International Experience in Work-Integrated Studies

Please find information useful for preparing and applying for a semester abroad at this link: Semester Abroad.

You should take particular notice of these steps:

Check experience reports

You can read the experience reports of other students in work-integrated programmes on ILIAS.

You will also find the document Tipps für das Auslandssemester im praxisintegrierten Studium [currently only available in German] there.

Where can I go for my semester abroad?

In the download box, you will find an overview of the partner universities that are most suitable for students in work-integrated programmes due to their semester/trimester periods. However, your choice is not limited to these – you can apply to any other of your faculty’s partner universities.

Take a closer look at the lecture/exam periods of the universities abroad. In most cases, the semester periods will not match your academic terms. It is thus especially important to talk to your company whether you can still spend a full semester abroad. Universities that offer teaching in trimesters (e.g., some universities in North America or Scandinavia) may be interesting here, as these are shorter than semesters.

Make arrangements before applying

Once you have done some research on the universities, talk about your plans with the director of your study programme and with your company early on. You should determine which semester is suitable for your stay abroad and which module examinations can be recognised for your studies at home. Also clarify whether you might miss exams because of your stay abroad and when you could resit them.

Check funding

For many scholarships, you can even apply if you already receive a salary.

Ask about the possibility of completing a work term in a foreign branch of your company. Internships (work experience) abroad can be funded with scholarships. You can read the experience reports of other students in work-integrated programmes on ILIAS.

You may also consider a short stay abroad (about 2–6 weeks). This includes, for example, stays in a foreign branch of your company to prepare your thesis or summer or winter schools (a compact course at a university abroad). Some of these are also organised through programmes with scholarships such as Fulbright, GoEast or DHIK. You can read the experience reports of other students in work-integrated programmes on ILIAS.

• Fulbright – Summer Institute for dual study programmes
• Fulbright Summer Institute for students at universities of applied sciences
• GoEast – Summer & Winter Schools
• DHIK – Chinese Project Semester
• DHIK – Winter School Mexico

• Language courses offered by HSBI’s Language Center
  • Online Language Support (OLS) – ERASMUS+ programme
  • Language courses offered by Bielefeld University’s Language Centre