July in Stirling, Scotland

Imagine 4 weeks of your winter spent exploring and learning in the historic country of Scotland. Join us for great academics and fun excursions in the awesome, historic Scottish town of Stirling!

Program Overview

On this uniquely Scottish program you will enjoy living in a traditional town, studying at an authentic Scottish university with a castle on campus, and exploring nearby sites such as Loch Ness, Edinburgh and St Andrews. Choose from a range of unique, locally focused courses such as ‘Scotland on the Screen’, ‘Witchcraft in Early Modern Scotland’, ‘Monsters and Vampires’ and more during either June or July.

Make the most of your time in Scotland, with about 17 hours of daylight during their summer!

Study alongside Scottish students who are also taking their ‘summer’ courses.

You will experience:

A spectacular and historic city – Stroll the narrow, cobblestoned streets of Stirling and enjoy the community feel of this beautiful region.

World-class university – Ranked among the top tier of British universities for teaching and career placement, you will reap the benefits of an academically rigorous university.

Fun courses with field trip components – You may select courses in Scottish culture, business, politics, history, religious studies, English, criminology, education, film and media, all focused on learning about Scotland through readings and related field trips.

A castle on campus, seriously! – The University of Stirling is located on an 18th-century estate with a central lake and a castle. You certainly can’t find that in Australia!

Travel opportunities abound – With economical airfares and train routes galore, you can travel in Scotland, throughout the UK and to various cities, beaches and mountains in Europe on the weekends – making the most of your 4 week program.

Highlights

Here are a few of the key highlights that make this July in Stirling program unique:

  • Study at an academically rigorous university ranked among the top tier of British universities for teaching and career placement – your courses will be challenging and practical
  • Live and study with Scottish and other international students
  • Be part of a campus on the estate of an 18th-century castle – considered one of the most beautiful university campuses in Europe!
  • Diverse courses in Scottish culture, business, politics, history, religious studies, English, criminology, education, film and media
  • Fun field trips with your courses – ‘experiential learning’ at its best!
  • Scottish culture and hospitality – the friendly people will really make your time abroad unforgettable
  • Great on-campus student facilities
  • Explore other parts of Scotland, the UK and Europe

Make the most of your time in Scotland, with about 17 hours of daylight during their summer!

Choose Your Course

This program is held at the University of Stirling – a university ranked among the top tier of British universities for teaching and career placement, so your courses will be challenging and practical.

Experiential learning and out-of-class study is an integral part of each course. Depending on your selected courses, field trips may include the Scottish Parliament, Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park, Eilean Donan Castle and readings at the Macrobert Arts Centre. The great thing is you can usually go on these trips even if you’re not taking the associated course!

Course Offerings: Subject areas include business, criminology, education, English, film and media studies, history, politics, religious studies and more. Course selection is first come, first served – the earlier you can apply the better!

Course Load: 1-2 courses per 4-week session. Each course is worth 10 credits at the University of Stirling, which is 5 ECTS and approximately 3 US credits. Courses have 24 contact hours total (plus independent study), which includes a full-day field learning excursion. One course at the University of Stirling might be equivalent to 1 full-time course at your home university in Australia; however, this assessment is the responsibility of your home university in Australia. Previous students have undertaken 2 courses and received academic credit for 1 course at their home university in Australia. CISaustralia highly recommends meeting your course convenor / coordinator or faculty advisor to discuss your Australian university’s credit system and what may be the equivalent at the University of Stirling.

  • Depending on your Australian university, “courses” may be referred to as “subjects” or “units”.
  • Each course/subject/unit you undertake on a CISaustralia program is designed to be a full-time, semester course that has been condensed to fit into an intensive, short-term program. As such, for any 1 course you study abroad, you should receive the credit points for 1 full-time course/subject/unit at your Australian university.
  • Many universities work off of a 1-for-1 equivalency (1 course abroad = 1 course in Australia), but ultimately credit approval is the decision of your faculty and Australian university.
  • CISaustralia strongly recommends that you have any overseas courses pre-approved for academic credit before you depart for your program. Some documentation that may be useful are the course outline/syllabus, program overview and the contact hours.
  • Before you study overseas we encourage all students to have at least 3-4 courses approved for the 4-week program from your home University in Australia. This will allow some flexibility in setting up your class schedule. Studying overseas is a great opportunity to take some interesting electives if your degree allows!
  • Please be aware that the courses listed below are subject to change and cannot be guaranteed year on year.
  • Your CISaustralia Program Advisor can assist with any questions or details your university needs to make a decision.

