Requirements of the Stay Abroad

For accreditation, there are three main requirements as outlined on page 3 in the module handbooks (October 2021) for the Zwei-Fach-Bachleorstudiengang* as well as the following school forms:

Berufsbildende Schulen,

Grundschule,

Gymnasium, and

Realschule Plus.

The first main requirement is a minimum stay of at least 90 days (i.e. 3 months). Splitting or interrupting this period is not permitted. In other words, you must remain for 90 consecutive days. The second main requirement deals with the choice of host country. The official language (or one of the official languages) in the host country must be English. Should you be uncertain about the official status of English in your host country, you might want to check the country’s official government webpage. In some cases, the country’s constitution documents which languages are the official ones. If English is listed here, we can accept this host country. Please note that it is not sufficient to have English as a business language or a language in the courts.

The last main requirement is to complete your stay abroad before your Bachelor’s studies (i.e. B.Ed. or B.A.) come to an end. Depending on your type of degree, you may have between five to six-and-a-half semesters (regular, full-time study) in order to complete your stay abroad. It should be noted that the “break” (i.e. Vorlesungsfreiezeit) between the summer and winter terms is usually long enough for this purpose, so that an interruption of your studies is not required.

Besides these three requirements, we strongly encourage you to give careful consideration as to what you wish to accomplish while abroad. Which goals do you have? While our program gives you a lot of freedom, it must be pointed out, however, that this freedom comes with a great deal of responsibility - especially, if you want to get the most out of this experience. A great amount of time and a lot of money can be easily wasted, if you do not have the right plan.

The stay abroad is not an extended vacation. Instead, it should provide you with many opportunities to speak to as many native English-speakers as possible, as well as explore the specific region you decided to visit. We would recommend thinking about your future career choices and your goals. How do you wish to achieve these goals? With a clear course of action, it should be easier for you to weigh your options.

For information on what to do AFTER your stay abroad in order to have it accredited, please visit our special page here.

*If you are working towards our "Zwei-Fach-Bachelorstudiengang Teilstudiengang Anglistik und Amerikanistik als Wahlfach 2“, you need to be aware of an additional requirement. For more details, please refer to scenario 14 in the FAQs. Likewise, you may wish to review pages 2 and 4 in your respective module handbook.