Spotlight On: The Penn compact

With outstanding international faculty, the largest international contingent of students in the Ivy League, and a strong track record of translating cutting-edge theory into effective practice, Penn is a leader in contributing vital research and on-the-ground support to communities in Asia, Africa, Europe, and Latin America.

Many of our schools and centers collaborate with partner institutions around the world. Penn is now moving forward to nurture these networks and to encourage more innovative, cross-disciplinary solutions to global problems.

Learn more about the Penn Compact.

Serving through rehabilitation engineering

Traveling from Philadelphia to Hong Kong and Guangzhou, China, Penn Engineering students and faculty are joining forces to provide much needed services in prosthetics and orthotics to those who need it most.

Our Bioengineering-based Global Biomedical Service program sends undergraduates to work with amputees and children with cerebral palsy in southern China. They provide interventions and solutions that improve their daily living activities.

Adults who receive new artificial legs become more viable in the job marketplace again. And, through this real-world experience, our students learn lessons of a lifetime, crossing the boundaries of culture, race, place, and socio-economic status. They learn firsthand how technology makes a world of difference in people’s lives.

International Opportunities

Experience in an international setting is something that Penn Engineering strongly encourages students to obtain. By spending time in another country, students learn to see things from another perspective and develop skills in a hands-on way. Two paths that can be taken to have experiences abroad through Penn are by participating in Service Learning projects, and by spending a semester or a year abroad. Read on to find out about these exciting opportunities.

Service Learning

Service Learning is a unique form of outreach, in which the individual performing the service engages not only in the act of service, but also applies knowledge gained in the classroom in a hands-on way. Two of our best-known International service-learning organizations are the Penn Engineers Without Borders (EWB) and the Global BioMedical Service Program (GBS). To read about international service-learning opportunities, click here.

Study Abroad

Penn Engineering is committed to preparing its students to become technological leaders throughout the world. Toward that end, we strongly encourage undergraduates to participate in an international experience- either through traditional study abroad programs or international internships.

Through the Office of International Programs, Penn Engineering students are afforded opportunities for study in some fifty countries in Africa, Asia, Australia, Eastern and Western Europe, and Latin America. For students who already have proficiency in another language, there are extensive opportunities to study in the language of the host country- and develop the kind of skills that will prepare you for a career in the global workplace. Other programs focus primarily on the enhancement of language skills while offering special opportunities for studying humanities, social science, science and engineering. If you prefer to study in English while simultaneously learning the local language there are programs for students to spend a semester abroad in the sophomore year. For more information, visit the Office of International Programs.

International Internships

Besides participating in formal study abroad programs, many Penn Engineering students take advantage of opportunities for international internships and research. A helpful place to start looking for international internships is Career Services.

If you are interested in a career path that may involve studying or working abroad, Penn will help you explore your options early in your academic career and help you plan a course of study that will allow you to make maximum use of the resources available.

For more information, visit the Office of International Programs and Career Services