How to Choose Your Courses: This is the fun part. As part of the application process you will be required to complete a CISaustralia Course Selection Worksheet. See below for more information about the courses on offer.

Assessment: Each 4-week ‘module’ has both in-class and field trip components. Assessment consists of exams, essays, presentations, fieldwork or a combination of each. You will receive an official University of Stirling transcript at the end of the program.

Academic Requirement: To qualify for this program, students must be in good academic standing with a GPA of 4.5 (out of 7) or equivalent. If your current GPA falls below the requirement, you may still be considered for the program but will need to be prepared to provide supporting documentation. Please contact us to discuss your situation and we will work with you to help find another suitable program if required.

NOTE: Please be advised that the University of Stirling requires a student’s official transcript when considering applicants for their Summer School. Ordering an official transcript from a university can take up to a few weeks. Students applying near or on the program’s application deadline should plan to have their official transcript on hand.

NOTE: There is a minimum class size for each course. If the minimum class size is not met, the class may not be offered. For this reason, we strongly recommend you have backup subjects in mind (and approved by your university if you are applying for academic credit). For more information, please contact your CISaustralia Program Advisor.

2024 Course Descriptions:

COURSE: ISSU9AP
CREDITS: 10 UK credits (24 contact hours + independent study)
OFFERED: Session 1

Let’s be honest. You probably aren’t going to read this whole article. But what if it was read to you out loud while driving to work, working out at the gym, or completing chores around the house? Better yet, imagine listening to a smooth, relaxing voice like Morgan Freeman’s. You’d be hanging on to every word, and ready for the next episode immediately after…Welcome to the world of Podcasting.

This module will give you an insight into developing, proposing, pitching and producing audio content to be distributed as podcasts. In this module, we will work on creating a short factual podcast using the power of your voice, soundscapes that transport the listener and seamlessly blended music to create that moment. We will guide you on scripting, voice technique and narrative construction so that your podcast has an impact on your audience.

COURSE: ISSU9LP
CREDITS: 10 UK credits (24 contact hours + independent study & full-day excursion)
OFFERED: Session 1

From the hills covered in purple heather to the glorious light at sunrise, almost every vista is an invitation to the enthusiastic visual journalist. This module will enable you to appreciate the environment and enjoy the natural beauty of Scotland, while learning and developing your skills at landscape photography. You will learn the practice of landscape photography, and also the theory and principles. This module will run as a condensed module with classes running weeks 2-4 of Block 2.

 

Note: This course is TBC due to unforeseen circumstances. Please check back for updates at a later date. 

COURSE: ISSU9VE
CREDITS: 10 UK credits (24 contact hours + independent study)
OFFERED: Session 1

Post-production is the phase in the film production process where stories come together. Images and sound are combined to build the narrative and craft what the viewer will experience. Editing involves technical skills, but crucially it is a creative process, in which each decision will impact the style and substance of the completed film.

In this module, you will learn both the creative and technical aspects of editing. You will be taught by an experienced industry professional, who will guide you through the art of post-production. You will be taught in a small group, using industry standard software and equipment, and working with material both from broadcast shows and award-winning student work. By the end of the module, you will have a confident grasp of technical skills, the techniques of visual storytelling and how sound and pictures come together to create an impact for a viewing audience.

COURSE: ISSU9CJ
CREDITS: 10 UK credits (24 contact hours + independent study & full-day excursion)
OFFERED: Session 2

This module is designed to introduce students to the subject of Criminology through the lens of the Scottish Criminal Justice System. The module begins with an overview of the Scottish Criminal Justice System before examining the major avenues by which the public obtain information about crime – as victims of crime and from the media and official statistics. The module examines the processes that have developed our definitions of crime and the broader social and political context in which this crime occurs. In addition to this, the course provides the opportunity for students to engage in discussion with a Scottish Prison Service Warden, allowing a deeper understanding of punishment in Scotland and the incarceration of offenders.

