In order to acquire a profound knowledge of the English language and American or Canadian culture, living in the country of your interest for some time is essential. Even if studying or working abroad are not a compulsory part of your studies, we strongly advise you to spend some time in an English-speaking country. There are various options available to you, which you might consider within your Bachelor or Master program as well as teaching degrees.

The university’s International Office offers workshops providing general information on stays abroad throughout the semester. We recommend that you visit these at the earliest possible as the application process for studying abroad or other structured programs (see below) will often take between one and two years. At these workshops, you will be informed about the various options for going abroad, the respective application processes, break semesters and the possibility of transferring credit points you have obtained abroad. Of course, personal advice from the Chair of American Studies is also available to you during the rest of the academic year (milena.krischer@philhist.uni-augsburg.de).

Fulbright / DAAD

The Fulbright Commission and the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) offer lucrative annual grants for studying at American universities. For questions regarding the application, visit the homepage of the DAAD or the Fulbright Commission. As the application deadlines for these scholarships are approximately one and a half years before the planned start of your studies, you should inform yourself early.

Studying at a Partner University

If you study at the Faculty of Philology and History at the University of Augsburg, you have the opportunity to apply directly to the chair for a place at our partner university, the University of Vermont. Successful applicants are exempted from the tuition fees for one or two semesters. The application deadline is generally November 15 for the following academic year. After the submission of the application documents, applicants will be invited to a personal interview.
 

The following documents must be enclosed with the application:

• Letter of motivation
• CV in English
• Study plan

Research paper written in English

Fluent knowledge of the English language is a prerequisite for the application and must be proven if necessary.  Please submit your application to the secretary’s office on time (D, 4064).

Testimonials from former outgoings of the last semesters provide an impression of studying and living at UVM (in progress).

If you have any questions, please contact the coordinator of the exchange, Milena Krischer, directly (milena.krischer@philhist.uni-augsburg.de).
 

Tips for Your Application

For some of the programs described, the application process appears to be quite complicated at first glance. However, the International Office offers workshops for successful applications every semester and below you can find some more general tips:

Make sure that you submit your application documents on time, properly and in full. This applies to both your stay abroad as well as scholarship applications.

• Clarify why you want to spend a longer time abroad. Above all, use your letter of motivation to show that you have informed yourself and can explain in detail why you are interested in going abroad. This should not be too general; i.e. if it is an application for a specific university, for instance, make clear references to that university and possibly the city/state it is in.
• In the case of the DAAD and Fulbright scholarships in particular, areas of academic interest should be identified clearly in your application.
• If you need an assessment by a professor or lecturer, contact the appropriate people in good time. In principle, expert opinions can be issued by all of the research assistants and professors at departments for English and American Studies. Naturally, we would recommend that the lecturer(s) already know you personally, but it is not a prerequisite.
• When drafting the CV and providing personal data, (concise) information about hobbies, sporting activities, travel, etc. is desirable in order to convey a more concrete picture of yourself. Detailed information about your personal interests may also be important for the final placement at the school or university.

If you are unsure regarding application modalities, inform yourself at an early stage.
 

Transfer of Credit Points

At the Chair for American Studies, the following basic guidelines apply to the recognition of credit points you have obtained at a foreign university:

• Credit points from American universities can be transferred, if the course’s requirement are comparable to those of the module in your Prüfungsordnung. This relates in particular to the type and scope of the written assignments.
• All students who would like transfer credit points to their studies at the University of Augsburg must complete a recognition agreement before starting their semester(s) abroad. For further information, please consult the following link: https://www.uni-augsburg.de/de/studium/ausland/studium/weltweit/vor-der-mobilitat/
• Once the terms for your written work are clear, it is URGENTLY recommended to contact the person responsible for the recognition of your academic achievements at the University of Augsburg; i.e. by email from abroad. After your return, your credit points will be recognized by the responsible persons at the individual departments and the Examination Office.

For questions regarding the transfer of credit points in American Literary Studies, please contact Dr. Ina Batzke (ina.batzke@philhist.uni-augsburg.de).[MK1] 

Internship at an American School: PAD / Amity Program

You also have the option to work as a foreign language assistant in the United States. Foreign language assistants support language teaching, in your case German, at local schools in the form of conversation exercises and are responsible for the intensive oral exam preparation for students. If you are interested in going to the United States as a foreign language assistant, apply to the Pedagogical Exchange Service (PAD) or the Amity program at least one year before you plan to begin your stay abroad (for exact application deadlines and information on the application process, see the PAD and Amity websites). Further information is available on the website of the Ministry of Culture and from the International Office.

Further Options

Programs such as Erasmus or WeltWeit enable you to study or complete an internship abroad in other English-speaking countries or study locations.

It is also possible to study as a free mover, so without a scholarship at a university in an English-speaking country. In the US, however, this is usually associated with very high tuition fees. When applying, it is advisable to clarify which status the university wants to attribute to its international students and whether there are alternatives to the intended status (visiting student, occasional student, non-degree student, full time student, etc.) that may be more cost-effective.

If you are planning a stay in North America that is not linked to a degree, e.g. in the form of an internship or as an au pair, please contact the responsible advisor at the International Office.
 

Useful Links

Below find some helpful links for studying in the US or Canada:

• Auslands-BAFÖG – An educational grant from the German state; only German citizens can apply.
• Scholarships from the University of Augsburg
• Association of German-American Clubs – here you can apply for an exchange at partner universities in the USA.