You will receive three academic credits for Plus3. For Swanson School of Engineering students, Plus3 could fulfill a technical elective in Engineering, but you must check with your department advisors for confirmation.
Plus3 Academics
Plus3 is a 3-part program that occurs during the spring term with international travel the first two-weeks in May.
- Pre-Departure Orientations and Workshops – Three to five cohort meetings with your faculty leader and program assistant in the spring term will help to prepare you for your time abroad.
- Field Study – Company visits, guest lectures, and a reflection blog comprise the academic portion of your two weeks in-country.
- Post-Program Project – You will complete a project (details determined by the faculty member) that acts as a summary for your experience.
Optional language classes at Pitt prior to departure
Students interested in the Germany location are encouraged (but not required) to take some language courses here at Pitt prior to departure. Two recommended courses are:
-
GER 0101 – Beginning German 1 (3 credits)
- Elementary German 101 meets three times a week, and while class periods will focus on speaking and listening, you will do the writing, reading, and most of the grammar practice at home. Students are expected to study regularly on their own to keep up with the material. In this course you will learn how to interact in German from the first day on. For example, you will learn how to ask questions and give basic information about yourself, how to ask for directions, how to say the time and make an appointment, how to find an apartment and how to respond to an invitation. You will learn the necessary grammatical structures and vocabulary, but also find out about cultural differences, e.g. regarding greetings, forms of address, and punctuality. Students will be working towards the A1-Exam of the Goethe Institut, which follows the Common European Framework of Reference and is accepted worldwide.
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GER 0001 – Elementary German 1 (Intensive) (5 credits)
- This Elementary German course meets five times a week and is the next best thing to studying abroad. You will learn how to interact in German from the first day on. For example, you will learn how to ask questions and give basic information about yourself, how to ask for directions, how to say the time and make an appointment, how to find an apartment and how to respond to an invitation. You will learn the necessary grammatical structures and vocabulary, but also find out about cultural differences, e.g. regarding greetings, forms of address, and punctuality. Students will be working towards the A1-Exam of the Goethe Institut, which follows the Common European Framework of Reference and is accepted worldwide.
Engineering students can view how these courses will fulfill degree requirements here:
- Bioengineering
- Chemical Engineering: coming soon
- Civil and Environmental Engineering
- Electrical and Computer Engineering
- Industrial Engineering
- MEMS: Mechanical Engineering, Materials Science, Engineering Science
Business students: please check with your academic advisor for fulfillment of degree requirements.
This three-credit research-focused study abroad opportunity is offered as a follow-up to the Engineering Analysis (ENGR 0011 and ENGR 0012) at the University of Pittsburgh. The course is conducted through pre-departure lectures and discussion sessions and a required trip abroad to tour local and multi-national companies, attend lectures, and visit cultural sites.
The course is composed of six groups, each of which travels to different destinations abroad and has a slightly different supply chain focus. The locations are China, Costa Rica, Italy, Germany, and Vietnam and South Korea.
Each site has a designated faculty member and program assistant that will lead workshops, oversee academics and logistics, and travel with you in-country. The faculty member and program assistants for 2023 are:
Who Makes it Happen |
||
|---|---|---|
| Program | Faculty | Program Assistant |
| Costa Rica | Dr. Ryan Teeter | |
| Cyprus | Dr. Scott Streiner | Ms. Jodi Suckle |
| Germany | Dr. Lawrence Feick | |
| The Netherlands | Dr. Karen Bursic | Mr. Frank Bursic (co-faculty) |
| South Korea | Dr. Minhee Yun | Dr. Renee Clark |
| Vietnam | Professor Meade Johnson | |
Jodi Suckle
Bonjour, Shalom, Sawadee-ka! I'm Jodi, a Global Programs Manager in the Swanson School of Engineering. My study abroad experiences to France and Turkey fueled my passion for travel and international education. I have helped students travel to, and participate in programs on 6 continents, and love enabling students to experience and learn about the world. I grew up in New York and have lived in Israel, Thailand, and Guatemala. Every time I go somewhere new my favorite thing is learning about the history, cultures, and traditions of the place, and trying new food of course. Come talk to me about engineering Panther Programs and Plus3, or if you're an international exchange student new to Swanson and Pitt.
Dr. Scott Streiner
Dr. Scott Streiner is an Assistant Professor of Industrial Engineering, teaches in the First-Year Engineering Program, and works in the Engineering Education Research Center (EERC) in the Swanson School of Engineering. He participated in the Plus3 program when he was a student and now conducts research on the development of culturally responsive ethics education in global contexts. He has published numerous articles in global engineering education and its assessment, developed globally focused courses, and has led students to China as part of his mission to prepare engineering students for an increasingly global economy.