Excursion(s): This module includes a visit to the Surgeon’s Hall in Edinburgh to discuss the criminal case of Burke and Hare, and the inspiration for Arthur Conan Doyle’s famous detective, Sherlock Holmes.

COURSE: ISSU9SM
CREDITS: 10 UK credits (24 contact hours + independent study & full-day excursion)
OFFERED: Session 1

As Scotland’s University of Sporting Excellence, the University of Stirling is the perfect place to learn about the integration of culture, management and sport. The aim of this module is to teach you about how sport is managed in Scotland and in the UK mode widely, and about how it is incorporated into the thread of Scottish culture. The module will include a mixture of lectures and seminars accompanied by academic field trips, providing you with an understanding that sport is influenced by cultural traditions, social values and economic factors.

COURSE: ISSU9MV
CREDITS: 10 UK credits (24 contact hours + independent study & full-day excursion)
OFFERED: Session 2

From sparkly vampires to blockbuster monsters, gothic tropes appear to be all-pervasive in contemporary culture. As Catherine Spooner claims in Contemporary Gothic (2006), like ‘a malevolent virus, Gothic narratives have escaped the confines of literature and spread across disciplinary boundaries to infect all kinds of media, from fashion and advertising to the way contemporary events are constructed in mass culture’. What this course aims to do is to introduce students to Gothic’s literary expression in the British nineteenth century, before exploring the many ways in which this dark heritage continues to affect contemporary cultural production.

Focusing on three key texts from the nineteenth century, Frankenstein (1818), The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde (1886) and Dracula (1897), this class will discuss their adaptation, appropriation and influence on popular narratives such as those found in fiction, film, tv, fashion and music video. Some of the contemporary texts we will be drawing upon will be Twilight (book & film), True Blood (book & tv), Buffy the Vampire Slayer (film & tv), Scream (film), Supernatural (tv), Marilyn Manson (music), Interview with a Vampire (book & film), Blade (film), Blairwitch Project (film) etc.

Excursion(s): A visit to Edinburgh Dungeon and a gothic themed bar are included.

COURSE: ISSU9SS
CREDITS: 10 UK credits (24 contact hours + independent study & full-day excursion)
OFFERED: Session 2

This course is designed to introduce students to key theoretical debates that have emerged in the study of Scotland’s relationship with the film and television industries. Important questions we will consider include: Who is responsible for constructing Scotland’s identity onscreen? How are Scotland and Scottishness depicted? Why do certain representations dominate over others?

The course will begin by exploring ‘Hollywood Scotland’, concentrating on the commercial cinematic representation of Scotland and Scottishness found in Mel Gibson’s Braveheart (1995). This will then be contrasted with a more local construction of Scotland found in the long running television show Taggart (ITV, 1983-2011). The final weeks will conclude by considering filmmaking in contemporary Scotland, first through contemplation of the importance of short films in the Scottish context, focusing in particular on the shorts and careers of Lynne Ramsay, Peter Mullan and Morag McKinnon, and second through examination of the Scottish/Danish co-produced ‘Advance Party’ initiative.

Excursion(s): You’ll have the opportunity to visit a celebrated screen location or meet a Scottish filmmaker.

COURSE: ISSU9EL
CREDITS: 10 UK credits (24 contact hours + independent study & full-day excursion)
OFFERED: Session 1

The module aims to explore the purposes of education and how this translates into curriculum offerings within the Scottish Education system in the context of the UK. The module will also consider the issues of learners’ identities within pre-school, primary, secondary and further education.

Excursion(s): This module normally will include a visit a local school to observe Scottish education in action.

COURSE: ISSU9EW
CREDITS: 10 UK credits (24 contact hours + independent study & full-day excursion)
OFFERED: Session 1

This module is designed to provide you with a comprehensive understanding of the significance of adequate eating habits for promoting a healthy lifestyle. The module will cover various aspects of nutrition, including macro and micronutrient contents in diet, energy balance, and the impact of age, physical activity, and dietary patterns on food choices.

