Get a flight ticket for Denmark next summer and begin studying: From August 2009, VIA University College will provide two new international bachelor programmes in engineering– Bachelor Programme in Civil Engineering and Bachelor Programme in Mechanical Engineering – to young people from Iceland and the rest of the world. Study programmes which have only been provided in Danish until now.
To read this article in Icelandic click here >>
The aim is to educate engineers who automatically will think along global lines. Thus, the programmes are offered in an environment with more than 2500 students of which approx. 900 have an international background, and where English is used both in the teaching, in the canteen and with friends. And that is an important tool and a good experience to have for the future.
This will benefit future Icelandic students, as VIA University College is hoping to attract even more Icelandic students now the technical language is English.
One of the Icelandic students attending the fourth semester on the present Danish Bachelor Programme in Civil Engineering is Eva Thrastardottir from Hafnafjordur.
If she could choose between the new and the old programme, she has no doubts:
”I would choose the new one! I could speak Danish when I moved to Denmark so that made everything easier, but it is a little hard to study in a third language. I am a thousand times better at English and I am very excited about studying in English on the 6th and 7th semester.”
”Many companies are demanding that we educate people with an international approach, because they operate in most parts of the world,” says Konstantin Lassithiotakis, Executive Director of the School of Technology and Business in Horsens.
In his experience, more and more companies in Denmark and the rest of the world are choosing English as a corporate language. This is one of the reasons why the teaching is held in English and the international aspects in the study environment are extremely important.
”Our attitude is that all programmes applicable in an international setting must be provided in English. It is more a matter of means than aim that we educate engineers with international skills”, Konstantin Lassithiotakis says.
However, Eva’s expectations about the profession have been fulfilled completely:
”I thought that it would be great to be a civil engineer: they make the big decisions on where and how buildings are to be built, and there are quite a lot of specializations to choose from. And the pay is pretty good,” she tells and elaborates on her choosing Denmark, ”It was actually rather easy moving to Denmark, e.g. the culture is not that different from that of Iceland, and I really believe that most Icelanders like to be in Denmark. There is no need at all for us to be scared about coming here,” she says with a smile.
”When I came to VIA I was really good at the theory, but here you learn so much more. I think the study environment and the teaching are fascinating with projects from the real world. It strengthens your confidence more when you are about to enter the labor market than if you had only learnt everything from a book. I had to be part of that.” Thus, Eva has settled well at the University College and in the city of Horsens, ”It is great fun to learn here!”
An Icelander with a less firm hold on Danish is Sigurbjörn Jonsson. He is dreaming about participating in making Reykjavik and Keflavik larger, more beautiful and a better place to live. There is just one problem: he lacks education. Therefore, he is attending VIA’s Admission Course for the programmes in engineering in order to get the qualifications required to study on the programme. It was an easy decision, though, because he was certain that he would not get lonely studying abroad, ”I knew there were many Icelanders down here, and in fact only more have come. At the same time, the course is vital for me. Without the mathematics and physics of the course I would never have been able to study further,” he tells and concludes, ”I have not had any regrets about my decision.”
Even though the 1-year Admission Course is in Danish, it provides a good opportunity to get the qualifications needed specifically for a programme in engineering, in particular if you lack education or would like to get to know the study environment.
Eva’s years in Denmark have given her an urge to go even further out in the world and her dreams don’t stop in Horsens. She will use her degree to experience the deserts of Dubai, the crowd of people in Bangkok and anywhere else where she can leave her mark.
”To get a Danish Degree Certificate is to me a useful ticket further out in the world. After a couple of years in a real international institution, I am ready to try something even more ’exotic’.”
Facts:
- A study programme in Denmark is free of charge for Icelanders.
- It is easy to get accommodation through the association ”Drosselbo” that administers more than 700 youth residences and rooms at the hall of residence. A capacity that is being extended by several hundred new residences scheduled to be ready for occupation by the end of 2009.
- The Bachelor Programme in Civil Engineering will prepare you for a career where you can plan, design and build large and small buildings or airports, bridges, tunnels, roads, etc.
- The Bachelor Programme in Mechanical Engineering will prepare you for a career where you can design and construct small and large products e.g. tools, hospital equipment, planes, ships, etc.
- Both new programmes can be completed in only 3½ years.
- The new international programmes build on the experiences from the present programmes held in Danish.
- The School of Technology and Business have the latest IT and teaching facilities available in completely new buildings. The teaching is conducted by our staff of teachers that have many different technical backgrounds, as well as guest lecturers from the more than 200 institutions, schools and universities VIA University College cooperates with.
- Each study course includes an extensive welcoming schedule and the Student Service is always ready to offer help.
- Through the study course, we also offer guidance in our Career Service Center, where students can get help in finding a job after having completed their study programme.
- VIA University College is Denmark’s largest University College and one of Denmark’s largest educational institutions with approx. 17000 students on seven campuses in Central Denmark Region.
Do you also want to get a Bachelor Degree in Civil Engineering or Mechanical Engineering and have the skills to work all over the world?
Admission to the international line has already begun!
Read more at www.viauc.com or www.viauc.dk
This article about VIA University College’s Bachelor Programmes in Civil Engineering and Mechanical Engineering can be freely used for editorial purposes, for further information and comments please contact:
International Coordinator Randi Warncke Nissen
rwn@viauc.dk, tel.no. +45 87 55 41 92
