence. Rice University is an extremely welcoming community; people are friendly, open and out-going. I met people with similar interests, made friends I still keep in touch with and received constant guidance from my colleagues and University staff.
The experience as a whole, although challenging at times, was unforgettable, extremely enjoyable and worth all of the effort. I have shared my experiences with friends in Bristol; it has made me more confident and open-minded, which in turn has made me a better student and has had a fantastic influence in helping me attain high grades in my final year.

Institutions visited by our students in recent years:

University of California San Diego, USA

University of California Los Angeles, USA

EFREI Villejuif, France

Universita di Pisa Pisa, Italy

Fachhochschule Karlsruhe
-Hochschule fur Technik Karlsruhe, Germany

All of these students have benefited enormously from the experience and without exception have gone on to gain very good degrees.