The course aims to provide students with an understanding of the nutritional value of food and the benefits of making informed dietary choices. Furthermore, you will learn about Scottish traditional dishes and culinary culture, which will enhance their knowledge and appreciation of food culture.

By the end of the module, students will have gained the necessary knowledge and skills to identify dietary choices that promote healthy living. The module will equip you with the necessary knowledge and skills to make informed dietary choices that contribute to a healthy and sustainable lifestyle.

COURSE: ISSU9SM
CREDITS: 10 UK credits (24 contact hours + independent study & full-day excursion)
OFFERED: Session 1

As Scotland’s University of Sporting Excellence, the University of Stirling is the perfect place to learn about the integration of culture, management and sport. The aim of this module is to teach you about how sport is managed in Scotland and in the UK mode widely, and about how it is incorporated into the thread of Scottish culture. The module will include a mixture of lectures and seminars accompanied by academic field trips, providing you with an understanding that sport is influenced by cultural traditions, social values and economic factors.

COURSE: ISSU9SF
CREDITS: 10 UK credits (24 contact hours + independent study & full-day excursion)
OFFERED: Session 1

Fears of extra-terrestrial invasion and nuclear apocalypse, of seemingly strange and alien civilizations, and of social, economic, and cultural collapse belie SF’s trash label. This course introduces you to the genre’s deep philosophical dimensions, tracing its progress through the pulp magazine during the late-Nineteenth century fin de siècle and early Twentieth-century inter-war periods in the United Kingdom and the United States respectively, and its later development across the so-called Iron Curtain during the Cold War. This course will also challenge the traditional conventions of Science Fiction – interstellar conflict with alien races – and explore the genre’s diverse progressions: into Ecocriticism, Feminism, sexuality, and the near-future ‘Post-SF’ of the urban and suburban present.

COURSE: ISSU9BE
CREDITS: 10 UK credits (24 contact hours + independent study & full-day excursion)
OFFERED: Session 1

This module has been designed to help students realise their creative potential by producing original and stimulating short fiction. Teaching will consist of specialist workshops conducted by an expert in the field. In addition to engaging with practical aspects of craft and technique, students will learn how to create believable, compelling characters and how to make them live (and die!) on the page. They will also have the opportunity to visit sites of historic importance and natural beauty to inspire their writing.

Excursion(s): The module includes a live ‘reading’ at a leading local arts centre, where you’ll have the chance to share the stage with a prominent Scottish writer.

COURSE: ISSU9CR
CREDITS: 10 UK credits (24 contact hours + independent study & full-day excursion)
OFFERED: Session 1

Develop a critical understanding of the Celtic world in this interdisciplinary program drawing on archaeological, historical, literary and mythological sources. A unique course that will enable you to develop critical thinking skills in relation to the concept of religion whilst exploring more recent trends within the study of religion such as material religion and implicit religion to develop an in-depth knowledge, understanding and appreciation of Celtic religion, folklore and mythology from Ireland, Scotland and Wales (the Celtic fringe). This course is taught exclusively by a scholar from Ireland who speaks the indigenous language and has training in older forms of the Irish language, although no prior knowledge of the Celtic languages is required or necessary to take and succeed in this course.

From the Classical age to the 21st century, Celts have fascinated and frightened people. This course explores the evolving way Celtic people lived and died, what they believed and why, different ways in which Celtic peoples have been perceived by outsiders, the ways in which Celts have presented themselves to the world and considers why there has been a revival in 21st century of Celtic faiths. In answering these questions you be introduced to the pre-Christian beliefs of the Celtic and Indo-European worlds, to the historical narratives in which such beliefs are embedded, and to the methodology of investigating ancient and medieval belief systems. You will also explore the impact of Christianity in different eras upon the Celtic religions, folklore and mythology through the recurring themes of freedom and independence, especially in relation to the warrior and druid types, signs and symbols and the materiality of the land.

Following an educational field trip to the Scottish Crannog Centre and an ancient stone circle in Aberfeldy you will have the opportunity to consider and respond creatively to the notion of a “sacred landscape” and develop a more in-depth understanding of how legends and mythology become attached to and rooted within sacred sites.

