The Engineering school of Tohoku University has been offering a Team-based Engineering Design Course to its first year students since 1996 in order to increase the level of both motivation and interest in engineering. Freshmen are required to select one of approximately 150 topics and do some research on this topic. This course also provides opportunities for students to participate in exchange programs with the University of Washington (UW) and the University of Science and Technology Beijing (USTB). In the Tohoku-UW exchange program, which began in 1999, between 10 and 25 students of Tohoku visit the UW annually to present the results of the subjects the school has appointed in advance in the Team-based Engineering Design Course. In the Tohoku-USTB exchange program, which began in 2007, about 15 students from each university participate in a one day meeting organized by the students themselves. They give a presentation on either the results of the subject they selected in the course, or on an engineering related topic both groups have agreed to in advance. In this paper, a detailed history, the objectives, a schedule and the budget in these unique exchange programs is introduced together with an outline of the course and its contribution to the engineering design education.