Travelling

Study abroad: The world's your oyster

“The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only one page.” (Augustine of Hippo)
Travelling
Image: unsplash.com

Dear students,

Despite all the current concerns, participating in courses at one of our partner universities is still perfectly possible, and we would like to encourage you to set out on this journey or plan it for one of your semesters ahead.

The International Office of our university provides you with plenty of information on going abroad during your studies, including opportunities beyond studying abroad (e.g. internships, foreign language assistant posts, etc.). Please click here de for orientation.

Erasmus-plus programme (Studying abroad): News

The winter term marks the application period for the academic year 2025/26. We invite all interested students to get informed about our partner universities and the application process, using the materials below.

  • Contact and guidance

    Erasmus coordinator of the department for outgoing students: PD Dr Florian Haas

    For all Erasmus-related correspondence, please only use our institutional Erasmus account (international.iaa@uni-jena.de) rather than Dr Haas's usual email address.

    Your primary contact for all general information on going abroad, including some first-hand reports from previous students, is the FSU's International Office de.

    Our student assistant Lucie Lange (lucie.ulrike.lange@uni-jena.de) is the right person to contact for specific questions relating to the application form, the letter of motivation or the application process more generally.

  • Where to go?

    Going abroad offers you a unique chance to broaden your professional and personal horizons and to gain first-hand experience of the English language in everyday use. For students of English, therefore, we consider spending some time abroad as absolutely essential. Credit points obtained at universities abroad can be transferred to your studies in Jena on the basis of the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS).

    European partner universities of our department

    The Department of English and American Studies maintains direct Erasmus+ relationships with the following universities (number of places available in parentheses):

    Further information on these universities can be found in a PDF towards the bottom of this page.

    In addition, the Department of German as a Foreign Language sometimes offers remaining places at the University of Nottingham (UK), especially to students of English who also study German. Moreover, the FSU as a whole has recently forged new partnerships in the "European Campus of City Universities" (EC2U) with the following European universities:

    • Universidad de Salamanca (Spain)
    • Universidade de Coimbra (Portugal)
    • Université de Poitiers (France)
    • Universitatea din Iasi (Romania)
    • Universita degli studi di Pavia (Italy)
    • Universität Turku (Finland)

    More information on this new partnership project can be found here de. Your application for these universities will have to be submitted to your institutional coordinator as well, but the selection process will take place at the FSU's International Office.

    Partner universities of our institut beyond Europe

    Our department maintains so-called bilaterial exchange relationships with the University of Northern British ColumbiaExternal link (Canada) and the University of Sioux FallsExternal link (USA). Beyond those, the FSU has a number of such bilateral agreements with further universities beyond Europe at which modules in English and American Studies might be on offer for exchange students. Please click here de for further information supplied by the International Office.

  • Planning your time abroad

    We recommend that studies abroad are not undertaken before your fourth semester, as you need to have passed all foundational modules in all domains of English Studies. Typically, students spend some time abroad at around the "middle" of their studies. The decision as to whether one or two semesters can be spent at a particular partner university depend on our specific contract with that university as well as the number of applicants for the year in question.

    Studying at a European university (= Erasmus+ programme)

    Applications for the Erasmus programme can be submitted in each winter term and relate to the following academic year: in the winter term 2024/25, for example, we will allocate the places abroad for 2025/26. You can find the application form as a PDF towards the bottom of this page. Please use only this form for applications at our department!

    Studying at a non-European university (especially USA/Canada)

    All transatlantic and other long-distance stays go beyond the realm of the Erasmus programme. These exchanges take place on the basis of so-called bilateral partnerships of the FSU with universities in Canada, the USA and beyond, as well as specific exchange programmes offered by the Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst (DAAD)External link. As you can imagine, these projects require particularly timely and intensive preparations. Your primary contact for assistance is the FSU's International Office (Ms. Blumenstein de).

