Contact us at asktrec@pdx.edu if you have any questions.

What is the withdrawal and refund policy?

Students may officially withdraw from a program by providing written notification of their withdrawal to the Education Abroad Advisor in the PSU Education Abroad Office.  Students are not considered withdrawn from a program until written notification is received. Withdrawing from a program does not, however, absolve you of your responsibility of covering program costs.  If the student withdraws from a program after they have changed their online application status to “committed” they will be billed the non-refundable fees, as stated above, as well as any non-recoverable program costs, as determined by each program refund policy. Non-refundable fees include: $50 app fee + $250 Ed Abroad fee

Is there any financial aid available?

There are some financial aid options for Portland State University students. See the PSU Education Abroad Scholarship Resources page for more information.

Why is a recommendation required for my application?

The recommendation (from a faculty member or professional reference) helps us determine if you're academically ready for an immersive education experience abroad. It's not a letter, but rather a fairly quick form that your reference can complete in 10 - 15 minutes. The bulk of the electronic recommendation are drop-down ratings to confirm qualities like "reliability", "adaptability", "motivation" - plus one or two open-ended questions.

What work will students be expected to complete?

It is a five credit class, and so taking notes, reflecting, sketching, and daily summaries are expected on the trip. A long term project will also be assigned. This would include at least three options from a variety of disciplines. Past topic examples include: analyzing U.S. challenges in urban design and applying a dutch strategy, analyzing Portland Intersections, answering policy land use questions, and urban development.

Are laptops required?

No.

What has been the size of past groups?

The groups have been about 12 students in size and the program caps at 15 students. Students are generally from urban planning or engineering backgrounds. All majors and fields of studies are encouraged to apply. Geographically most students come from Oregon with some from California, Washington, and Canada.

Is language study required? 

No language study is required for this course.

We've been hosting this study abroad program nearly every summer since 2011, and have introduced 71 students to international concepts in sustainable transportation. Here are just a few of the things our program alumni have to say about their experience:

"I was amazed at how far I could walk and still be in a walkable part of the city. Walk far enough in Salem or Portland and you’ll eventually reach a point where it feels like pedestrians and cyclists are an afterthought. If there’s an equivalent place in Copenhagen, I imagine I'd have to go out of my way to find it."

- PSU Civil Engineering (2024 student)

"I am incredibly excited for the ways this time abroad will serve as a source of inspiration and contribute to an ethos that will guide my future career as a planner."

- PSU Master of Urban and Regional Planning (2023 student)

"I wanted to see Scandinavia’s multimodal sustainable infrastructure in action, to increase my knowledge so I can improve transportation design in my work as an engineer. What I found was a biking paradise in Copenhagen and a pedestrian's dream in Stockholm. From biking to and from the suburbs to five-minute cities; a train every three minutes to e-bike share; a power station run off of recycling, and so many ways to be sustainable. I found that the public transportation system was accessible to all, sustainable, and reliable."

- Transportation Engineer (2022 student)

"The Dutch use the bicycle in a very different way than we do in the US. Without helmets, without spandex, they use the bike as a functional means of moving, rather than for sporting... One of my goals for this trip is to bring some Dutch inspiration back to Portland and to the US. In particular, I'm interested in how road design for bicycling can appeal to not just the "strong and fearless" spandex riders, but to every day people making every day trips."
- Active Transportation Planner (2019 student)

"Riding and experiencing the cycling infrastructure was so important to understanding why it is so successful as was meeting residents and professionals in the Netherlands. As a planner, I found this course very useful for understanding how engineers, both American and Dutch, understand the street. I've also been able to bring back my experience to my practice not just for bicycle infrastructure but forward-looking research on micro-mobility as Europe has some very interesting light vehicles. This was definitely a trip I'd recommend to anyone interested in learning more about bringing cycling infrastructure back to North America."
- New Mobility Planner (2016 student)

"I’ve been Amsterdam and Copenhagen before; so I thought I absorbed most of the advanced pedestrian/bicycle facilities through walking or biking around. But then, I studied abroad with IBPI to The Netherlands and put my previous self-learning experience to shame. With IBPI, you’ll not only look at world class bicycle facilities, you’ll meet some fantastic American colleagues on your trip, live a high quality of life like the Dutch, and begin to accumulate an amazing photo library. If you are own the fence about going, jump off the fence and onto a Dutch bike with IBPI!"
- Transportation Engineer (2013 student)

