Semester Abroad

Every semester (usually in June and December), the Department of International Affairs offers an information event on the topic of a semester abroad here in our faculty, to which all interested students of FB8 are cordially invited. The next information event will take place

1st  June, 2023 from 11.30 a.m. to 1.00 p.m. in room Goe 00211 

More and more students are taking advantage of the opportunity to spend a semester abroad. Scholarships and Bafög abroad make this possible in part even for students with a limited budget. If you are planning something along these lines, you should inform yourself as early as possible (see application deadlines below under "How do I apply for a semester abroad?"). 

The Department of International Affairs' info event is aimed at all semesters and all degree programmes at FB8. For this reason, it is usually not possible to find a date that suits everyone. If you have a parallel course, you should prioritise it. You can then contact Ms Jacobi (FB8, room Goe 00413, g.jacobifh-aachen.de) and receive the current presentation documents and information afterwards (the Department of International Affairs' presentation from the last information event is available here als ZIP file for download).

The agenda of the info event is usually as follows: 

1. Information on study opportunities abroad, double-degree programmes, internships or theses abroad, partner universities, scholarships, deadlines, formalities, procedures, contact persons.
2. Recognition of foreign study achievements for your studies at Aachen University of Applied Sciences
3. Personal report about a semester abroad 
4. Answers to your questions

Everyone who is thinking about doing study abroad (study abroad, internship, mobility window or thesis) should take the opportunity and attend the information event!

For students of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Mechatronics who would like to combine their studies with a stay abroad, there is a first point of contact directly within the faculty. Those who would like to spend a semester abroad but are still uncertain about how it should be organised or where to go to or when it best fits into the curriculum can contact Grit Jacobi or Prof. Reichert in FB8 for advice.

An initial consultation can help to clarify the possibilities of a semester abroad, to proceed more purposefully in planning it and to avoid unnecessary ways.

When considering the right time, you should first reflect on your academic achievements. Do you still have many exams open from the first two semesters? Then you should tackle this first. If you have problems getting started, you should realise that studying abroad means that, in addition to the subject-specific knowledge you need to acquire, your language skills also play a role in your success. 

Therefore, it would be better to think about a semester abroad only after you have passed the exams of the first two semesters here at FH Aachen. If that is the case, then you can plan: Look at your examination regulations and consider where a semester abroad can be integrated well into your curriculum. If elective modules are offered in a semester, this is practical because you then have more options for finding suitable courses at the host university. Teaching modules with economics content are often not as specialised as technical modules and are easier to find at host universities. 

So if you know when you want to integrate the semester abroad into your studies, then the question of where to go immediately arises.

At German universities, the academic year begins at the beginning of September/October and ends in July, and there is accordingly a winter and a summer semester. You can move your semester abroad to the winter semester or the summer semester. If you want to study at a foreign university, you should take into account that the academic year may be different in other countries! For example, the summer semester in Finland runs from January to June - so you start the Finnish summer semester in winter (and certainly with snow). Due to the different semester times in other countries, you should also bear in mind that overlaps with exam periods may occur. In general, as soon as you know in which country you want to study for a semester, you should find out about the usual semester times there.

FH Aachen University of Applied Sciences maintains cooperation agreements with over one hundred partner universities worldwide, which offer its students easier admission requirements and sometimes also exemption from tuition fees. In addition, the partners offer assistance in arranging accommodation in the destination country and other organisational matters. A list of partner universities in Europe and outside Europe can be found on the website of the International Office.

FB8 students can use this list of partner universities inside Europa and partner universities outside Europe.

European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS) is a standard for comparing the study attainment and performance of students of higher education across the European Union and other collaborating European countries. Students should check which courses of study at the foreign partner university fit best to their studies at the home university.

Before departure, you should talk to Prof. Dr. rer. nat. Christian Effertz (ECTS Coordinator at Faculty 8) to find out, whether the courses you are planning to attend at a foreign university are suitable to be recognized for your studies at the FH Aachen.

After your return, Professor Effertz will examine the certificates about the courses of study successfully absolved at the foreign partner university. If they comply with the studies at the home university, he will issue a recognition certificate to credit, transfer and accumulate the academic achievements to your studies at the FH Aachen.