The search will be slightly different for those who are looking for an exchange/ study abroad or double degree program and those who are interested in obtaining a full degree.
In the first case, start by visiting the International Office (which might also be called International Programs, Global Studies, etc.) at your University. There you will receive information regarding the institutions and program providers with which they work and maintain cooperation, exchange and other types of agreements. Most probably, you will also be able to access information regarding scholarships, overseas employment, etc.
Doing your international experience within the framework of these agreements generally entails some sort of benefit, which may be simplified admissions procedures, access to scholarships and/or being exempt from paying academic fees at the overseas university (generally, however, you will still need to pay the regular fees at your home institution).
If you have already graduated, it is still advisable to contact the Alumni Relations and/or International Office as you start your search, as many of them provide advising to their alumni.
Internet greatly simplified the search for potential programs and universities. The site http://univ.cc/ (Universities Worldwide), for instance, includes links to 8869 universities in 203 countries. However, because of the huge number of available programs, it is super important to start the search only after having narrowed down the search by answering the questions that I suggested a couple days ago. Otherwise, the search is likely to be very overwhelming!
Some tips for your Internet search:
Taking into consideration your objectives, priorities and limitations, start by exploring potential universities and comparing programs through some of the following sites and search terms that I like using as starting points:
http://ec.europa.eu/education/study-in-europe/ - this is the official European Commission site. May be read in English, Spanish, French or Portuguese. Includes program listings as well as scholarship information, practical tips on how to prepare your application and much more
http://www.study-info.eu/ - this site displays listings of undergraduate and graduate programs and has a special section of European degrees taught in English.
http://www.mastersportal.eu/ - as its name suggests, it specializes in Master’s degrees. It may be read in several languages.
http://www.phdportal.eu/ - this site is devoted to PhD programs and may be visualized in different languages.
Almost all countries have a web site promoting their academic offer. Most of these are translated into several different languages. Some examples are:
China - http://www.study-in-china.org/
United States - http://educationusa.state.gov/
Sweden - http://www.studyinsweden.se/
Just like there are country-specific study sites, there are links that focus on the academic offer of specific cities and regions. Examples are:
Stockholm - http://www.studyinstockholm.se/
Baden-Württemberg (Germany) - http://www.bw-studyguide.de/
Even though they are controversial, university rankings are also an interesting resource when looking for programs. Especially useful are rakings by subject area such as:
http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/world-university-rankings/2011-2012/arts-and-humanities.html
http://grad-schools.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-business-schools/mba-rankings
Finally, I like starting my searches using Google, inserting terms such as the type of program that I am looking for, the city or country in the search bar: i.e. “Italy + Master’s + renewable Energies”.
