Queen's University is reputed the world-over for excellence in education and boasts an accomplished history of international involvement and achievement. The university maintains student exchange programs with more than 70 universities around the globe, including Australian National University (with internship program), Ontario/Baden-Wurttemberg, and Ontario-Rhône-Alpes.
A leader in international education, Queen's is proud to offer a unique study abroad opportunity. The International Study Centre prepares students for tomorrow's challenges through an innovative program that takes learning beyond the classroom. Situated on the historic Herstmonceux Castle estate in southern England, the ISC combines travel-intensive field study with internationally focused, fully accredited courses to deliver a pre-eminent international experience.
A year or term at the ISC allows students the opportunity to gain a competitive edge in a global marketplace that increasingly requires graduates who can function in an international environment; to learn with faculty selected from leading Canadian and British universities; and to enjoy an enriched, intimate academic environment.
Queen's University has joined together with partner Canadian universities to offer the Canadian University Study Abroad Program, providing an international program with full accreditation and a unique combination of learning and living in the historic environment of the International Study Centre. Students may attend the International Study Centre as either a first-year student for a full year or as an upper-year student for one or more terms of study.
The First Year program provides students with a head start in international studies, while equipping them with a solid academic foundation from which to continue in their desired academic program. Students are offered a broad selection of first-year courses ensuring access to a wide range of programs upon returning to Queen's University at Kingston in the second year.
The Upper-Year Program presents students who have completed at least one year of university study with the opportunity to spend a term at the International Study Centre.
Travel is an integral component of study at the ISC. A multi-day trip to continental Europe as well as regular field trips to sites of historic, cultural, and economic importance complement students' course work and are all included in the cost of the program. These trips are supplemented by a variety of optional excursions. In previous years, students have had the opportunity to take advantage of regular trips to the city of London including visits to the National Gallery, the British Museum, St. Paul's Cathedral, and the Tate Gallery; visits to sites in the United Kingdom including Stonehenge, Bath, Stratford-upon-Avon, York, and Edinburgh; and visits to sites in Europe including the European Union and NATO headquarters in Brussels.
Herstmonceux estate offers all the benefits of a 21st century education in a 15th century setting. Nestled in the countryside of East Sussex, England, Herstmonceux castle embodies the history of mediaeval England and the romance of renaissance Europe. The legacy of Herstmonceux is spoken through its austere architecture and a rolling landscape of carefully maintained Elizabethan gardens and parklands.
The ISC contains classrooms, a library and reading room, a computer room, the Great Hall dining room, a tuck shop, lounges, a video screening room, and a pub. Students live in Bader Hall, a modern coeducational residence, located 500 metres from Herstmonceux castle. This modern residence contains residence rooms, e-mail terminals, common rooms, kitchenettes, study rooms, and laundry facilities. The surrounding campus includes a sports hall with a gymnasium and exercise equipment, an outdoor tennis court, playing fields, and an outdoor volleyball court.