Summer Schools
Study Abroad and Exchange
Students from outside the UK can attend a summer school which is a great way to build your international experience, discover a different culture, and bring your learning to life.
The summer school can be run from Carmarthen, Lampeter and Swansea campus, some institutions like to stay on more than one campus during their time in Wales. With such diverse courses and campuses, there is widespread opportunities throughout a number of programme and faculties, from Creative writing to Outdoor Education.
Summer Schools
Each of our Summer Schools are open to students from our partner institutions noted below. Except the Dylan Thomas Creative Writing Summer School, which welcomes applications from students studying in a number of Universities and Colleges.
If you are from an institution interested in bringing a summer school to Wales, please get in touch and we would be happy to develop a bespoke programme for you.
Dylan Thomas International Summer School
A twelve day residential summer school focusing on the extraordinary landscape of Wales as a catalyst for creative writing. Students will attend daily writing workshops, travel to culturally significant locations, and listen to readings by renowned Welsh writers.
27 May–7 June 2024 (and 10 June –21 June 2024 TBC)
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About the Dylan Thomas International Summer School
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Costs and Credits
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Important Dates for Applicants Prior to Travelling to Wales
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Notes on Passport Requirements
The Dylan Thomas Summer School is a 12-day intensive writing programme at the University of Wales Trinity Saint David, in Lampeter, Wales. It was founded by Menna Elfyn in 2014 and is co-directed by Pamela Petro and Dominic Williams.
The course is structured to reflect its thematic emphasis on “A Sense of Place.” It is fully accredited by the University of Wales and is open to undergraduates, graduate students, and members of the public. Class size is usually about 15 students.
The 2024 syllabus will include 14 writing workshops taught by prose writer Pamela Petro and poet Samantha Rhydderch, along with visiting tutors. Workshop prompts are drawn from lectures, assigned readings and afternoon excursions. We encourage students to draw links between observations of Wales’ landscape and history and their own memories of “place” as raw material for their writing.
Trips in 2024 are planned to take place to Aberglasney Gardens, Harlech Castle, Anglesey, Snowdonia and to the coastal village of Llansteffan, which inspired Dylan Thomas’ story ‘A visit to Grandpa’s’.
In addition to these places, in 2024 students will visit the Dylan Thomas Boathouse in Laugharne and the Dylan Thomas Summer School will spend two days and three nights at Ty Newydd, Wales’ National Writing Centre and former home of Prime Minister David Lloyd George. On the Lampeter campus, students will tour the Roderic Bowen Library, which contains one of the most important collections of rare books and medieval manuscripts in Britain, and take an optional walk to an Iron Age hillfort.
Our draft 2024 programme of nightly readings by Wales’ finest practising writers and poets will include Menna Elfyn, with likely appearances by Mike Parker, Tom Bullogh and Twm Morys.
Toward the end of the programme, students will receive a 20-minute, one-on-one tutorial with Pamela Petro or Dominic Williams to discuss their work in private. Each student taking the course for credit must submit a selection of poems, short story, or essay for grading.
Please note that the programme is designed so that students’ time outside workshops and seminars is equally important to time spent in the classroom. Excursions and readings by Welsh authors prompt students to create material that could never be generated in the classroom alone.
- £2450 (approx $2900) per person (inclusive of en-suite accommodation / meals / airport pick up and return, and all excursions)
- Students may choose whether or not they wish to take the program for credit: a 30 credit module at the DTSS is equivalent to 3 graduate or undergraduate credits toward a US degree.
- Returning students may build a UWTSD post graduate degree over a period of visits to the DTSS programme achieving 120 credits from four summer schools and completing a dissertation at a distance.
- Undergraduate students can start to build postgraduate credits concurrently
Administration correspondence and questions should be addressed to Dominic Williams.
The maximum number of places available on the DTSS is 18. Admission to accepted candidates is considered on a first come, first served basis. Note that the programme will only run subject to minimum numbers being met.
| Date | Action |
|---|---|
| 15 January 2024 | Application Period Opens |
| 26 February 2024 | Application Period Closes |
| 12 March 2024 | Students will be notified of their acceptance |
| 22 March2024 | Closing date for students to submit payment |
Approximately two weeks before the programme begins, students will receive a letter of registration to be shown at Immigration when entering the U.K.
If payment is not received by 22 March 2024, your place on the programme may default to another student.
If you cannot attend the DTSS after having been accepted and have paid your tuition, note that we will refund your payment in full up to 22 April 2024. After 22 April, we will not consider refunds unless it is possible to fill your place with another student.
Non-visa nationals (this includes U.S. passport-holders) do not normally need to pre-apply for a visa from the U.S. in order to enter the U.K. to study at the Dylan Thomas Summer School, They must, however, inform immigration agents when they arrive at the border that they are in the UK to study on a short course/summer school of less than 6 months.
In addition to their passport, they will need to show the agent their letter of registration from the university that states the details of the Summer School and notes that they have paid their tuition.
Different rules may pertain if students are not U.S. passport-holders, plan to follow other courses of study while they are in the U.K., stay longer than 6 months, or already hold some kind of valid UK visa.
Hobart and William Smith Colleges
Hobart and William Smith Colleges have been a partner of the University of Wales Trinity Saint David since 2008 and have enjoyed Outdoor Education programmes.
Outdoor Education: Theoretical Issues in Outdoor Pursuits is a 3-week course that will be a combination of academic theory and hands-on outdoor activities, including hiking, camping, caving, canoeing, kayaking, swimming, mine exploration, rock climbing and mountain biking. While the activities are enjoyable, they are fundamentally a means for examining a range of academic themes such as sustainability, personal and social development and the duality of risk versus adventure.
- Explore a range of issues including sustainability, conservation, changing landscapes, personal and social development and risk vs. adventure
- Participate in activities like rock climbing, caving, kayaking, surfing, hiking, swimming, coasteering and mountain biking
- Learn hard and soft skills while reflecting on how “experience” connects to learning
- Appreciate Welsh culture through active participation in those activities that are thought to be quintessentially Welsh
Theory sessions will be used to prepare for the practical activities, to review experiences and to provide the necessary background knowledge essential for the various assessments.
Saint Michael’s College, Vermont
The aim of the International Sustainability Summer School is to inform visiting students on the different perspectives of sustainability in Wales through cultural, ecological, political, geographic, and artistic lenses.
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Students and staff from Saint Michael’s College visit UWTSD during May for a two-week study abroad course focused on how Wales has integrated ecological sustainability throughout its culture, institutions, art and policies. Saint Michael’s College approached UWTSD as they were aware of the Institute of Sustainable Practice, Innovation and Resource Effectiveness (INSPIRE) and its commitment to sustainability. The course included cultural and environmental field studies, on-site guest lectures, and collaboration and exchange of research and artistic projects.
For more information on your institution bringing a summer school please contact our International Recruitment Unit.
Douglas College, Vancouver
UWTSD has been hosting students on exchange, degree completion and on Summer field schools from Douglas College, Vancouver since 2009.
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The programme is 2–3 weeks at the University of Wales Trinity Saint David Carmarthen campus. The programme has a variety of lectures, site visits and includes cultural trips around Wales as well as a stay in London before or after the programme.
Funding Opportunities
Funding Opportunities
All UWTSD students who submit a Go Global Application will be automatically considered for funding. The Outward Mobility Team will place you under either Taith or Turing funding, depending on your unique circumstances. Students going abroad will not need to apply for this funding. This funding will not cover all costs, but is meant to help supplement students personal savings, loans, and other financial sources to go abroad.