Information for Outgoing Students (ERASMUS+ and others)

There are three ways in which students at TU Chemnitz can fulfill the requirement of the semester abroad (module 3.1 in the 5th BA semester):

• study abroad (e.g. in Europe with the ERASMUS+ programme or at international universities with the more competitive PROMOS scholarship)
• do an internship or gain other work experience in an English-speaking country
• do an international semester at home (Auslandsorientiertes Semester) (only students with limited mobility, e.g. for health or family reasons, can apply for the alternative option of doing module 3.2 with the department's examination board).

Page contents

1. General information for all TU Chemnitz students
2. Contact
3. Free movers
4. Where to go
5. ERASMUS+
6. When you come back
7. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

General information for all TU Chemnitz students who plan to study abroad

The following information is for all TU Chemnitz students who would like to study abroad, regardless of their study program. You will find more information on your specific program in the tabs below.

All students planning their semester abroad should use the general information of the ERASMUS timeline because planning starts almost a year before your stay abroad. It is vital to attend the departmental information meeting in November/December (an invitation will be sent round via the English mailing list), at which you can ask all your questions about your study abroad.

Your most important source for information is the International Office. Please take a look at the International Office's website and contact them with all your questions regarding funding, application deadlines, available universities and places etc. Make sure to also check the website of the IUZ for more information on the individual universities such as fact sheets or Erasmus+ codes.

For information on what to do when you come back to get the credits (PL) for your semester abroad, please go to the bottom of the page.

All students are also required to register for the accompanying OPAL Course Auslandsemester (B.A. English Studies).

CONTACT

If you have any questions about going abroad, you can send an e-mail to outgoing.english@… or contact our ERASMUS advisor Isabelle van der Bom directly. 

Free movers

If you plan to study at a university with which TU Chemnitz has no agreement (i.e. none of those listed on this page), you are a so-called free mover. Free movers can mostly follow the same procedure as ERASMUS+ students. However, you should use the learning agreement form provided on the PROMOS webpage when planning your stay abroad (regardless whether you are applying for the PROMOS scholarship or not), and get it signed by your departmental coordinator (Prof. Sanchez-Stockhammer) and your host institution.

Please also note that free movers can apply for a PROMOS scholarship, which may provide financial support for travel and language courses. The International Office can supply you with further information on PROMOS.

Where to go

• ERASMUS+
• Europe (non-ERASMUS)
• Asia
• Other

When you come back

1) Make a portfolio (PVL) documenting your stay abroad.

Make a folder with your learning agreement, course descriptions from the host university, corrected/marked term papers (if available), transcript of records etc. and add this cover sheet. Most importantly, the portfolio should include a reflective essay (ca. 5 pages; in English).

For the reflective essay, think about the expectations you had before going abroad, any surprises that you encountered during your stay, changes in the program of study you made (and reasons why), differences compared to home (classes, programs, cities, culture etc.), the outcome of the semester abroad and the impact it has made on your language skills, your outlook on life and your future plans.

For the reflective essay, you may want to take the following aspects into account as possible guidelines:

• Introduction: Describe your situation, where you went, dates, what you did and/or what happened.
• Evaluation: Report what was good/bad, easy/difficult, pleasant/unpleasant etc.; compare and contrast your experiences; explain why things may have been different to what you were expecting.
• Reflection on learning experience: Report what you learned at the foreign university; how the teaching methodology differed from what you had experienced so far; what you learned from living in a foreign city.
• Reflection on the impact of your experience: Describe how what you learned has an effect on your future and possibly your BA topic. What future actions will you take?
• Conclusion: What advice would you give other students planning to study at your foreign host university? What, in hindsight, would you have done differently?

The reflective essay should be written in an academic, formal style but, unlike other academic writing, is should be written in the first person perspective and include your thoughts and opinions .

2) Take the oral examination (PL).

Submit your portfolio (including the reflective essay) to the language practice coordinator (Dr. van der Bom) and register for the oral examination by writing her an e-mail.

Usually orals take place at the end of the Winter Semester or at the beginning of the Summer Semester (depending on submission date). In the 15-minute oral exam, you will be asked questions about your experience abroad based on your portfolio by two examiners (Dr. van der Bom and Dr. Patrick mcCafferty). Make sure you argue in good academic English, emphasising the intercultural, linguistic and academic differences between your host and home university. Give ample evidence with concrete examples from your classes and term papers and be prepared to comment on the grades you received at your host university. The focus in the grading of the oral examination will be on your language proficiency.

Your grade is determined by calculating the average from
a) your oral exam result
b) the average of your best grades received abroad. (You have to submit at least 50% of the grades you received during your studies abroad.)
For example, if you received
a) the grade 1 in the oral exam and
b) the grades 2, 3 and 4 abroad (average = 3),
your final grade is 2.

3) Optional: Write a report about your experience abroad and share it with other students.

Possibly the ERASMUS reports with first-hand experience from other students helped you to decide for your host university abroad. We kindly request you to write similar report, so that it can be of use to future students. Please send this report to the coordinator at the IUZ (Oliver Sachs). You may also include this ERASMUS report in your portfolio.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)