Students study at the Université Grenoble Alpes, an institution that dates from the fourteenth century, located in Grenoble at the foot of the French Alps. The Grenoble Engineering Program, offered only in the spring semester, is ideally suited for second-semester sophomores in engineering. The program carries no prior language requirement; engineering courses are taught in English by French faculty.
Requirements & Considerations
- All students must enroll according to, and remain in compliance with, the Boston University Study Abroad Course Load Policy.
- Ideally suited for second-semester sophomore engineering students
- Some courses carry prerequisites
- No prior language study is required
- Admissions requirements for all programs
Curriculum
Required Courses
Students enroll in the following 4-credit courses:
Required Course List
- French Language Course (4 credits)
- Students will take a placement exam upon arrival in Grenoble and will be placed in a course based on their level. Students are enrolled in a course equivalent to CAS LF 111 - CAS LF 212 and will receive the appropriate Hub units. CAS LF 111, LF 112, and LF 211 all fulfill a single Hub unit in Individual in Community, while CAS LF 212 fulfills Hub units in both Individual in Community and Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy.
- CAS LF 299 Approaches to Contemporary French Society and Culture (4 credits)
- This course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas:
- Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
- Social Inquiry I
- An interdisciplinary approach from the social sciences, particularly cultural anthropology, to explore intercultural issues and cultural theory in the contemporary context of globalization. Students gain an overview of French customs, values and practices with a focus on recent societal trends.
- Syllabus
- This course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas:
- CAS MA 226 Differential Equations (4)
- This course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas:
- Critical Thinking
- Prerequisite: CAS MA 225 or MA 230, or the equivalent.
- First-order linear and separable equations. Second-order equations and first-order systems. Linear equations and linearization. Numerical and qualitative analysis. Laplace transforms. Applications and modeling of real phenomena throughout. (Cannot be taken for credit in addition to CAS MA 231.)
- Syllabus
- This course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas:
- ENG EK 307 Electrical Circuits (4 credits)
- Corequisite: CAS PY 212, or the equivalent
- Introduction to electrical circuit analysis and design; voltage, current, and power, circuit laws and theorems; element I-V curves, linear and nonlinear circuit concepts; operational amplifier circuits; transient response of capacitor and inductor circuits, sinusoidal-steady-state response, frequency response, transfer functions; Includes design-oriented laboratory. (MET EK 317 and EK 318 fulfill this requirement; however, only 4 credits can be applied toward the graduation requirement.)
Elective Courses
Students choose one additional course from the following list:
Elective Course List
- CAS PY 314 Modern Physics (4 credits)
- Prerequisites: CAS PY 211; CAS PY 212; CAS MA 124.
- CAS PY 314: Satisfies the program and elective requirements of CAS PY 313.
- Waves and physical optics, relativistic mechanics, experimental foundations of quantum mechanics, atomic structure, physics of molecules and solids, atomic nuclei and elementary particles
- ENG BE 209 Principles of Molecular Cell Biology and Biotechnology (4 credits)
- Prerequisites: high school biology and at least one semester of college chemistry.
- For biomedical engineers. Principles of cell and molecular biology and biochemistry emphasizing biomolecules, the flow of genetic information, cell structure and function, and cell regulation. Three hours lecture, three hours lab.
Optional Additional Elective
- HUB SA 220 Cultures in Context: A BU Hub Study Abroad Experience
- This course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area:
- Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
- Co-requisite: CAS LF 299 or a French Language Course
- Cultures in Context is an optional, non-credit, ungraded course that allows students to earn one additional Hub unit of Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy (GCI) while abroad. Students undertake an enhanced immersion experience that includes reflective assignments and participation in a series of class meetings and discussions, and which requires enrollment in CAS LF 299 or one French language course at any level.
- This course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area:
Housing & Student Services
Apartment Style Residences:
- Students will live in shared rooms or apartments in residences.
- Rooms and apartments are furnished with a bed for each student, closet or dresser, table and chairs, and will have a shared bathroom(s).
- A meal plan is not included; however, students have access to an equipped kitchenette (including pots, pans, dishes, silverware, cups and glasses).
- Students will have access to local pay-per-load laundry facilities either in their building or at a nearby “Laverie” (Laundromat). Bedding, bed linens, and one bath towel per student is provided. Students should plan to bring or acquire onsite any additional bath towels.
- All residences are equipped with Wi-Fi
- Limited single rooms may be available, if for medical needs, for an additional charge.
Program Dates
- Spring: early-January to mid-May
Application Timeline
Spring Semester
- Applications Open June 1
- Applications Deadline September 15
This program is not on a rolling admissions cycle. It is the student’s responsibility to ensure that all required materials have been received by the BU Study Abroad office by the application deadline. Decisions will not be made until after the application deadline. Applicants will receive their decision via email.
Information on other programs that do not follow a rolling admissions cycle and information for BU Students Awaiting an Admissions Decision can be found here.
Cost & Financial Considerations
- 2023/2024 Tuition & Fees: $41,284
- 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