Jodi Suckle
Bonjour, Shalom, Sawadee-ka! I'm Jodi, a Global Programs Manager in the Swanson School of Engineering. My study abroad experiences to France and Turkey fueled my passion for travel and international education. I have helped students travel to, and participate in programs on 6 continents, and love enabling students to experience and learn about the world. I grew up in New York and have lived in Israel, Thailand, and Guatemala. Every time I go somewhere new my favorite thing is learning about the history, cultures, and traditions of the place, and trying new food of course. Come talk to me about engineering Panther Programs and Plus3, or if you're an international exchange student new to Swanson and Pitt.
Dr. Ryan Teeter
Dr. Teeter is a Clinical Assistant Professor of Accounting Information Systems at Pitt Business. For more information on Dr. Teeter, please visit his bio.
Dr. Lawrence Feick
Dr. Lawrence Feick is Vice Provost for Special Projects at the University of Pittsburgh. From 2007 – 15 he served as the Senior Director of International Programs and the Director of the University Center for International Studies at the University of Pittsburgh. He is Professor of Business Administration at the Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business at the University of Pittsburgh where he has been a faculty member since1982. At Katz, he served as Associate Dean from 1989-1996 and Interim Dean during the 2005 – 06 academic year. From 1999 through 2005 he served as the director of the University's International Business Center (a federally funded CIBER). Previously, Dr. Feick served on the faculty at Pennsylvania State University where he earned his Ph.D.
Professor Feick teaches in the areas of marketing management and international marketing; and does research in the areas of consumer information search, international marketing, word-of-mouth influence, and the analysis of categorical data and has published articles in Journal of Consumer Research, International Journal of Research in Marketing, Journal of Marketing, Journal of Marketing Research, Journal of Retailing, Marketing Science, Personality & Social Psychology Bulletin, Psychological Bulletin, and Public Opinion Quarterly. Dr. Feick has served as a consultant to a number of profit and non-profit firms, including Eastman Kodak, General Motors, and Newsweek. He has done extensive executive teaching, including programs for Samsung Electronics, Audi, and Cheil Communications, and has developed a train-the-trainers program on the use of simulations and games and case studies in teaching marketing concepts. He is the coauthor of Country Manager, an international marketing simulation game. He has been a visiting professor at the University of Augsburg (Germany), Czech Management Center (Czech Republic), International Management Center (Hungary), Comenius University (Slovak Republic), Universidad Santa Maria (Ecuador), and the University of Montevideo (Uruguay) where he was a Fulbright Senior Specialist.
Dr. Karen M. Bursic
Dr. Bursic is Professor and Undergraduate Program Director for the Department of Industrial Engineering (IE). She was instrumental in developing the International Requirement for IE, a first of its kind, which aims to have every graduate have a study abroad experience during their undergraduate career. She has over 30 years of experience in industry and academia, with a research focus on Engineering Education and numerous publications in this area. She has traveled to Germany, Turkey, Italy, and Cyprus to enhance her understanding of international education. Dr. Bursic teaches courses in engineering economics and engineering management in the IE program.
Frank Bursic
Frank Bursic holds both a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering and a Master of Science of Industrial Engineering from the University of Pittsburgh. He has had a highly successful career in engineering, business and executive management, project management, technical and leadership training, sales and marketing, business development, contract negotiations, and engineering design and services. He is an Energy Consultant and currently owns and operates InRoads International LLC, a company that provides unique strategic business development expertise, engineering analysis and market intelligence to the commercial nuclear power industry. Mr. Bursic has over 35 years of experience in a wide variety of industries and technologies, and has traveled extensively throughout both Europe and Asia.
Dr. Minhee Yun
Dr. Minhee Yun is an associate professor of the department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) at the University of Pittsburgh where he has been a faculty member since 2005. Minhee Yun leads research group “Nanoeletronic Device Laboratory (NEDL) and his research focus is in device fabrication and biomedical sensor development using nanostructured materials including 1-D and 2-D materials.
Dr. Renee Clark
Dr. Renee Clark is a Research Assistant Professor of Industrial Engineering and Director of Assessment for the Swanson School of Engineering. As part of the Engineering Education Research Center, Renee conducts research related to active learning within engineering education.
Professor Meade Johnson
Meade is a professor in marketing and executive in residence at Pitt Business. She graduated from Duquesne University with a degree in communications. She has held account management positions at several advertising agencies in Pittsburgh including: Marstellar, MARC Advertising, Blattner Brunner, and GBL Advertising. Meade has worked on a broad range of client businesses including consumer, business-to-business, and retail, providing such services as project management, marketing communications plan development, and strategic planning. In addition, she has a proven track record of leadership and has spearheaded the delivery of creative, media, and research services by agency teams to meet the needs of a variety of clients. Her client experience includes Dick’s Sporting Goods, Philips Respironics, Pittsburgh Public Schools, UPMC, PPG, and The New York Philharmonic. Meade is currently working as a marketing consultant and is a past president of the Pittsburgh Advertising Federation Board.
