Information for Outgoing Students (ERASMUS+ and others)

Students at TU Chemnitz can fulfil the semester abroad requirement in one of three ways: 

1. Study abroad (e.g., in Europe through the ERASMUS+ programme or at international universities with the more competitive PROMOS scholarship).
2. Complete an internship or gain work experience in an English-speaking environment.
3. Undertake an international semester at home (Auslandsorientiertes Semester): This option is only available to students with limited mobility (e.g., due to health or family reasons) who apply for this alternative programme through 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)

Study Abroad: Essential Information for TUC English Studies Students

The following information is for all TUC English Studies students who would like to study abroad. 

Students planning their semester abroad should consult the ERASMUS timeline because planning begins nearly a year in advance. Attending the departmental information event in November/December is essential. This event will cover exchange options, funding opportunities, personal experiences from other students, and a Q&A to help you prepare for a successful semester abroad. 

Your primary source for more information is the International Office. Please visit the International Office's website and contact them with all your questions regarding funding, application deadlines, available universities and placements. 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 details on obtaining credits (PL) for your semester abroad upon return, please refer to the bottom of this page.

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

CONTACT

If you have any questions about going abroad, you can send an email to outgoing.english@… or contact our ERASMUS advisor Dr. Isabelle van der Bom or Ms. Cansu Akan 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 considered a free mover. This means you will most likely need to self-fund your stay. Free movers can largely 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 of whether you are applying for the PROMOS scholarship or not), and ensure the form signed by your departmental coordinator (Dr. Isabelle van der Bom) 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 and funding opportunities as a free mover.

Where to go

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

When you come back

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

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

In your reflective essay, discuss the expectations you had before going abroad, any unexpected experiences during your stay, changes you made to your programme of study (and the reasons behind them), and the differences you noticed compared to home (in terms of classes, programmes, cities, culture etc.). Reflect on the outcomes of the semester abroad and its impact on your language skills, outlook on life, and your future plans.

For the reflective essay, you may want consider the following aspects as possible guidelines:

• Introduction: Describe your situation, including where you went, the dates of your stay, what you did, and/or any significant events that occurred.
• Evaluation: Discuss what was positive/negative, easy/difficult, pleasant/unpleasant, etc. Compare and contrast your experiences, and explain why some aspects may have differed from your expectations.
• 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: Explain how your experiences have influenced your future plans and possibly your BA topic. What actions do you intend to take moving forward?
• Conclusion: Offer advice for other students planning to study at your host university. What would you have done differently, in hindsight?

Note: The reflective essay should be written in an academic, formal style but, unlike other academic writing, it should be in the first person perspective and include your personal 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 email.

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. Make sure to present your arguments in clear, academic English, highlighting the intercultural, linguistic, and academic differences between your host and home universities. Provide ample evidence, using concrete examples from your classes and term papers, and be prepared to discuss the grades you received at your host university. The grading of the oral exam will focus primarily on your language proficiency.

Your overall module grade is determined by the ZPA and is calculated as the average of:
a) your oral exam result;
b) the average of your best grades received abroad as calculated by the Prüfungsausschuss (at least 50% of the grades you received during your studies abroad must be taken into account);

For example, if you received
a) the grade 1.3 in the oral exam and
b) the grades 1.7, 2, 3.3 and 4 abroad (average of best 50% = 1.8),
your final grade is 1.5.

For full details, please consult your Studienordnung.

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)