    Applications for the University of Northern British Columbia (Canada) are handled directly at the chair of American Studies (contact: Prof. Dr. Rosenthal); for applications at the University of Sioux Falls, please contact Dr. John Thomson in language practice.

    Please note that all bilaterial exchange programmes with the USA and Canada require your application to be submitted by 30 November (for the following academic year). Your coordinator in these cases is usually Jana Blumenstein at the International Office.

    Further interesting options

    Teacher-training candidates have a chance to do their practical semester abroad. See here de for further information.

    The so-called Pädagogischer Austauschdienst (PAD)External link offers a rather unique programme for more advanced teacher-training students: being a foreign language assistant at a school abroad (e.g. for small conversation classes in German) allows you to gain practical teaching experience in an English-speaking country on a regular payroll. The position lasts for one school year (8-10 months), in which you start by sitting in on classes before you conduct your own lessons in smaller groups. Applications for this option need to be submitted directly to the PAD.

    Internships and language classes abroad are not procured by your Erasmus coordinator, but organized on one's own initiative. However, internships in particular can be supported financially by the Erasmus programme. For further information on such internships and options, please see here de.

  • Application process

    Application documents

    In order to apply for the Erasmus exchange with a direct partner university of our department (see above for the list), you will need ...

    • our application form (see PDF below), which is specific to our department and not to be confused with the general application form available at the International Office
    • a letter of motivation composed in English: it is supposed to explicate why you would like to undertake studies abroad and why specifically at the university you have chosen (or universities if you have also provided a second choice).

    As you can see in the application form, our department does not require a CV, a letter of recommendation or separate proof of your language proficiency! These documents, as well as the more general application form distributed by the International Office, are only necessary if you are applying to a university which is not a direct partner of the department but rather of the FSU at large (such as the new cooperations with Salamanca, Coimbra, Poitiers, Iasi, Pavia and Turku).

    Submitting your application

    • The new round of applications (i.e. for the academic year 2025/26) closes on 15 January 2025. Please submit your application exclusively in electronic form; do not submit printed files at the department or by snail mail.
    • Applications need to be sent to the institutional Erasmus account (international.iaa@uni-jena.de) rather than Dr Haas's usual email address.
    • Please compile your application in a single PDF. Do not submit multiple documents.
    • Please bear in mind that applications for non-European exchange programmes are to be submitted as early as 30 November 2024, and that these are not handled via the Erasmus programme (and your Erasmus coordinator) but via the International Office (see "Planning your time abroad" above).

    Selection criteria

    It is a common misconception that the Erasmus programme is reserved for students whose academic performance and language proficiency are excellent in the first place. We would like to give all students a chance to broaden their academic horizon, forster their intercultural competence and improve their level of proficiency in English. At the same time, however, we also need to have a selection process to ensure that students stand a realistic chance of completing their studies abroad (including all forms of assessment involved) and of representing our department abroad in an appropriate way. For this reason, our decision on your application takes the following selection criteria into account (in the given order):

    • your progression in English and American Studies (completion of all introductory modules required for advanced classes abroad, speedy and reliable completion of previous obligatory modules, performance (= marks))
    • quality of your letter of motivation (in English)
    • your progression in your second subject (following the same criteria as above)
  • FAQs

    Beruhend auf den häufiger per Email gestellten Fragen wird diese Liste fortlaufend erweitert.

    Rahmenbedingungen

    Q: "Ich würde eigentlich gern ins Ausland gehen, aber der Musterstudienplan sitzt mir im Nacken und ich kann es mir aus eigener Kraft finanziell nicht leisten."