Excursion(s): Course includes one excursion. Details to come.

COURSE: ISSU9MP
CREDITS: 10 UK credits (24 contact hours + independent study & full-day excursion)
OFFERED: Session 1

In this module you will engage in critical, philosophical reflection on morality by examining a number of difficult moral issues, including questions about abortion, our treatment of animals, environmental values, punishment, and world hunger. This module will introduce you to some of the central issues in moral philosophy – both normative issues about how we should live, and more theoretical issues about the nature of right and wrong.

COURSE: ISSU9MV
CREDITS: 10 UK credits (24 contact hours + independent study & full-day excursion)
OFFERED: Session 2

From sparkly vampires to blockbuster monsters, gothic tropes appear to be all-pervasive in contemporary culture. As Catherine Spooner claims in Contemporary Gothic (2006), like ‘a malevolent virus, Gothic narratives have escaped the confines of literature and spread across disciplinary boundaries to infect all kinds of media, from fashion and advertising to the way contemporary events are constructed in mass culture’. What this course aims to do is to introduce students to Gothic’s literary expression in the British nineteenth century, before exploring the many ways in which this dark heritage continues to affect contemporary cultural production.

Focusing on three key texts from the nineteenth century, Frankenstein (1818), The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde (1886) and Dracula (1897), this class will discuss their adaptation, appropriation and influence on popular narratives such as those found in fiction, film, tv, fashion and music video. Some of the contemporary texts we will be drawing upon will be Twilight (book & film), True Blood (book & tv), Buffy the Vampire Slayer (film & tv), Scream (film), Supernatural (tv), Marilyn Manson (music), Interview with a Vampire (book & film), Blade (film), Blairwitch Project (film) etc.

Excursion(s): A visit to Edinburgh Dungeon and a gothic themed bar are included.

COURSE: ISSU9RC
CREDITS: 10 UK credits (24 contact hours + independent study & full-day excursion)
OFFERED: Session 1

The purpose of this course is to introduce students to the sociological and analytic study of religion, identity, conflict and violence within a local, national and global context. It will examine issues such as nationalism, colonialism, international affairs and the role of those charged with reporting such conflicts. Extensive attention will be paid to the representation of religious conflict in the arts, such as literature and films, alongside a detailed examination in of the violent groups that have arisen as an apparent reaction to religious fundamentalism as a rising narrative of a new cultural war.

Excursion(s): Students will attend a guided visit to Stirling Castle.

COURSE: ISSU9TJ
CREDITS: 10 UK credits (24 contact hours + independent study & full-day excursion)
OFFERED: Session 1

The module aims to provide students with an understanding of the origins, main features and impact of the Jacobite movement, and aims to place Scotland’s experience of Jacobitism within its wider British and European context. It seeks to deepen historical and transferable skills already acquired or to assist students coming to history as a discipline for the first time in acquiring such skills. You will look at the societal changes that occurred in Scotland in the 18th Century, the Jacobite rebellions and the Enlightenment period. You will learn how to collect, evaluate and use sources to support a historical case and evaluate conflicting historical interpretations.

COURSE: ISSU9SC
CREDITS: 10 UK credits (24 contact hours + independent study & full-day excursion)
OFFERED: Session 2

For the past decade, Scotland’s national status has been ‘both dangled before us and tantalizingly withheld’ (poet Don Paterson). With attention focused on the question of independence, recent debates concerning Scottish culture and identity gain a heightened political charge. Literature has not only reflected but actively shaped such debate. In the year the new Scottish Parliament was established (1998), Christopher Whyte argued that ‘in the absence of elected political authority, the task of representing the nation has been repeatedly devolved to its writers’. But what influence have writers played in recent political change, and to what extent has Scottish culture escaped its own stereotypes?

This course examines the literary and political currents shaping contemporary Scottish identity, introducing students to key twentieth- and twenty-first century texts. We encounter and explain a range of cultural debates concerning language, class, democracy and nationhood, attending to the urgency as well as the complexity of recent Scottish writing.

