Program Duration

Academic Year: Late July - Late June
Fall semester: Late July - Late November
Spring semester: Late February - Late June
Calendar Year: Late February - Late November

Program Description

Live, study, and work in Australia’s largest city, Sydney! This direct enrollment program with Macquarie University offers students the opportunity to take courses in a wide variety of subjects with the option of gaining valuable work experience through a professional internship. Participants enjoy a total educational and life experience at Macquarie University, which features state of the art educational and research facilities, a spacious parkland campus, and all the attractions and amenities of the beautiful cosmopolitan city of Sydney.

Originally founded in 1788 as a penal colony on the shores of the stunning Port Jackson, Sydney and its surrounding area was the ancestral home of the Daruk tribe, whose territory extended from Botany Bay to Pittwater. The oldest settlement in Australia, today’s Sydney metropolitan area is home to approximately four million people and is renowned for its vibrant lifestyle, multicultural population, temperate climate, and sensational beaches.

Academics

Located 11 miles from the center of Sydney, Macquarie University is home to over 30,000 students, including 8,800 international students from over 71 countries. The university offers a comprehensive selection of subjects in Economics and Financial Studies, Educational Studies, Humanities, Law, Society, Culture, Media and Philosophy, Environmental and Life Sciences, Linguistics and Psychology, and Information and Communication Sciences. Program participants study alongside Australian students and can enroll in any course in which they meet the prerequisite.

Participants are also eligible to undertake an unpaid internship related to their field of study and professional interests. Macquarie University accepts internship applications from students from all academic disciplines offered by the university except teaching, medicine and clinical practice (although there are alternative internship options for these areas). Students intern 10 to 20 hours per week for 12 weeks, working on a specific project for the duration of the internship, and are assessed through visits, interviews, reports and a major assignment.

Housing

Macquarie University offers a range of accommodation, including temporary housing, permanent on- and off-campus accommodation, and information on non-university off-campus housing. Participants are guaranteed housing, which generally consists of double occupancy rooms with kitchen facilities to prepare meals.

Excursions and Activities

Upon arrival in Australia, Macquarie University’s International Student Services office provides a comprehensive orientation program at the beginning of each semester, covering issues such as enrollment and registration, settling in to Sydney, cultural adjustment, accommodation, health insurance, student clubs and societies, study skills, weekend trips and social events. Students also have the option of participating on pre-orientation trips which in the past have included a surfing trip and a blue mountain trip.

While on campus, students may get involved in one of the many special interest or sports clubs, volunteer, or participate in extracurricular programs such as the university’s Global Leadership Program, a symposium series that offers students the opportunity to develop practical international experience, skills, and knowledge.