Sungkyunkwan University (SKKU) in South Korea

The Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering encourages all undergraduate engineering students to consider an international experience during their time at U of T. This could be in the form of a research internship, a PEY Co-op placement or an academic exchange.

Mechanical Engineering (MechE) students have an exciting opportunity to go on an academic exchange at SKKU in South Korea. You go on exchange in the Winter Semester of your third year (3S). This enables you to remain in South Korea following your exchange for a research internship and/or a PEY Co-op work term before returning to U of T for your fourth year.

SKKU offers a certificate for exchange students to participate in their Engineering Track Program, which showcases their strengths in the field of engineering. When you successfully complete at least 3 courses within a chosen Track, you will receive an official Certificate of Completion from SKKU in recognition of your achievement.

Two of the available five Engineering Tracks have been identified as suitable for U of T MechE students: the Intelligent Robotics Track and the Future Car Track.

Intelligent Robotics (IR) Track

You will choose 3 courses from the following list offered in SKKU’s Spring Semester (March-June), which are approved for transfer credits as MechE Technical Electives:

EME2018: Mechanical Engineering Programming (College: Engineering; Major/Dept. Mechanical Engineering)
SWE2015: Data Structures (College: Computing and Informatics; Major/Dept. Computer Science and Engineering)
EME3092: Dynamics System Modeling and Analysis (College: Engineering; Major/Dept. Mechanical Engineering)
SWE3011: Introduction to Artificial Intelligence (College: Computing and Informatics; Major/Dept. Computer Science and Engineering)
ICE3045: Introduction to Machine Learning (College: Information and Communication Engineering; Major/Dept. Electronic & Electrical Engineering)

Future Car (FC) Track

You will choose 3 courses from the following list offered in SKKU’s Spring Semester (March-June), which are approved for transfer credits as MechE Technical Electives:

EEE2008: Signals and Systems (College: Information and Communication Engineering; Major/Dept. Electronic & Electrical Engineering)
ICE3001: Microprocessor (College: Information and Communication Engineering; Major/Dept. Electronic & Electrical Engineering)
SWE2015: Data Structures (College: Computing and Informatics; Major/Dept. Computer Science and Engineering)
EEE3024: Introduction to Automatic Control (College: Information and Communication Engineering; Major/Dept. Electrical & Computer Engineering)
SWE3011: Introduction to Artificial Intelligence (College: Computing and Informatics; Major/Dept. Computer Science & Engineering)
ICE3045: Introduction to Machine Learning (College: Information and Communication Engineering; Major/Dept. Electronic & Electrical Engineering)

The SKKU course catalog is available. To find more information about a particular course:

Select “Undergraduate Major” in the menu on the left side.
Select “Spring Semester, 2026” and “NSC” for Campus (Note: Spring 2027 course offerings will be finalized around January 2027).
The College (School in Charge) and the Major/Dept. is found inside the brackets following each course listed above.
Courses offered in English are labeled as “Courses in International Language” under Type of Class.
Once you have located a particular course, double-click the course code to obtain the course syllabus.

For both the IR and FC Tracks, you are expected to choose 1 other technical course offered in English in the Spring Semester and 1 complementary course selected from the Korean Studies Track offered in English in the Spring Semester, for a total of 5 courses.

The Department encourages you to identify courses on your own when you look through the SKKU course catalog. The MIE Undergraduate Office will approve transfer requests on a case-by-case basis.

What about the other 3S courses I am missing at U of T while on exchange?

The core technical courses taken by ME students who are not going on exchange in 3S are:

MIE313H1: Heat and Mass Transfer
MIE346H1: Analog and Digital Electronics for Mechatronics
MIE320H1: Mechanics of Solids II
MIE311H1: Thermal Energy Conversion

When you go on exchange, you are required to take these 4 courses in 4S when you return to U of T in your fourth year in place of 4 electives.

You will be given credit for MIE320 (EME3055) or MIE311 (EME3056) — freeing up a slot in 4S for an elective choice — if you choose 1 of the following courses as your one other technical course while on exchange:

EME3055: Design Lab on Solid Mechanics (College: Engineering; Major/Dept. Mechanical Engineering)
EME3056: Design Lab on Thermo-fluidics (College: Engineering; Major/Dept. Mechanical Engineering)

U of T’s Centre for International Experience (CIE) supports students going on academic exchange. CIE’s application deadline for Winter semester exchanges is April 14, 2027.

Course Exchange Pathways

See all opportunities

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. Do I have to agree to take 3 track courses and 5 total courses to be eligible for exchange at SKKU?

You must enroll in at least one course to maintain your visa status, and at least 3 track courses within a single track to receive an Engineering Track Certificate from SKKU. The suggestion to take 5 total courses during the Spring Semester at SKKU is only a recommendation based on the usual workload for a semester in the MechE program. If you take less than 5 total courses on exchange, you will still need to complete the required number of courses to complete the MechE program at U of T, which means some additional workload upon your return to U of T MIE.

2. What happens to my academic record when I go on exchange?

When you go on exchange, your courses will be reported on your transcript as transfer credits. The grades themselves are not recorded on your U of T transcript, so there is no impact on your GPA at U of T. The exchange information is also listed so it is clear you were on a formal international exchange. If you fail a course, it will not be recorded on your U of T transcript because no credit was earned. If you fail a track course specifically, you will not be eligible for the certificate. However, you would still receive credit for the courses you successfully completed while on exchange. You will need to make up any missing courses once you return to U of T to ensure you can graduate on time.

3. Are there any other courses I can take at SKKU that could be eligible as a transfer credit for either a core course or an elective?

The Department carefully reviewed SKKU’s course catalog to identify equivalent courses that would be eligible for transfer credit for core courses. The only two that could be approved, EME3055 and EME3056, met the following criteria: (a) sufficient overlap of subject matter; (b) available in the Spring Semester; and (c) taught in English. For transfer credits in general, the courses listed above for the IR and FC Tracks are already approved as ME Technical Electives. For other electives, such as the 1 other technical course and 1 complementary course selected from the Korean Studies Track, the Department encourages you to identify courses on your own when you look through the SKKU course catalog and the MIE Undergraduate Office will approve transfer requests on a case-by-case basis.

4. Do I need additional pre-requisites to have the appropriate level of understanding for the track courses listed?

No. The courses listed have already been selected to the best of the Department’s knowledge to not require additional pre-requisites beyond what you will have already taken by the 3F semester.

5. What is the cost of tuition while I am on exchange?

Students on exchange pay U of T tuition during their term abroad.

OSAP recipients are eligible to receive funding while on an exchange. There are also grant and award funds available for students planning to go on exchange. Please consult the CIE website for more information.