Offered during the Fall Semester, the Sydney Study Abroad Program is a one-semester experience in Sydney that allows students the opportunity to explore one of the most progressive cities in the Pacific Rim region while earning credit to advance their undergraduate degree. Coursework focuses on various aspects of Australia’s dynamic history and contemporary culture, including its literature, politics, economy, and media.
Students enroll in four courses for a total of 16 Boston University credits.
Requirements & Considerations
- All students must enroll according to, and remain in compliance with, the Boston University Study Abroad Course Load Policy.
- All students must complete the full 16-credit program.
- Non-US citizens please review this summary of visa requirements taken from the Australian Government Department of Home Affairs prior to applying.
- Admissions requirements for all programs
Curriculum
During the first part of the program, students take a core course and one elective.
Note: Syllabi are for course approval and reference only. Students will receive up-to-date syllabi when their courses begin.
Required Course
All students enroll in this course during the first six weeks.
- CAS AN 368 Australian Culture & Society (4 credits)
- This course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas:
- Historical Consciousness
- Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
- Research and Information Literacy
- Major focus on Australia’s global and national development as a multicultural nation with European roots, traditional western alliances and an imagined future in the Asia-Pacific region. The themes of continuity and change in relation to the Aboriginal population are explored in some detail.
- Syllabus
- This course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas:
During the final seven weeks, students enroll in two elective courses.
Elective Courses
Students choose a total three of the following during the semester. The schedule and course offerings vary each semester. Students will receive further information on the elective courses prior to their departure.
- CAS AH 374 Australian Art & Architecture (4 credits)
- This course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas:
- Aesthetic Exploration
- Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
- Australia owns the world’s oldest continuing art tradition (indigenous Australian art) and the youngest tradition. This course focuses on key artists, in an historical and an international context, against themes of landscape, urbanism, abstraction, realism, the noble savage, and modernism.
- Syllabus
- This course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas:
- CAS CS 330 Intro to Analysis of Algorithms (4)
- Undergraduate Prerequisites: CASCS112, CASCS131, and CASCS132; or CASCS235 or CASCS237
- This course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas:
- Quantitative Reasoning II
- Critical Thinking
- Examines the basic principles of algorithm design and analysis; graph algorithms; greedy algorithms; dynamic programming; network flows; polynomial- time reductions; NP-hard and NP-complete problems; approximation algorithms; randomized algorithms.
- CAS CS 411 Software Engineering (4)
- Undergraduate Prerequisites: CASCS112
- This course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area:
- Teamwork/Collaboration
- Introduction to the construction of reliable software. Topics may include software tools, software testing methodologies, retrofitting, regression testing, structured design and structured programming, software characteristics and quality, complexity, entropy, deadlock, fault tolerance, formal proofs of program correctness, chief program teams, and structured walk-throughs.
- CAS EC 464 The Pacific Rim: Economic and Political Orders (4)
- This course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area:
- Critical Thinking
- The course focuses on the origins and dynamics of the ‘miracle’ Asia/Pacific economic growth, emphasizing its impact on Australia. This region was the crucible for a global shift in political, economic and strategic power from the ‘developed’ western economies to Asia/Pacific.
- Syllabus
- This course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area:
- CAS EN 383 Australian Literature - From Page to Screen (4)
- This course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas:
- Aesthetic Exploration
- Writing-Intensive Course
- Creativity/Innovation
- This course is designed to introduce students to the literature of Australia through an eclectic collection of texts, and diverse forms and genres of writing, including the adaptation from page to screen. A major focus is "What is Australian Identity?".
- Syllabus
- This course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas:
- CAS HI 356 Empires and Soft Power: A History of International Relations and Sport in the Pacific Rim (4)
- This course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area:
- Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
- This course explores the cultural, economic, diplomatic, and legal developments in sport in the region as a background to building management skills. While the course has a focus on understanding these elements with a view to informing sport management, it will also interest those who want to understand the interplay of the myriad nations of the region through cultural, diplomatic, legal, political, and other areas using the sport industry as a lens.
- Syllabus
- This course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area:
- CAS IR 339 Australia and the Politics of Regional Security in Asia-Pacific (4)Effective
Spring '21- This course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area:
- Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
- This course examines the new era of regional security in the Asia Pacific to understand the public policy implications for Australia and the United States. Students will be able to identify and understand how the region could evolve.
- Syllabus
- This course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area:
- CAS PO 260 The Australian Political System (4)
- This course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area:
- Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
- An introduction to the study of Australian politics and government, focusing on basic institutions such as Federation, the Constitution, pressure groups, political parties, Parliament, and Cabinet; and the major political institutions and processes in Australia; approaches used in the study of politics; and experience and expertise in oral and written analysis. Suter.