Excursion: There will be an excursion to Edinburgh, visiting the Scottish Parliament building and Scottish Writers Museum.

COURSE: ISSU9WS
CREDITS: 10 UK credits (24 contact hours + independent study & full-day excursion)
OFFERED: Session 2

Between 1563 and 1736, during years of political and religious turmoil, around 4,000 people were accused of witchcraft in Scotland. This module will examine this significant aspect of Scottish history, looking at the phenomenon of witchcraft belief as part of early-modern culture, as well as its prosecution. Other themes that will be covered include: religion, popular culture, law and order, illness and death, community tensions and gender issues. We will also consider the continuity and development of ideas about magic and witchcraft.

The module aims to provide students with a thorough understanding of the phenomena of witchcraft belief and prosecution in Scotland between the sixteenth and eighteenth centuries. The focus of the module will be mostly on social and cultural themes but an understanding of the political, economic and religious context will be important.

Excursion(s): This module will visit the village of Dunning, Maggie Wall’s monument near Dunning, Robert Kirk’s burial site and the Fairy Tree at Aberfoyle, all sites related to early modern witchcraft in Scotland.

COURSE: ISSU9IR
CREDITS: 10 UK credits (24 contact hours + independent study & full-day excursion)
OFFERED: Session 2

This module explores contemporary issues and debates that shape world politics today. It starts by introducing International Relations (IR) theory before turning to two broad themes that dominate IR: conflict and peace. We will apply these themes to a case study of the Northern Ireland conflict exploring the key political developments and the transition to a post conflict settlement. This module will also include a workshop that examines the use of wall murals to articulate conflict/post-conflict identity in Northern Ireland.

Excursion(s): This module includes a day trip to St Andrews, where we’ll undertake a tour of Scotland’s Secret Bunker – an underground compound built to safeguard Scotland during the Cold War.

COURSE: ISSU9JJ
CREDITS: 10 UK credits (24 contact hours + independent study & full-day excursion)
OFFERED: Session 2

Recent advances in feminist and LGBT+ liberation movements have had a visible and global impact on culture, literature, politics and commerce. This module examines gender and sexuality in a Scottish context. As binary understandings of gender and sexuality are increasingly shown to be outdated and outmoded, developments in our understanding of gender and sexuality are making headlines and becoming a regular part of our daily discourse in both our social and working lives. This course enables students to apply their knowledge of identity politics to a dynamic range of relevant texts.

The texts in this module examine the decline of traditional, industrialist, ‘hard man’ masculinities in Scotland. Through an exploration of dynamic, contemporary and highly acclaimed texts, this course examines broken masculinities, resistant femininities, and resurgent Scottish LGBT+ fictions. A select range of relevant secondary sources will accompany this exploration of primary literature, introducing students to iconic theorists, as well as relevant contemporary critics examining Scottish literature from a gendered perspective.

COURSE: ISSU9RC
CREDITS: 10 UK credits (24 contact hours + independent study & full-day excursion)
OFFERED: Session 1

The purpose of this course is to introduce students to the sociological and analytic study of religion, identity, conflict and violence within a local, national and global context. It will examine issues such as nationalism, colonialism, international affairs and the role of those charged with reporting such conflicts. Extensive attention will be paid to the representation of religious conflict in the arts, such as literature and films, alongside a detailed examination in of the violent groups that have arisen as an apparent reaction to religious fundamentalism as a rising narrative of a new cultural war.

Excursion(s): Students will attend a guided visit to Stirling Castle.

COURSE: ISSU9SC
CREDITS: 10 UK credits (24 contact hours + independent study & full-day excursion)
OFFERED: Session 2

For the past decade, Scotland’s national status has been ‘both dangled before us and tantalizingly withheld’ (poet Don Paterson). With attention focused on the question of independence, recent debates concerning Scottish culture and identity gain a heightened political charge. Literature has not only reflected but actively shaped such debate. In the year the new Scottish Parliament was established (1998), Christopher Whyte argued that ‘in the absence of elected political authority, the task of representing the nation has been repeatedly devolved to its writers’. But what influence have writers played in recent political change, and to what extent has Scottish culture escaped its own stereotypes?

