Going International

 

Studying and living in another country is a great opportunity that you should not miss!

A stay abroad offers you many valuable development potentials - for your foreign language skills, your professional knowledge and last but not least for you as a person.

Most companies greatly appreciate this broadening of horizons, which is why experience abroad is in high demand on the job market.
Please note: It is increasingly taken for granted by larger companies that you do actually have gained significant international experience during your studies!
 
You have different possibilities to integrate a stay abroad. Basically, a stay abroad is recommended after the first four semesters. Formally, you first need to finish your entry semesters and then it will take you about a ayear for planning your stay abroad well. Also, by then you will have gained a good overview of your field of study and will be able to plan your studies at a foreign university largely independently in terms of time and content.
 
You should strive to to integrate your stay abroad carefully into your personal study plan. Financing should be clarified in advance and the necessary foreign language skills should be available. The earlier you look for the subjects and content you can cover abroad, the better you can adjust your studies on time here in Mannheim. 

You should start with the concrete planning and application at least one year before the planned departure. Among other things, you must take care of information procurement, admission by the host university, language certificate, health insurance abroad, visa and application deadlines for a scholarship in good time.

Further general information on studying abroad can be found on the website of the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD).

For students of the Faculty W, there are basically the following possibilities of a stay abroad:

  1. Study abroad:
    You can complete a theoretical study semester at a foreign university of your choice or at one of our partner universities. We recognize examination achievements made abroad if they are equivalent to our achievements
  2. Internship abroad:
    You can complete voluntary internships of several weeks during the lecture-free period or the entire practical study semester (5th semester) in a company abroad.
  3. Thesis abroad:
    You can also write your Bachelor's or Master's thesis in a company abroad. The same regulations apply here as for writing a thesis in a company in Germany.  

Planning Tips

When planning a theoretical study semester abroad we recommend that you:

  • Consider early (about 1 year in advance) whether you would like to spend a semester abroad, to which region you would like to go, what linguistic, economic and cultural conditions you will find there, and whether this fits in with your study plans.
  • Check the timing of the planned semester (winter or summer semester) at the respective partner university in order to avoid overlaps with the semester dates at Mannheim University of Applied Sciences. Due to the often earlier start of the summer semester at foreign universities (sometimes at the beginning of January), a stay abroad in the winter semester is usually easier to realize.
  • Take as many language courses as possible in the respective national language as early as possible so that your language level corresponds at least to level B2 - C1 of the European Framework of Reference. The better your language skills are BEFORE you start your semester abroad, the more you will be able to benefit personally, in terms of content and professionally from your stay abroad. All of our partner programs have a formal requiremenmt regarding your language skills!
  • Take care of the application deadlines for a scholarship abroad and other funding opportunities (e.g. Baden-Württemberg scholarship, ERASMUS funding) in good time: these are often only once a year on a certain deadline.
  • Find out early about the application deadlines of the university for the semester you are considering if you plan to go as a fre mover, i.e. plan and manage your stay on your own.
  • Start planning your studies abroad as early as possible with regard to the equivalence of the module in coordination with your curriculum and the study offers of the partner university (use the curriculum and the module descriptions on the homepage of the partner university).
  • It is essential that you have the equivalence of your planned examination achievements at the foreign partner university checked by your faculty WELL BEFORE starting your semester abroad. This way you can be sure that your planned examinations will be recognized after your return.