Who or what is Erasmus?

Erasmus - the greatest internationalist of the early Renaissance

Erasmus of Rotterdam, usually just known as Erasmus, was a Dutch Renaissance humanist, Catholic priest, social critic, teacher, and theologian. He was also an early European, a respected scholar who studied in many countries and was justly famous throughout sixteenth century Europe.

Today, Erasmus is the name given to a student exchange programme run by the European Union, since 1987. Its official name is The European Community Action Scheme for the Mobility of University Students. That's a bit of a mouthful, so most folks just call it Erasmus.

What has all this got to do with animation? The answer is, plenty, especially if you are a student who is interested in pursuing opportunities to study overseas.

Europe is your oyster

Here at Bucks we think that overseas study is a good thing.  In principle, it helps to broaden students' horizons, helps expose them to other cultures, and hopefully will help them to learn different things and to study in different ways.

Erasmus is an exchange programme, so we'll be hoping to welcome a student from overseas here at Bucks in return. Hopefully they will get as much out of the experience as our students will from traveling abroad.

So how does it all work?  Below is a brief and hopefully not too inaccurate outline of the scheme, which has just been re-branded as Erasmus Plus.

Who can apply?
Any undergraduate student from Bucks who wants to study overseas.


When does it all happen?
Generally, the first or second term of your second year. So, for our current first year students, your exchange would most likely take place in January-March 2015.

He started it

Is there any money to help with overseas expenses?
Yes. The EU recognises that overseas study will cost extra, so there is money to help with travel and accommodation, around £400 per month. For more details, check out this link.


But won't I miss out on studies here at Bucks?
Yes, you will miss out on some study at home, but you will also gain from study overseas. Our job as tutors and course leaders is to work hard to make sure there is a good fit between what you are studying overseas and what you are missing here. The idea is to make sure, as far as possible, that the benefits outweigh the costs.

The Animation Workshop in Viborg, Denmark

What if I don't speak the language?
Plenty of schools in Europe now teach in English, such as the Animation Workshop in Denmark, which runs an excellent animation BA. In any case we won't send you to a country where you won't understand a word of what is going on. 

For more information about the Erasmus Plus scheme, check out the official site here. You can also email Kasia Harding, our own in-house Erasmus expert, at Erasmus@bucks.ac.uk, or pop over to her office in the Owen Harris Building and say hello.

Owen Harris building

Any first-year Animation & VFX student at Bucks who wants to get involved - email me or Dave Creighton.

----Alex