This course examines the literary and political currents shaping contemporary Scottish identity, introducing students to key twentieth- and twenty-first century texts. We encounter and explain a range of cultural debates concerning language, class, democracy and nationhood, attending to the urgency as well as the complexity of recent Scottish writing.

Excursion: There will be an excursion to Edinburgh, visiting the Scottish Parliament building and Scottish Writers Museum.

COURSE: ISSU9SM
CREDITS: 10 UK credits (24 contact hours + independent study & full-day excursion)
OFFERED: Session 1

As Scotland’s University of Sporting Excellence, the University of Stirling is the perfect place to learn about the integration of culture, management and sport. The aim of this module is to teach you about how sport is managed in Scotland and in the UK mode widely, and about how it is incorporated into the thread of Scottish culture. The module will include a mixture of lectures and seminars accompanied by academic field trips, providing you with an understanding that sport is influenced by cultural traditions, social values and economic factors.

COVID Safe Travel

The health and safety of our students is our highest priority. We take our duty of care for our students, their families and our Australian University partners seriously. For all of our program locations, we have developed a site-specific COVID-19 risk matrix and risk management and emergency response plans so that health and safety response protocols are monitored, managed and communicated.

In preparation for your overseas program, it’s important that you carefully read and understand information related to COVID-19 Travel Safety and Insurance Requirements.

CISaustralia monitors Smartraveller and reliable news feeds to keep up to date with the latest COVID information and any associated travel restrictions and entry requirements for all destinations where we have programs. Due to the constantly evolving COVID-19 situation, Government travel advice can change quickly. For the most up to date information on the United Kingdom, visit the Smartraveller website.

Excursions

While participating in the July in Stirling, Scotland program you will have the opportunity to take day trips or excursions to other regions in Scotland. A few of the places you may visit include:

Edinburgh
The historic capital of Scotland – approximately an hour away by train – with the largest concentration of UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the world! A must see.

St Andrews
Considered the birthplace of golf (great if you love your sport) also boasting a spectacular sweeping bay, relatively undamaged medieval architecture and a bustling cafe and restaurant scene – definitely worth a visit!

Glasgow
Located in Scotland’s central lowlands on the bank of the River Clyde, Glasgow has an extensive maritime heritage and is fast becoming known for its progression in fashion, music, food and architecture. Glasgow is a unique, chaotic city that guarantees a good time.

Loch Ness
Heard of the Loch Ness Monster? We hope so! Loch Ness is a large, deep, freshwater loch in the Scottish Highlands – it spreads almost 40km between Inverness and Fort Augustus. Being the subject of much speculation since the beginning of the 20th century when the beloved ‘Nessie’ was originally sighted, Loch Ness and the surrounding charming villages is a place where you can truly take your time to explore.

Location

Stirling is just south of the Scottish Highlands with wonderful views of fortresses and beautiful Scottish scenery.

Stirling is a charming city with a colourful history – national hero, Sir William Wallace (aka Braveheart), won the Battle of Stirling Bridge against the English here in 1297. Stirling was Scotland’s capital of government for hundreds of years and has endless interesting historical facts for you to take in.

You’ll be able to take day trips to surrounding regions like Loch Ness and Glencoe – and be sure to visit the famous Stirling Castle, believed by many to be haunted.

Stirling’s population of 45,000 makes it the perfect size to explore with ease and comfort. You will have greater access to locals and the chance to really get to know the culture. There is no shortage of theatres, pubs, restaurants, clubs and much more to keep you busy!

The city is also easily accessible from campus by a regular bus service. A regular train service can get you to Glasgow or Edinburgh in under an hour, where you can then pretty much find economical flights to anywhere in Europe. Time for some exploring!

The University

The program takes place at the University of Stirling, a modern campus considered one of the most beautiful in Europe!

You will have the opportunity to take courses in a wide variety of subjects. The University is dedicated to providing quality academics and strives to offer something to every student.

You can join numerous social activities, campus clubs and sports teams where you can meet both local and international students with similar interests. More than 12,000 students from 90 different countries attend the University every semester – an amazing location to make worldwide contacts while gaining a high-quality overseas academic experience.

