Turn all materials including transcript & references in to:
Lauren Stolper, Director of Study Abroad
Room 319 in the Student Services Center on Holliston, Mail Code 319-87
The Edinburgh Scholars Program is a study abroad program in which Caltech students study at the University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland during their junior or senior year. Students can study during the Caltech Fall Term only. The dates for the Edinburgh 2008 fall semester are Monday, September 22 through Friday, December 19. Participants are required to attend the orientation (induction) that is held the week prior to the start of the semester and program participants must arrive by September 13, 2008.
Edinburgh Fall 2008 Calendar (provisional calendar)
Edinburgh City Holiday Sept. 15 — University Closed
Induction Week: Sept. 16-19
Start of Semester 1 Sept. 22
& Start of Teaching Block 1
End of Teaching Block 1: Oct. 31
Start of Teaching Block 2: Nov. 3
End of Teaching Block 2: Dec. 5
Examinations: Dec. 8-19
End of Semester 1 Dec. 19
Note that participants must remain at Edinburgh for the entire fall term with the exception of weekends. Students may travel in Britain or Europe before the program starts or after it ends. Note well that students are required to attend all classes, labs and lectures and weekend trips must not interfere with lecture, lab or seminar attendance. Final examinations are formal and must be taken on the official date.
THE UNIVERSITY OF EDINBURGH: Location, History, and Study Body
There are 20,000 students at the university. Of these about 3,800 are from abroad including the U.S. Because of its large student population, the City of Edinburgh is geared towards offering entertainment and facilities that suit the student community. There is a very European tone to the city with a vibrant restaurant, pub, music, club and café scene. As a capital city, Edinburgh provides many opportunities to see name performers of every music genre from classical, to country, to folk to rock.
Edinburgh is a truly beautiful city, located on the Firth of Forth with a captivating cityscape that includes an ancient volcanic crag called Arthur’s Seat and a 12th century castle, which is perched above the city center. The city is divided into the medieval Old Town and Georgian New Town. (Note: Edinburgh is located on the estuary or Firth of the River Forth, where it flows into the North Sea between Fife to the north, and West Lothian, the City of Edinburgh, and East Lothian to the south.)
Subjects in the College of Science and Engineering are taught at the King’s Buildings, two miles south of the city center. Just minutes by bus or bike from the city center, the King’s Buildings are a self-contained campus serving over 6000 students studying science or engineering. There is an on-site student union, squash courts, a sauna, and a gym. Classes in the humanities and social science are held in the George Square or Central campus, which is near the city center. The university runs a shuttle bus between the two campuses during weekdays. To see the site go to: http://www.ed.ac.uk/maps/kings-buildings/. http://www.ed.ac.uk/maps/central-area/. You can take a self-guided campus tour at: http://www.ed.ac.uk/explore/places/tours/tour_kb.html.
Caltech students will live in one of the Pollock Halls of residence within walking or biking distance to the King’s Buildings, the location of the science and engineering campus. The Pollock complex is within a half mile from the main George Square campus. All rooms are singles and just over half have a private bathroom (ensuite). There is full-board plan at Pollock and students are served breakfast and dinner on weekdays and brunch and dinner on weekends. All rooms have phones and a computer/internet connection. More than 2,000 students live in the Pollock complex. On site are squash courts, a store, several bars, ATM (Cash Point) facilities, and a library. It is a lively, social complex located adjacent to beautiful Holyrood Park and Arthur’s Seat. A swimming and sports complex are close by and the city center is within easy walking distance: http://www.ed.ac.uk/studying/accommodation/types/full-board.html.
Due to the length of the Edinburgh semester, there is a housing/board supplement charged to cover the additional weeks of room and board. This supplement depends on UCL charges and the exchange rate. In 2007 the combined supplement for room and board was $1,450 per semester. Note that this includes weekend meals for 13 weeks as well as three additional weeks of room charges (over Caltech’s 10 weeks.) Students on financial aid may be eligible for additional funding to cover these and other room/board costs and may include these costs plus the cost of additional weekday lunches and weekend meals in their financial aid budget request. However, students should note that the individual need level of each student will dictate whether or not additional funds are awarded to cover such expenses.
The University is organized into 3 Colleges:
Humanities & Social Science
Science & Engineering
Medicine & Veterinary Medicine-No courses can be taken in this college!
These three Colleges contain a total of 21 Schools.
(The College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine does not participate in the Visiting Student program, but for future medics, (pre-med students) some Medical Science courses are available through the College of Science and Engineering).
IMPORTANT: Note that students can only take 20 Edinburgh credits in the College of Humanities and Social Science. The only exception to this are students with a primary option in BEM/Economics who can take two courses (40 credits) in the Economics Department. Note that the Geography Department, which is in the College of Science and Engineering offers many social science oriented courses, e.g., Gender, Sexuality, and the City.
