Opportunities for Study in Germany/Austria
Loyola students who wish to study in a German-speaking country now have several attractive options, either for a summer or for a semester or for a whole year, and there is something for every level of German proficiency (from absolute beginner to advanced). These options include the FU-BEST program at the Free University in Berlin, which is the successor to our former "Loyola in Berlin" program, as well as a range of standard study-abroad options through Loyola's affiliation with the International Student Exchange Program (ISEP). Students may also take intensive language courses through the Goethe-Institut.
Interested students are encouraged to contact Loyola's Center for International Education (cie@loyno.edu, 504-864-7550) or Dr. Robert Dewell in the Department of Modern Foreign Languages and Literatures (Bobet 308, 504-865-2689).
The best place to find information about this program is the web site at www.fu-berlin.de/fubest. It offers a range of courses in English (including various aspects of German and European history, international relations and current political issues, film, art and literature) as well as intensive German language courses at all levels. There is a Fall semester (late August to mid-December) and a Spring semester (early January to April). The program offers an off-site excursion (e.g. to Poland or the Czech Republic) as well as local field trips in and around Berlin. The total cost including tuition, housing, one off-site study excursion, a public transportation pass, cultural events, and course materials is currently estimated at 5900 Euros per semester for students who choose to stay in a studio apartment. Students who choose to stay with a family pay an extra 400 Euros because breakfast and dinner are included. (Transportation to and from Berlin is not included.) Financial aid is available through the program, with application procedures described on their web site. This is essentially the same program as the former "Loyola in Berlin", with the same resident director, except that it is now operated directly by the FU rather than by a consortium of U.S. universities (and students now have a broader selection of courses and can go in either semester). The quality is excellent.
For students with very good German, FU-BEST also offers a Sommersemester (mid-April to mid-July) with regular German-language courses at the university. The basic cost for this program (including housing and other benefits as above) is currently estimated at 3500 Euros.
Students interested in summer programs at the Free University may also wish to look into the Freie Universität Berlin internationale Sommeruniversität (FUBiS), with one session from early June to mid-July and another from mid-July to mid-August. It also offers some courses in English.
Loyola in Berlin 2002 (with Dr. Verheyen) on a jazz boat in Prague.
For general information on the International Student Exchange Program contact www.isep.org, and you can also find specific information on programs in Germany, Austria and Switzerland on their web site. For details about Loyola's procedures contact the Center for International Education.
Standard semester/year packages.
Most of the German-language programs affiliated with ISEP are exchanges for either a semester or a year that offer the classical study abroad experience. The German "Wintersemester" typically runs from October to February and the "Sommersemester" from April to July, so Loyola students who want to study for a single semester will in most cases need to choose the Sommersemester. For any ISEP exchange program Loyola students simply pay regular Loyola tuition, room and board (with regular financial aid), so that the costs for the study abroad are identical to the costs of studying at the regular New Orleans campus. The programs typically expect applicants to have advanced German language skills (at least 3rd-year level). Some of them offer intensive language courses as part of the program before the regular semester begins, and others offer such courses at an additional cost. The choice of one program over another will be based largely on where the university is, on whether it is a large comprehensive university or a smaller more specialized one, and to some extent on the detailed program offerings.
Universität Bielefeld (Germany). Bielefeld is a medium-sized city in central Germany, in eastern Westphalia near the Teutoburg Forest. It is a comprehensive university (founded in 1969).
Technische Universität Carolo-Wilhelmina zu Braunschweig (Germany) is the oldest technical university in Germany (1745), located in a medium-sized city in north central Germany, in lower Saxony near the Harz mountains. Although it is known primarily for technology and science, it has divisions in the humanities as well.
Universität Dortmund (Germany) is a comprehensive university founded in the late 1960s. The city is located in the eastern part of the Ruhr district, an industrial area in western Germany, not far from Belgium, Holland and Luxemburg.
Katholische Universität Eichstätt-Ingolstadt (Germany) is a small Catholic university in a small town in Bavaria, about 70 miles north of Munich. After about 400 years as a center for Catholic theology, it became a state-accredited university in 1980, offering a more personal environment to students of all faiths.
Justus-Liebig Universität Gießen (Germany). Gießen is a small city (ca 60,000) about 40 miles north of Frankfurt (a.M.) in central Germany. It has a large comprehensive university that was founded in 1607.
Philipps-Universität Marburg (Germany) is the oldest protestant university in the world (founded 1527), located in an old picturesque university town (population 74,000) about 60 miles north of Frankfurt. It is a large, traditional comprehensive university.
Universität Trier (Germany). Located on the Mosel river near the border with Luxemburg, Trier is the oldest city in Germany (16 BC). Its university was founded in 1473, was closed during the Napoleonic era and then re-opened in 1970 as a comprehensive university.
Karl-Franzens-Universität Graz (Austria). Graz, in southeastern Austria, is the second largest city in Austria and has its second largest university. The university was founded in 1585 and re-opened in 1837.
Johannes Kepler Universität Linz (Austria). Linz is the third largest city in Austria, located in the northern part of the country on the Danube. It has a moderate-sized university with strong programs in business and science.
Universität Salzburg (Austria).
For a relatively small city (ca 145, 000) Salzburg is a very important cultural center. The university in Salzburg was founded in 1622 and served as a college and then as an independent Faculty of Catholic Theology until 1962, when it became a university.
Universität Bern (Switzerland). The capital of Switzerland, Bern is a moderate-sized medieval city founded in 1191. Its university was established in 1835, succeeding an old reformed seminary.
Université de Fribourg (Switzerland). This would be an obvious choice for students with interest in both German and French, since it is a bi-lingual university with courses in both German and French. Fribourg is located at the border between the French- and German-speaking parts of Switzerland, at the foot of the pre-Alps.
Non-standard packages at Marburg.
In addition to the standard semester/ year exchange, Marburg offers some non-standard options as well. For one thing, it offers a fee-paid international summer program, from mid/late July to mid/late August, that combines German language study (beginners, advanced 1 and 2) with courses (available in English or German) in economics, politics, literature and intercultural communication. Students can earn 6 Loyola credit hours.
Marburg also offers an intensive German language and culture program for a semester plus a summer that is open to students at any level of language proficiency (beginner, intermediate and advanced levels). This is an ISEP-Direct option, which means that Loyola students can attend by paying a set fee directly to the German university. Students can participate in a session from April to August or from July to December. They attend three months of intensive language classes as well as the four-week International Summer University, which offers further language instruction and courses on contemporary current European and German politics, economics and culture available in English and German. For additional information, please visit the Speak and Write Institute (http://www.speak.de/English/) and International Summer University (ISU - http://www.uni-marburg.de/sommeruni/).
In addition to the intensive language courses offered in conjunction with FU-BEST, the Marburg summer institute and the other exchange programs, students also have the option of taking an intensive German-language course on their own and arranging credit with the Department of Modern Foreign Languages and Literatures at Loyola. The Goethe-Institut offers a range of excellent intensive language courses at all levels at several sites in Germany. There are courses of various lengths that run throughout the year. Interested students can go to the web site at www.goethe.de/ins/de/enindex.htm.
Note: Students who are currently receiving a Pell Grant are eligible to apply for a Gilman International Scholarship grant of up to $5000 for participating in these programs. Interested students should contact www.iie.org/gilman for online application procedures.