    A: Studienbegleitende Auslandsaufenthalte (z.B. Gaststudium und Praktika) werden nicht auf Ihre Fachsemester angerechnet: Sie können sich dafür von der FSU beurlauben lassen und die "Zeit bleibt in Jena für Sie stehen": Sie gehen z.B. nach dem 5. Semester ins Ausland und sind danach auch erst im 6. Fachsemester. Gleichzeitig ist es möglich, sich im Ausland erbrachte Studienleistungen an der FSU anrechnen zu lassen. Das ist also ein doppelter Gewinn. Sowohl Studien als auch Praktika im Ausland werden über das Erasmus-Programm bzw. weitere partnerschaftliche Abkommen finanziell unterstützt (z.B. durch die komplette Übernahme der Studiengebühren und die Zahlung eines Erasmus-Stipendiums obendrauf). Zusätzlich können Sie Auslands-BAFöG beantragen. Everything is possible!

    Kursbelegung und Anrechnung

    Q: Muss man beim Auslandsstudium eine bestimmte Anzahl von Kursen belegen und anrechnen lassen?

    A: Die Erasmus-Verträge verpflichten dazu, Kurse im Gesamtumfang von 30 ECTS pro Semester bzw. Trimester zu belegen und diese auch mit der entsprechenden Prüfung abzuschließen. Es besteht aber keine Pflicht, sich die Noten in Jena anrechnen zu lassen. Das ist eine Bonusoption und sollte auch nie das erste Kriterium für die Wahl eines Studienplatzes sein. Es geht um Ihre persönliche und fachliche Entwicklung, nicht in erster Linie um das Ersetzen von Modulen, die man an der FSU nicht besuchen möchte.

    Zeitpunkt des Auslandsaufenthaltes

    Q: Wann ist der "richtige" Zeitpunkt für ein Auslandsstudium?

    A: Für einen Auslandsaufenthalt sollten alle fachlichen Einführungsmodule (Linguistik, Literaturwissenschaft, Grammar 1, Academic Writing 1) sicher abgeschlossen sein. Auch sollte man eine gewisse Sicherheit beim Schreiben von Hausarbeiten mitbringen, da dies die häufigste Prüfungsform im Gaststudium ist. Diese fachlichen Grundlagen sind nicht nur für das "Mitkommen" an der Gastuniversität essentiell, sondern auch für eine aussagekräftige Bewerbung. Es ist daher ratsam, sich nach dem 3. oder 4. Semester zu bewerben, so dass man etwa in der "Mitte" des Studiums ins Ausland geht, um auch in späteren Kursen davon profitieren zu können. Spätere Aufenthalte sind aber auch möglich. Sollten Sie sich Kurse anrechnen lassen wollen, ist das im WP1-Bereich leichter zu realisieren als im WP2-Bereich, der schon staatsexamensrelevant ist. Auch das spricht für einen Auslandsaufenthalt in der Mitte des Studiums.

    Q: Ich habe bereits mit dem Staatsexamen in einigen Fächern begonnen. Kann ich in dieser Phase jetzt trotzdem ins Ausland gehen?

    A: Ja. Das Jenaer Modell der Lehramtsausbildung gliedert das Staatsexamen in mehrere Einzelprüfungen auf, die voneinander unabhängig sind. Sie können deshalb jederzeit ins Ausland gehen, zumal diese Zeit normalerweise ein Urlaubssemester an der FSU darstellt.

    Aktuelle Fragen

    Q: Ist es auch nach dem Vollzug des Brexit weiterhin möglich, an Universitäten in GB zu studieren und dafür eine Förderung zu erhalten?

    A: Ja. Momentan läuft in GB die Umstellung auf ein neues, erasmusunabhängiges aber äquivalentes Programm. Auch ab dem Studienjahr 2023/24 wird es weiterhin möglich sein, ohne Studiengebühren an britischen Partneruniversitäten zu studieren. Allerdings entfällt das bisherige Erasmus-Stipendium, das nur innerhalb von EU-Ländern ausgezahlt werden kann. Als Alternative können Sie sich beim IB nach dem sog. PROMOS-Stipendium erkundigen. Jenseits der finanziellen Aspekte gilt seit dem Brexit, dass für Aufenthalte über sechs Monate hinaus ein Visum nötig ist. Auch hierzu informiert das Internationale Büro.

  • Experience reports

Useful documents