SAE University College students were inspired and motivated by the inaugural study tour to Berlin this year, some even adding international travel to their future plans off the back of the 10-day tour.
Twenty students from campuses across Australia joined two staff members to travel to Berlin on Thursday 14 March for the tour in which they visited SAE Berlin, toured cultural sights and completed self-directed creative media projects.
The tour was organised as part of SAE’s updated bachelor courses and is a key component of a new elective unit focused on global citizenship and creative place-making which commenced in Trimester 1 2025.
Highlights included organised trips to Riverside Studios, Neumann microphones and Wooga Games studios, networking with successful SAE students in Berlin and collaboration across campuses.
SAE Sydney faculty development lead and unit coordinator Amy Common accompanied students on the tour and said they made the most of the opportunities SAE organised in Germany.
“This tour was a unique opportunity for students to interact with different creative practitioners and develop new approaches to their creative practice,” she said.
“We wanted them to become more culturally sensitive, more aware of their place in a global discipline, and develop transferable skills that are really valued in the workforce.”
The trip allowed students to network – they met a former SAE student turned Grammy-winner at Riverside Studios, one student set up and performed a DJ gig, and another liaised with a social media manager for future collaborations.
- Amy Common, Course Director
For film student Katie Darlington, the trip was a unique experience and has influenced her future plans.
“I was looking for an out-of-the-box, out of your comfort zone experience and I got one,” she said.
“Future-wise this has made me want to travel all across the world and connect with and collaborate with different people. It’s really inspired me to go out and travel, especially in places like Berlin where they really encourage creativity.”
Katie said the unit challenged her creatively and personally and reignited her creative passion.
“I love studying at SAE and especially with this course, I think it’s been so beneficial,” she said.
Student Convenor and Film Lecturer Daniel Bourke also accompanied the students on the trip and said it was a unique learning experience that many students wouldn’t have had access to outside of study.
“This was something exciting to deliver to our students outside of a regular classroom,” he said.
“We were able to give them a really unique experience that they saw as a life lesson and an experience they’re going to remember for quite a while.”
Executive General Manager of SAE Global Matthew Evans said SAE’s global network of colleges provides unique opportunities for students to gain an advantage through international creative media experiences.
“SAE students have access to an immersive learning environment that crosses borders and connects cultures,” he said.
“SAE has 47 global campuses in 19 countries, including some of the world’s most iconic cities. Leveraging that international presence with these new study tours will further our students’ ability to develop the skills and experience needed to carve successful careers all over the world.”
