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Study Abroad

The Tübingen Year or Semester Abroad Program

The Eberhard-Karl University of Tübingen, one of the oldest universities in Germany, celebrated its five hundredth anniversary in 1977. It is situated in a beautiful town in southwest Germany, just an hour by bus or train from Stuttgart. For a number of years the German Department of Washington University has had close ties to the University of Tübingen, exchanging both faculty and students. Students may choose to participate in the Year Abroad Program or the Semester Abroad Program, which is offered every spring semester.

Göttingen-Tübingen Day (Information Session)

Each September, there is an information session (Gottingen-Tubingen Day) to answer any questions you might have concerning the study abroad program. For a copy of the handouts, or to ask additional questions, please contact Erin McGlothlin. There is also a Tubingen website for WU students which you may find useful.

Tübingen Website for WU Students

http://www.uni-Tübingen.de/intrel/wustl/wustl.html

Timetable

Please see the Timetable for important program dates.

Application process

Applications for the Tübingen program are available in the Overseas Studies Program Office (Stix International House) and are due on February 1 for the year abroad and on May 1 for the semester abroad. Please direct applications and questions to: Erin McGlothlin, German Department, Campus Box 1104, phone: 314. 935.4288, email: mcglothlin@wustl.edu.

• Application deadline: Spring Semester program: May 1st of the prior year
• Application deadline: Year-long program: February 1st of that year

Admission

Undergraduate students in good academic standing at Washington University are eligible to apply for admission to the Year Abroad Program if they have maintained a "B" average and have attained sufficient proficiency in German. Upon acceptance into the program students must have no Incompletes. This does not bar students with Incompletes from applying to the program, if they can demonstrate their ability to remove them by the time of acceptance. Applicants need not be language majors. Students usually spend the junior year abroad but in some cases it is possible to spend the senior year abroad. Students planning to major in German must return to Washington University to take one 400-level German course. Those wishing also to graduate with honors must additionally (with departmental permission) enroll in Ger 497 (Independent Work for Senior Honors) in the fall and Ger 498 (Independent Work for Senior Honors) in the spring.

Academic Credit and Grades

The exact amount of credit earned by each student and the distribution of credit among subject areas is determined following completion of the year abroad. In general it is expected that a student will earn between twelve and fifteen credit units per semester abroad. Students may enroll in any course in which they are interested. However, during the semester abroad, students must complete at least one course in German literature, culture, or art, history, or politics. Students spending two semesters abroad must complete at least one course in German literature, culture, or art, and at least one course in German history or politics. Distribution requirements as well as requirements for a number of different majors may be completed in Tübingen. However, it is strongly recommended that students check with the department in question before going to Tübingen to see whether it will accept Tübingen courses in place of its own. This is particularly advisable in the case of pre-meds and science majors. Courses taken in Tübingen which relate to the study of German language and culture may count toward the major or minor in German; however, in the case of such courses as art history, history, sociology, etc. which are not squarely in the field of Germanistik, students must specify that they wish these to count toward the German major or minor. Courses may not be counted in two separate departments. Distribution requirements may be completed in Tübingen. Two or three unit courses will suffice. However, students must bear in mind that only introductory courses, i.e., courses which are not highly specialized and are broad in scope, are appropriate to fulfill distribution requirements. Letter grades are not awarded for work in Tübingen. Courses are listed on the transcript under the numbers of corresponding Washington University courses with the notation "University of Tübingen, Germany."

Please review the Prerequisites for the Year Abroad Program or Prerequisites for the Semester Abroad Program as well as the information about Transferring Credits (see sections below) from the German academic system.

Cost

The cost of the Study Abroad Program includes tuition, insurance, room and board, group outings and organized activities, and some miscellaneous expenses. Information concerning the financial side of the program may be obtained from the Overseas Programs Office, Stix International House.

Financial Aid

All students who receive financial aid from Washington University may transfer that aid to the Study Abroad Program. Determination of the exact amount is made by the Director of Financial Aid. Direct your questions to the Financial Aid Office. If you receive money from other sources you should continue to receive these funds as you are still officially enrolled at Washington University.

Housing

Students will usually be housed in dormitories where they may share a room with a German student. Occasionally a student will live in a private residence. Housing is extremely tight in Tübingen and we have little choice about dormitory assignments.

Travel Arrangements

Students make arrangements independently.

Prerequisites For Year Abroad and Semester Abroad Programs

Acquiring Credits in Tübingen

Students in Tübingen may receive up to 17 credits per semester for participating in seminar courses, lecture classes, ISP courses, and Detusch-Kompakt or for composing special reports about their experiences abroad.

The transfer of credits will be handled directly by the Program Director at Washington University. The basis for the transfer of credits regarding seminars, lecture classes, and ISP is the Schein received for the particular course. Two credits taken in an appropriate class suffice to fulfill distribution requirements at Washington University.

Throughout their year abroad, students should consult both the Program Director at Washington University and the On-Site Directors in Tübingen about their academic plans, accomplishments, and problems. In addition, students are advised to take a copy of the most recent Washington University course offerings and bulletins along, as well as their most recent transcript, so that they can plan for the transfer of credits (i.e. major and distribution requirements) appropriately.

Students may receive three credits for regular seminars taken in Tübingen. In order to transfer these credits, they will have to do whatever work is required by the instructor for receiving a Schein for that course. Students should speak to the respective instructor at the beginning of the semester to see what requirements are necessary for receiving a Schein and whether they can realistically expect to fulfill them.

Students may receive two credits for participating in lecture classes. In order to accrue these credits, students must compose an 8-10 page paper related to the subject matter of the lecture series. Students should speak at the beginning of the semester to the lecturer and agree on a specific topic for this paper. The students will present their papers towards the end of the semester to the specific lecturer and receive a Schein for their work. In cases where lecturers seem unwilling to supervise these papers, students should contact the On-Site Director, who will help mediate. If lecturers are unable to read or grade papers, credits may also be awarded for written exams or oral exams taken at the end of the lecture class, or for an 8-10 page paper submitted directly to the Program Director at Washington University and/or an expert in the field on campus. Students cannot transfer credits for more than two lecture classes per semester.

Students may receive two credits for ISP (Internationale Sprachprogramme) classes designed for increasing the foreign students' language skills. They need to complete whatever work is required by the instructor for receiving a Schein. Students cannot transfer credits for more than one ISP course per semester (apart from the Deutsch-Kompakt course).

Students may also receive up to three German credits for the whole year if they submit a total of four reports (Erfahrungsberichte) of 10 pages (250 words a page, double spaced and typed). (Students in the semester program may receive two German credits for writing three Erfahrungsberichte.) Each report should reflect and conceptualize the student's academic, intellectual, or cultural experience during specific periods of his or her visit in Tübingen. These reports are to be mailed directly to the Program Director at Washington University. Mailing deadlines are: Report 1--November 15; Report 2--February 15; Report 3--May 15; Report 4--August 30.

At the end of the winter semester, a list of all courses completed during the semester, copies of all Scheine received, and copies of all papers written for these courses must be sent directly to the Program Director at Washington University. The postmark deadline for the mailing of these materials is March 31. It sometimes occurs that a student will not have received the Schein for a particular course by this date, even though all required work for the class has been completed. In such cases, it will suffice for the student to submit copies of the work completed for the course. If it is determined at this time that the student has not completed the equivalent of 12 units of credit at Washington University during the winter semester, the student will be placed on academic probation. At the end of the summer semester, these materials should be sent to or directly presented to the Program Director by the end of the first week of classes at Washington University.

For more information, please contact Erin McGlothlin.

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