- Syllabus
- This course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area:
- CAS SO 308 Australian Social Policy (4)
- This course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas:
- Social Inquiry II
- Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
- Critical Thinking
- This is an interdisciplinary introduction to concepts and issues entailed in critically evaluating Australian social policy as a field of academic study and a site of contemporary action, including policies for health, human rights, women and work, and Indigenous Australians.
- Syllabus
- This course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas:
- COM CM 406 Brand Advertising and Promotion (4)
- This course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area:
- Oral and/or Signed Communication
- This intensive course adopts a ‘theory-into-practice’ stance to the strategic planning of brand advertising & promotional campaigns. While cognizant of the diverse aspirations and experience of Study Abroad students the course features universally applicable brand campaign planning approaches and methodologies.
- Syllabus
- This course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area:
- COM CO 350 Mass Media in Australia (4)
- Contemporary issues associated with Australian mass media and film. Key areas of film, television, print, advertising, and radio, plus media ownership and government legislation in Australia. The emphasis of the course will be on current Australian media and film production.
- Syllabus
- COM FT 345 Australian Cinema (4)
- This course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas:
- Philosophical Inquiry & Life's Meaning
- Aesthetic Exploration
- Australia produced The Story of the Kelly Gang (1906), the world’s first full-length feature film. This course follows the local industry from a national to international identity, highlighting distinctly Australian characters alongside themes of city, bush and the outback.
- Syllabus
- This course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas:
- COM FT 352 Motion Picture Production Using Digital Technology (4)
- This course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas:
- Digital/Multimedia Expression
- Teamwork/Collaboration
- Spring only.
- This course is designed to provide students with basic practical and theoretical skills to visualise factual and fictional scripted information and from this, produce a film project which demonstrates these skills and which can be used for future employment opportunities.
- Syllabus
- This course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas:
- SHA HF 328 The Australian Wine Industry (4)
- This course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas:
- Scientific Inquiry I
- Ethical Reasoning
- Critical Thinking
- This course introduces students to the Australian Wine Industry. The focus will be on the history, location, culture and development of the Australian Wine Industry, the process involved in the production of wine, the business of the Australian Wine Industry, and the basic skills of wine tasting.
- Syllabus
- This course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas:
- Questrom MK 463 Services Marketing and Management (4)
- Fall only. Prerequisite: Questrom MK 323 Marketing Management.
- Covers topics relating to customer service management and focuses on the role of marketing in managing services. Also covered are human resource, information management, operational, and financial overlaps with marketing throughout the course.
- Syllabus
- Questrom MK 467 International Marketing Management (4)
- Fall only. Course also offered on the summer Sydney Internship Program. Prerequisite: Questrom MK 323 Marketing Management.
- Develops a critical appreciation of both the opportunities and challenges associated with the increasing globalization of markets. Students learn about the key environmental forces shaping the needs and preferences of the global consumer and the impact of foreign, political, and economic factors on the marketing mix.
- Syllabus
Housing & Student Services
Program Residence
- Students have single, furnished rooms, in 3–4 person suites with a shared kitchen, 1.5 bathrooms, and common area with a television. They are provided with bedding, a bath towel, and wash cloth. There is a microwave in the kitchen which can also be used to bake. There is a mall a short walk away where students can purchase kitchen supplies, home goods, and groceries.
- Board is not included
- No dining hall availability
- 24 hr. security, a roof deck for students to hang out, a fully stocked library with computers, and classrooms in the same building
Program Dates
- Fall Semester: mid August to early December
Application Timeline
This program follows rolling admissions and may fill before the official deadline.
Fall Semester
- Applications Open December 15
- Applications Deadline March 15
This program is rolling admissions; applications are reviewed once all application materials are received, prior to all deadlines. It is the student’s responsibility to ensure that all required materials are received by the BU Study Abroad office. Students are encouraged to apply as early as possible as some programs and internship tracks have limited space and may fill up before the deadline. Submitting a complete application prior to the application deadline, does not guarantee acceptance. Students will be emailed an admissions decision within three weeks of a completed application.
Information for BU Students Awaiting an Admissions Decision and exceptions to the standard admission calendar for all students can be found here.
Cost & Financial Considerations
- 2024/2025 Tuition & Fees: $40,434 per semester
Cost includes tuition, housing, program related activities, administrative fee, overseas medical insurance and emergency evacuation coverage. - Budget sheet, including cost of living expenses
- Grants and Scholarships available
