Although study abroad programs are common within the 4-year bachelor degree programs in the United States, such program opportunities are not often available to students enrolled in 2-year Associate of Science (A.S.) degree programs. Two National Science Foundation (NSF) Advanced Technological Education (ATE) Regional Centers of Excellence, the Regional Center for Next Generation Manufacturing, RCNGM, and the Florida Advanced Technological Education Center, FLATE, are participating in an NSF Office of International Science and Engineering demonstration project to ascertain the merit of such an overseas study opportunity for A.S. degree students. This paper summarizes the construction of two programs, one in Spain and the other in Germany, with a focus on the lessons learned and faculty identified differences between in the United States community college technical education system and its counterpart in these two European countries. The paper outlines the curriculum development rational and its resultant course of study the A. S. degree seeking students will experience during their time in these two countries in 2012. Finally, the recruitment strategies to attract both traditional and non-traditional students into this program will be discussed. It is anticipated that these demonstration project international interactions and exchanges with institutions in the manufacturing regions of Spain and Germany will be the basis for the creation of long term student and faculty interchange partnerships as well as institutional international collaborations to enhance technical education for these targeted technology education sectors.
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