The Guide for Visiting Students is a good starting point for researching course options: http://www.ed.ac.uk/studying/visitingstudent/.
Due to the terms of our exchange, Caltech students can choose any course within the Faculties of Humanities & Social Science (up to 20 credits) or Science & Engineering for which they have proper background and for which there is not limited registration. Limited registration courses (usually senior seminars) can be taken only with the approval of the department offering the course. Note that students may not take graduate level courses or seminars in the humanities or social sciences. Consult the website URLs at the end of this handout for course information. Also note that some full year courses do not allow fall only enrollment. The DRPS (course catalog) notes which semester a course is taught: The DRPS (Degree Regulations and Programmes of Study) is found at: http://www.drps.ed.ac.uk/07-08/regulations/main_intro.php.
Students will be required to take at least two courses in the department of your Caltech option or in a highly related field. The remaining one to three courses are your choice within the College of Science and Engineering or 20 credits (usually one course) in the College of Humanities and Social Science.
Note you must take at least 4 courses and a minimum of 60 Edinburgh credits up to a maximum of 80 Edinburgh credits-no more and no less! Most students take 70 credits. Most courses in the humanities, social sciences, and sciences are 20 credits each. Many courses in engineering are 10 credits each.
Courses in the humanities and social science can be taken to fulfill CIT humanities and social sciences requirements provided that you obtain Caltech’s HSS departmental permission by the Social Science or Humanities Executive Officer through an evaluation agreement-this is done after students are selected for study abroad. A 10-credit course is equal to 9 Caltech units. A 20-credit course is equal to 12 Caltech units. Your proposal should list 4 to 5 courses totaling 60 to 80 Edinburgh credits.
Teaching methods will usually consist of a combination of lectures and tutorials, with laboratory work for science-based courses. For most courses lectures form the primary teaching method. The lectures provide a guide to the subject matter and set out the foundations on which students are expected to build their understanding of the subject through labs, problems sets, essays, reading, or projects as appropriate to the course being taken.
The tutorials will consist of a small group of students and will provide the opportunity to develop themes and discuss problems, usually on the basis of written work or problem sets. The style of teaching at Edinburgh will differ from what you are used to at. You may find that you have fewer hours of direct teaching (this will depend on the subject area), and in this case, you are expected to study in the library, work through the reading list and demonstrate your work in essays, problems sets, and exams and by contribution in tutorials.
Students will not take final exams given at the end of the year, but will be required to take any semester hour or end of fall semester final exams if such are given and do all required work.
Note Well: as with all of our study abroad programs all work must be completed and turned in by the end of the host university’s semester or term and prior to departing the host university. No extensions are granted for any reason.
Caltech students will be evaluated by Caltech and Edinburgh faculty on a special evaluation form. Students will take all courses at Edinburgh for grades, but only credit or no credit will transfer to the Caltech transcript. Students can receive option, Institute, or general units and with permission use Edinburgh courses to fulfill general, Institute, or option requirements.
DO NOT HESITATE TO COME BY OUR OFFICE (FELLOWSHIPS & STUDY ABROAD-STUDENT SERVICES CENTER, RM 317) IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS. It is helpful if you call first, ext 2150 or email, and schedule a meeting time. The director of study abroad will handle walk-in questions as time allows.
Note that Caltech will have its own selection process. Therefore, if you come across any directions on the University of Edinburgh web pages about how to apply for visiting student status, please ignore this information.
Note that when you copy course descriptions from web pages; please adjust the spacing so that the descriptions are single-spaced.
You can reach the main EDINBURGH web page at: http://www.ed.ac.uk/.
• Courses are designated by level. Courses taken by 3rd and 4th year students (juniors and seniors) are at level 9 and 10. Level 11 courses are for 4th and 5th year students and may be restricted to 5th year students in some cases.
To find courses at different levels go to: http://www.ed.ac.uk/studying/visitingstudent/courses/dsp-schools.html?session=1.
Note that you should choose at least two courses in your option or a related field at the upperclass course level. If you are a double major you should select one of your fields to be your primary field of study at Edinburgh.
• If you wish to take a course in a subject in which it would be more appropriate for you to take an entry level course because you have no or minimal background you should take courses at Level 7 or 8. Level 7 and 8 courses are most commonly taken in the first and second year of a full-time degree program or by visiting students with little or no background in the subject.
To access the DRPS (course catalog) go to: http://www.drps.ed.ac.uk/07-08/regulations/main_intro.php
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The Visiting Student Guide at http://www.ed.ac.uk/studying/visitingstudent/ also lists courses often taken by visiting students. Go to Course Finder. But note well that Caltech students are not limited to this list. However, the list is a good starting point to begin to understand the academic options available.
If you need more information about a course you should write directly to the department or instructor. Note that for full year courses, you will almost certainly have to contact the instructor or department to learn which topics are covered in the fall and to determine if not clearly in the course information that students may take the fall semester only of a full year course.