PROGRAM MANAGER

John MacArthur, Sustainable Transportation Program Manager, Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at PSU

John MacArthur is the Sustainable Transportation Program Manager at TREC at PSU. He is active in research related to sustainable and equitable transportation, particularly in the areas of emerging technologies, e-bikes, bike share, transit, and the relationship between transportation and public health. Mr. MacArthur is the Section Chair for Transportation Research Board’s AME00 Transportation and Society and a member of Innovative Public Transportation Services and Technologies (AP020). He received his BS in Civil Engineering from Lehigh University and a MS in Environmental Health Sciences from the School of Public Health at the University of Michigan.

Program Fee: $6,240
Additional Estimated Costs: $2,492
Total: $ 8,732

Note: There will likely be scholarships available for the first 10 PSU students who submit their applications and are offered spots on the program. More details to come!

Program Fee Includes:

• Course credits
• All educational site visits and excursions
• Ed Abroad Service Fee
• International Health Insurance
• 24/7 emergency student support
• Housing accommodations for international instructional program dates
• 1 day-trip (Malmö) incl. group meal
• 1 day-trip (Odense) incl. group meal
• 1 day transit pass for Copenhagen
• Canal and Harbor tour of Copenhagen
• Programmed meals (Welcome & Farewell dinner)
• Service fees for on-the-ground third-party provider

Additional Estimated Costs Include:

• Education Abroad application fee ($50)
• PSU Rec Center Fee ($44)
  • This fee applies to all students each term through myPDX portal.
• Passport or visa (estimated at $135-200)
  • ETIAS Travel Authorization is required for 30 European countries (estimated at $8)
• International round-trip airfare (estimated at $1,600)
• Non-programmed meals (estimated at $510 total)
• Personal spending money (estimated at $200)
• International phone service (Depending on student-selected plan)

Scholarship Highlights:

ScanDesign Scholarship: More info to come!

All students can apply to the PSU Education Abroad Scholarship of $500. The application for this scholarship is included in the application for the program.

Apply by March 1, 2025

• PSU Students: $50 application fee
• Non-PSU Students: $50 application fee. You will need to complete the same application process as PSU students. Once accepted, you will need to enroll as a non-degree seeking student at PSU (additional $25 non-degree student fee).

An online information session was held February 20, 2024. Watch the recording here.

This program is open to college juniors/seniors and graduate students from any university and professionals. Capacity is limited to 15 participants, so apply early! Not a student, but a transportation professional interested in joining this study abroad? Contact John MacArthur at macarthur@pdx.edu to inquire.

This is a Portland State University five-credit course (CE 495 / 595) in civil engineering, cross-listed with urban planning and studies courses.

Portland State University (PSU) and the Initiative for Bicycle and Pedestrian Innovation (IBPI) present an introduction to sustainable transportation and land use applications in the context of Denmark through a two-week study abroad program in the summer 2025 term.

Program dates: June 21 - July 5, 2025

Application deadline: March 1, 2025

APPLY FOR THE STUDY ABROAD PROGRAM

Watch a recorded information session from February 2024 to learn more. The course creates an immersive experience to explore European approaches to cycling, transit, innovative mobility, and land use. The curriculum will feature material that provides a comparison between the U.S. and Denmark in terms of problems, priorities, and solutions. Specific emphasis on planning and engineering principles, policy, and practice will be explored through field trips, tours, and guest lectures, while visiting near by areas. Students completing this course will develop a broader understanding of sustainable transportation issues and expand their toolkit for context-sensitive solutions. Taught in a study-abroad format in a European nation, this course examines how the urban areas and transportation systems of that nation have been designed to promote transportation by foot, bicycle, and public transportation. Through design projects, students have an opportunity to apply lessons learned to the U.S. context. You'll learn:

• Design of bikeways, safe pedestrian crossings, and transit systems;
• Urban expansion and land-use policies to promote travel by foot, bike, and public transport; 
• Smart cities programs and projects;
• Roadway system design for safety and to prevent roads from becoming barriers to walking and cycling; and
• Design for transit priority on roadways and for high-quality rail, tram, and bus service.
• No previous language study required.

