Over 4,000 miles from Raleigh, North Carolina, NC State students are getting a Wolfpack education in the Czech Republic.

“Prague is a complete NC State campus,” said William Rasdorf, a professor in the Department of Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering. “Just being there is a civil engineering education, and that’s hard to beat.”

Rasdorf has led summer abroad experiences in Prague since 2016. Over the course of three to six weeks depending on the session, students travel, experience real construction sites and immerse themselves in the culture of the country.

“We are especially excited about Prague, because not only can we study engineering, but our students have the opportunity to see other things,” he said. “They learn how to get around, and they gain a lot of confidence about their abilities.”

Students learn in classrooms, but also by visiting various museums like the Stará čistírna, a former wastewater treatment plant, and the National Museum of Prague, which includes exhibits on transportation and mining.

Kim Strozewski, director of the NC State European Center in Prague, organizes the student activities.

“Engineering students don’t have much time to study abroad, so summer is the one time that they could go,” she said. “It’s one way to get an international experience within the context of engineering programs. I know it’s really hard to leave for a semester or summer with internships.”

Josh Rehkamp, a senior civil engineering major, was especially excited about the bridges of Prague. He and his classmates took a trip to the Vltava River, which stretches across the city. There are 18 bridges over the Vltava, including the Charles Bridge, built in 1357. It was the sole means of crossing the river until 1841.

Now, construction workers are building the newest bridge beside the oldest.

“These bridges that were built 1,000 years apart are right next to each other,” said Rehkamp. “We got to see the engineering and architecture, what they do to get the supports in the water and how they get the bridge to be stable and safe to cross.”

Many students took the opportunity to travel while in Europe. Rehkamp and his friends visited Hungary, Poland and Slovakia, all accessible by train.

For Rehkamp, who had never left the United States before, this was a huge plus.

“I am a big fan of traveling,” he said. “I want to go to just as many places as I can in my lifetime and visit as many different cultures and historical points as possible.”

Rehkamp graduates this December. While thinking through his options, returning to Europe to attend graduate school is definitely on the table, in no small part due to his study abroad experience.

“I had a student recently ask how I felt about the trip,” he said. “I told him to do it. At some point in your college career, you have to go abroad at least once. The language shock, culture shock, having to learn new things. You don’t get that experience in the United States.”