Engineering students with Mr. Wood who are participating in the Vienna Maymester: left- right, Ryan Waldrop, Tejas Ganesh Ivey, Mason Zack, Constantine Checkles, Senior Lecturer Billy Wood, Adam Keilers, Devon Williams, Shelby Bowman, Kaitlynn Hall, Kristina Baltazar (front) and Grace Foree.
Senior Lecturer in the Mechanical Engineering Department, Billy Wood, is offering a four-week Maymester class in Vienna, Austria for the first time, from May 27 to June 23. Mr. Wood, who studied both engineering and architecture, has taught ME 210 and ME 302 for 30 years and served as the Undergraduate Student Faculty Advisor for 13 of those years. Mr. Wood's freshman CAD drawing and drafting class (or an equivalent) is required for all engineering undergraduates. He will be teaching the class in Vienna, Austria this summer. This class is only offered to engineering students.
Billy Wood talks about the Maymester in Vienna, Austria.View larger format on You Tube. Read the video transcript, a text-only file.
The Vienna class will cover the same material taught in the Austin class, but with a unique difference because of the Austrian setting. Mr. Wood explains that Europeans have much more experience and success managing certain engineering issues such as traffic flow in high-density settings than American engineers have. He feels the students will gain valuable insight into today's engineering challenges with international exposure.
Wood explains, “Vienna, Austria has a history extending back over two thousand years and is one of the industrial and cultural centers of Europe. From basic engineering geometric construction to advanced design to move 1.6 million people efficiently in a modern city, Vienna is a city resplendent with magnificent examples of engineering achievement. Stephensdom, the UBonn, the Danube tower and the giant ferris wheel at Prater park, Schloss Schonbrunn, the Belvedere and many other locations will be our laboratory to examine design from the ancient to the modern.”
Logistics, Deadlines, Time and Places
The class runs from Thursday, May 27 to Wednesday June 23, 2010. Students need to arrive in Vienna on Thursday, May 27 to get settled and ready for classes, which begin on Monday, May 31. Classes will be held Monday through Thursday for about six hours each day. On the long weekends, students will have some scheduled excursions as well as free time to explore Vienna and Austria. Austin classes end on Tuesday, May 18th, leaving students nine days to visit family or travel in Europe before arriving in Vienna. With the four-week schedule, students will still have time to work at a summer job upon their return.
On-going Deadlines for Study Abroad Programs
The deadline for applying for the Vienna, Austria Maymester was November 1, 2009. Please keep that in mind for next year.
- August 26
- IEFS scholarship opens for spring abroad students
- October 1
- IEFS deadline for spring abroad students
- Late October to Early November
- SAO registers all applicants for SAB 300 or SAB 400 and accompanying seminar, if applicable
- November 1
- Maymester Application Deadline
- End of November
- Students notified of acceptance
- December 10
- $300 non-refundable deposit posts
- Mid to Late January
- Add/drop for spring semester
- January 19
- Spring classes begin; Maymester Seminars (if applicable) begin
- February 3
- Twelfth class day
- Shortly after the 12th class day
- Maymester Financial-Aid releases
- February 20
- Maymester balance due
- Financial Responsibility Schedule Begins
- Mid to late May
- Maymesters depart
Costs and Funding your Study Abroad Experience
The Vienna Study Abroad Maymester is $3,300. This includes lodging, tuition and the cost of weekend excursions that are part of the classroom curriculum, such as a trip to Graz to view an automobile assembly plant. It does not include airfare or food. Currently, 25 students are registered for the class, and Mr. Wood plans to offer it for several more years.
Scholarships and student loans can be arranged to help fund study abroad participation. Please read the Study Abroad web site carefully. It explains several ways students may obtain funding. Students applying for financial aid will need to fill out an online FAFSA application. Advisors in the Study Abroad office at The Cockrell School of Engineering will assist students with the application process.
Parents and students with additional questions should feel free to contact Mr. Billy Wood at (512) 554-3484 or
