ConcepT

• Jun 2, 2020, 9:20:00 AM

Re-opening application Study Tour

The Study Tour 2021: ‘Sky High, Down Under!’ will head to Singapore and Australia. Here you can find all the information you need.

 

What is the study tour?

The study tour is an intercontinental tour which is organized once every two years by study association ConcepT. The study tour mainly focuses on MSc-students. The study tour of 2018 visited Japan. Other destinations have been the United States of America, Brazil, Indonesia & Singapore and Argentina & Uruguay. The study trip takes three weeks during which numerous excursions in all fields of civil engineering and some cultural excursions will be organized. In advance of the tour, courses will be organized which have to do with Singapore, Australia and the theme ‘Sky High, Down Under’.

 

Why Singapore and Australia?

Singapore is an island city state in South-East Asia that has seen a rapid development over the past decades with its globally important port and flourishing economy. Singapore has among all countries one of the highest qualities of life, which is an amazing achievement with over 5.5 million residents on only 700 km2. Such a small island with a large population causes tough civil engineering challenges which will only increase in a changing climate.

Australia has never been visited by a ConcepT Study Tour. Strange, because it is such an interesting destination that has a lot to offer. Australia is a modern country with a rich history, ranked 3rd on the Human Development Index. Being the most remote continent, it has always solved its own problems and developed its own culture. 90% of the population of Australia live in coastal cities of which the two largest (Sydney and Melbourne) account for 37% of the country’s total population.

 

Where will we go?

First, we will visit the city state of Singapore where we will stay for about a week. From Singapore, we fly to Sydney, Australia where we will also stay about for one week. Sydney is the financial hub of Australia and the largest city of the country with 5.2 million residents.

Lastly, we will travel from Sydney to Melbourne. Melbourne is the fastest growing city in Australia and the second city of the country with 5.0 million residents. We will stay for about one week in Melbourne. After the three weeks it is possible to directly return to the Netherlands or to travel for yourself. It is important that you inform the committee about your plans as soon as possible after the application period.

Note that the program is subjected to change.

 

What does the 'study' part in study tour mean?

Except for the experiences, you also have to learn from the study tour. That is why the tour is accompanied by two courses that will take place before the trip, in the first weeks of quartile 4 of the study year 2020-2021. Each course is centred on a study. The studies are on a macro, meso and micro scale and will be done in groups. During the trip, you will also be working on these studies and afterward you will present your findings.

• Macro study: Aimed to make participants familiar with the destination countries and/or cities.
• Meso study: Deepening your knowledge of the workings of a particular civil sector in the destination country and/or cities.
• Micro study: A study mainly done during the study tour. The study complements excursions of the study tour. The micro study includes formulating research questions, an anticipated method and so on.

As an MSc-student the study tour will grant you in total 10EC’s (given you have completed the track with sufficient marks. This 10 EC can be used as part of your 120EC MSc-degree as free electives. 

 

What is expected of the participants?

Participants need to take the study tour pretty seriously. You commit yourself to a trip for three weeks, with several weeks of preparation time. So you need the enthusiasm to go and sufficient resources. We aim to keep the level of the study tour high. That’s also why it is aimed at MSc-students (at the time of the study tour). BSc-students are not excluded. However it is (highly) uncommon for them to participate. If you are a still a BSc-student at the time we leave and you want to join, let us know.

Firstly, there’s the money. The admission fee is set at max. €1500. This can be paid in three payments. A participant also needs to do a research contract for a (civil engineering) company of around 120 hours. This usually takes place in the summer holiday. We, as the committee, will look for an appropriate contract for you. This in total will get you the trip to and from the destinations, every meal on the trip, excursions etc., which makes the trip a total package. Of course, other luxury goods you need to pay yourself on the trip.

Next, there’s the effort. We want students who are committed to go on such a trip and won’t mind to do some extra effort for that. It’s a study tour, so you take the trip and the study component seriously.

Lastly, there’s your study planning. We’d like to have students that are well on their way with their study. For BSc-students it is required to have completed module 1 till and including 8 by the time we leave. That being said, we prefer MSc-students and would like to limit the amount of BSc-students we take along. Therefore, it is important will-be master students stay on track with their courses. Now second-year BSc-students also have to make sure to reach the set standard. Therefore, we ask of all our participants to make a realistic planning for the coming year including the study tour and its components. You need to take into account that you need to devote the last quartile of college year 2020/2021 to the study tour. It’s not recommended to follow any additional courses next to the course of the study tour.

 

So, why go on a study tour?

First of all, the study tour is a unique experience. You will get the chance to get acquainted with civil engineering in another part of the world. You can learn a lot from the different cultures in the countries where we’re going and see the way they look at things and handle things differently. Besides, it’s also a lot of fun. Going to another continent with about twenty other civil engineering master students is an exciting thing to do. Also, although the study tour is a serious trip that can’t be placed on equal footing with a BuLa or vacation, there will be plenty of time to do nice things or have a beer together!

 

How do I sign up?

If you want to join the study tour, you have to write a letter of application (max. 2 A4), before July 5th. In this letter, we would like to read your motivation, and why especially you should join the trip. Also, please include your CV, your MSc-track and a study planning, in which you specify how you are planning to combine your study with the study tour and the contract research. You can submit your letter at src2020@concept.utwente.nl. We expect your application ultimately at July 5th, 2020. If you would like to be kept informed, please send an email to the above address. Furthermore, don't forget to have a look on our website: https://studytourconcept.nl/.