If you have specific questions, please email John MacArthur.

We've been hosting sustainable transportation study abroad courses for several years, in the Netherlands, Sweden and Denmark. Read a recap of the 2024 course, or see photos from past years. Interested in future study abroad opportunities? Sign up here to be notified.

This course is offered through our Initiative for Bicycle and Pedestrian Innovation program.

Portland State University (PSU) is a member of PacTrans, the Pacific Northwest Transportation Consortium. Pactrans, the Regional University Transportation Center (UTC) for Federal Region 10, is a consortium of transportation professionals and educators from six colleges and universities located around the Pacific Northwest. In addition to PSU, other university partners are Northwest Indian College (NWIC), Portland State University (PSU), the University of Alaska, Anchorage (UAA), University of Idaho (UI), University of Washington (UW), and Washington State University (WSU).

Learn more - visit the PacTrans website.

Grant Funding for PSU Researchers

Each year, PacTrans provides PSU with $150,000 to fund “small research projects.” Those projects must be selected using a competitive, peer-review process. The Year 3 RFP describes the process for PSU researchers to submit proposals for these funds. PSU plans to award no more than three projects. Therefore, individual project requests should range from $30,000 to $70,000. 

KEY DATES

• Abstracts due: May 6, 2025, 11:59 pm.
• Proposals due: June 3, 2025 11:59 pm.
• Project selection and award documents: August/September 2025
• Projects begin: September/October 2025
• Projects end: August 2027

DOCUMENTS

• PSU Pactrans Year 3 Small Project RFP
• PSU Pactrans Year 3 Small Project Proposal Form
• PSU Pactrans Year 3 Small Project Budget Form

To submit an abstract and proposal, log into PPMS.

Current PSU PacTrans Projects

A Proactive Approach to Examining Transportation Safety and Equity

• Principal Investigator: Aaron Golub,

Improving Accuracy and Precision of Pedestrian Volume Estimates Using Advanced Machine Learning Approaches

• Principal Investigator: Sirisha Kothuri Co-Investigator: Banafsheh Rekabdar

Automated Detection, Tracking, and Safety Analysis of Pedestrians and Cyclists Using YOLOv9

• Principal Investigator: Banafsheh Rekabdar Co-Investigators: Sirisha Kothuri , Nathan McNeil

Human Centricity through AI - Innovating Public Engagement for Transportation Projects with Large Language Models

• Principal Investigator: Antonie Jetter, Portland State University

E-bike Incentives Programs Study

• Principal Investigator: John MacArthur, Portland State University

Working Towards Operationalizing Equity into the Research Process

Principal Investigator: Aaron Golub, Portland State University

Understanding Human-centered AI through Data Integration and Analytics

• Principal Investigator: David Yang

Mobility and Accessibility Resilience of Transportation Infrastructures

• Principal Investigator: David Yang

Examining the Geotechnical Earthquake Hazard to Transportation Assets in Oregon and Washington: Characterizing Earthquake-Induced Deformations of Silt Soils

• Principal Investigator: Diane Moug

Data-driven policy and strategy are critical to meeting transportation goals. To that end, we’ve focused our research efforts on filling gaps in data and education. In addition to hosting a quarterly transportation data webinar series, we house two national data clearinghouses – PORTAL and BikePed Portal – aimed at making transportation data more easily accessible to researchers and practitioners.

PORTAL

PORTAL provides a centralized, electronic database that facilitates the collection, archiving, and sharing of transportation data and information for public agencies. The data stored in PORTAL includes 20-second granularity loop detector data from freeways in the Portland-Vancouver metropolitan region, arterial signal data, travel time data, weather data, incident data, VAS/VMS message data, truck volumes, transit data, and arterial signal data.

BikePed Portal

BikePed Portal, a national non-motorized count data archive, provides a centralized standard count database for public agencies, researchers, educators, and other curious members of the public to view and download bicycle and pedestrian count data. It includes automated and manual counts from across the country, and supports screenline and turning movement counts.