If you love sports, you’ll enjoy a state-of-the-art sports complex including a three-court sports hall, indoor cycling studio, enhanced changing facilities and much more. This multimillion centre trained many Great British athletes for the Tokyo Olympics. Sporting facilities also include an Olympic-sized pool, a gym, exercise classes and kayaking on the loch. Access to the University’s sporting facilities is part of your program fee.

The campus also boasts cafes, restaurants, a newly-built central student area, a two-screen cinema and a golf course – be entertained without having to travel far!

Accommodation

During your program, you will stay on campus at the University of Stirling – one of the most scenic campuses in all of Europe.

Each shared apartment may house up to six students, each typically in single rooms with en-suite bathroom facilities, and a shared kitchen and living area.

Each bedroom is furnished with a desk, lamp, bed, mattress, bed linens, pillow, towels, bookshelves, storage space, utensils, cookware and free high speed internet access.

You can do your laundry for a small fee at a number of facilities in the building. Meals are not included, however, you can opt to prepare your own food or eat on campus.

The on-campus accommodation is a five-minute walk to the campus academic and other buildings.

Program Fee & Dates

Session 1: June - July 2024 (4 weeks)
NOTE: Places on the program are in high demand, as is on-campus accommodation. CISaustralia strongly advises you to apply early, accept your offer and pay the program deposit as soon as possible to secure your place on the program.

All students must pay their A$1,500 program deposit no later than 5 April application deadline to secure their place.
Application Deadline05 April 2024
Arrival Date08 June 2024
Departure Date06 July 2024
Application FeeA$ 95
Program Fee A$ 7,599 - 8,599
OS-HELP A$ 7,921
Session 2: July - August 2024 (4 weeks)
NOTE: Places on the program are in high demand, as is on-campus accommodation. CISaustralia strongly advises you to apply early, accept your offer and pay the program deposit as soon as possible to secure your place on the program.

All students must pay their A$1,500 program deposit no later than 5 April application deadline to secure their place.
Application Deadline05 April 2024
Arrival Date06 July 2024
Departure Date03 August 2024
Application FeeA$ 95
Program Fee A$ 7,599 - 8,599
OS-HELP A$ 7,921

 

Program fees include the following:
  • CISaustralia support services before, during and after the program
  • Academic advising
  • Financial advice
  • Assistance with travel arrangements
  • Pre-departure guide and session
  • Airport pick-up and drop-off (on specified program dates within designated times)
  • Welcome induction sessions
  • Accommodation* – private, en-suite bedroom on campus
  • Tuition fees
  • Induction shopping trip to Stirling and supermarket
  • Gym Membership
  • On-campus internet access
  • Day trip to Edinburgh, Glasgow and St Andrews
  • Module excursion (specific to each course taken)
  • Social Activities – nature hikes, golf lessons, dance lessons
  • Farewell Ceilidh (Scottish dancing with live band and food)
  • Program risk matrix and COVID-19 risk assessment
  • Risk Management and Emergency Response Plan
  • CISaustralia 24/7 on-site support – Site Director
  • University of Stirling official transcript
  • CISaustralia Certificate of Participation (available on request)

*Accommodation is on a first-come, first-served basis. Students are encouraged to apply before the application deadline in order to guarantee their place on the program.

Please be advised that the University of Stirling requires a student’s official transcript when considering applicants for their Summer School. Ordering an official transcript from a university can take up to a few weeks. Students applying near or on the program’s application deadline should plan to have their official transcript on hand.

What is not included:

  • Program application fee
  • International Student Identity Card
  • Flights (CISaustralia will however provide travel guidance and support via our formal travel partner)
  • Medical insurance
  • Travel insurance
  • Visa fees
  • Vaccinations (if required)
  • Meals (unless mentioned above)
  • Extra travel/excursions (other than those mentioned above)

Dates are for reference only and are subject to change. Please do not book flights until you have received the confirmed dates in your acceptance paperwork.

CISaustralia reserves the right to alter fees at any time due to currency fluctuations and/or fee changes made by our partner universities.

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