The development of a summer study abroad program for engineering and computer science students at Baylor University Cynthia C. Fry

The Baylor in Maastricht (BIM) summer study abroad program is a 41-day study abroad program in the Netherlands. Baylor In Maastricht is a summer program that is sponsored by the School of Engineering and Science of Baylor University in Waco, Texas, in conjunction with the Universiteit Maastricht, in the Netherlands. The program gives engineering and computer science students an opportunity to take two Baylor courses (six hours), while also providing an abroad experience in the heart of Europe. It also answers the charge given four years ago by the Dean of the School of Engineering and Computer Science to get our students out of the building! This paper discusses the goals and objectives of such a program, and chronicles the design, development, and execution of the resulting study abroad program. We explore, in depth, the number and type of participants, the details of trip planning and organization, the decision on which courses to offer, planned weekend group trips, the facilities and support of the Universiteit Maastricht, and accommodations. This paper will also discuss the execution of the first two study abroad programs to Maastricht, the Netherlands - what worked, what didn´t work, what was good, where we have improved. A summary of the student evaluations from the program is included.