Studying abroad
Dreaming about spending some time abroad? – The opportunities are various!
On this page you will find information about the opportunities for a stay abroad during your time as a student at FAU.
When structuring the timetable for the Master’s degree course, care was taken to ensure that the third semester includes lectures and seminars that can easily be attended at a foreign university in the same or an almost equivalent form and subsequently recognized in Erlangen. After their stay abroad, students in Erlangen can continue with the fourth semester as planned.
Since studying in many countries involves considerable costs, for most students this is only an option within the framework of a scholarship or exchange program. In addition to ERASMUS, these include the DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service), Fulbright and, of course, the FAU contact scholarships.
The programs usually start in August, September or October of each year; the application deadlines are sometimes up to a year before the start of the stay abroad. You should therefore find out about the possibilities and modalities of your stay abroad well in advance.
Coursework completed at foreign universities can be recognized upon application as an equivalent for coursework that must be completed in accordance with the examination and study regulations in force at the University of Erlangen-Nürnberg. The prerequisite for recognition is the determination of the equivalence of the credits earned.
The service in question should be equivalent in terms of both quantity and quality. Under certain circumstances, the approval of your application may be linked to the requirement to complete a supplementary course.
For all stays abroad, it should be clarified in advance which examinations can be credited to your studies in Erlangen:
- In the case of examinations, the ERASMUS coordinator (Dipl.-Ing. Susanne Michler) must sign a “Learning agreement” in advance, confirming the equivalence of the foreign examination. Joint supervision should be agreed for student research projects, bachelor’s and master’s theses. The respective professor should be contacted for this purpose. After the stay abroad, an application for credit transfer must be completed and the certificates and the learning agreement must be enclosed. The collected documents must be submitted to Susanne Michler.
- For elective subjects (please clarify in advance!) the equivalence check is not required. Recognition is carried out by the SSC WW. For this purpose, the certificates obtained must be submitted to the SSC after the stay abroad. An application for credit transfer is not necessary. If required, a learning agreement can also be issued in advance.
- As a rule, credit is always awarded with a grade (converted if necessary) and SWS or ECTS credits. This data must be derived from the certificates submitted.
- You can find an overview of the relevant steps here.
For further information, please contact ERASMUS coordinator Mrs. Susanne Michler.
The Lifelong Learning Program is an action program of the EU Commission to promote general cooperation in the field of education, student and staff mobility in Europe. ERASMUS – as part of the Lifelong Learning Program – offers students the opportunity to gain experience in other European countries, to get to know the language and culture and to take advantage of the courses on offer there. Students from a wide range of institutes can complete study visits abroad (i.e. attend courses and take examinations) as well as practical visits to carry out laboratory or industrial placements or to write their dissertations or theses, in each case for a period of three to twelve months. During this time, they receive funding of around 150 euros (study) or 400 euros (internship) per month and are exempt from any tuition fees at the host university. The only requirements for participation are enrolment at FAU, first-time participation in the program and sufficient knowledge of the language of the target country.
Application Process
1. Choosing the university of choice
In the following list you will find an overview of our partner universities from which you can select your desired university. As the number of study places is limited, we recommend that you also specify 1-2 “substitute universities”. The website of the Department of International Affairs provides a variety of shared experience reports from former exchange students that might be helpful for your choice.
If there are more applicants than available places, the students are chosen according to their degree program, grades, language skills, and number of semesters.
Please, be aware of the different lecture periods when choosing your desired university!!!
2. Application at the Student Service Center Materials Science
| Deadlines – for an exchange in WS and/or SS: 1. Februar |
Required documents:
Please, fill in this form
and bring it with you for a personal interview with Susanne Michler (please, make an appointment!) or send the form with an attached motivational letter to Susanne Michler in advance.
PLEASE NOTE: If there are several applications for the same place, it will be assigned on a “first come, first served” basis!
3. Nomination
After reviewing the application documents, the Materials Science Office informs the applicants of the result and sends a nomination list to the Office of International Affairs.
4. Registration at the Office for International Affairs (RIA)
The RIA is the central international office of the university, which is responsible for the administrative process of the ERASMUS program and the payment of the study grant. After the successful nomination, this office is also an important contact for you, who will inform you about the further formalities. The RIA sends an e-mail to all nominated students asking them to register in the RIA online system. Furthermore, the RIA informs the host university about the nominated students and the students about the registration modalities of the host university.
5. Registration with the foreign university
After the RIA has informed you, you must register with the foreign university yourself. It is very important that you adhere to the respective registration deadlines, otherwise no exchange place can be guaranteed!
6. Additional ERASMUS-forms
Once the EU has provided you with all the necessary ERASMUS forms (e.g. for the scholarship and Learning Agreement with details of the courses you would like to take), the RIA will send them to you.
The Department of Materials Science has the following partnerships (Stand: 10/2023): ERASMUS-Partnerships
Most partnerships outside Europe exist at faculty or university level. The contact for partnerships at faculty level is the International Office of the Faculty of Engineering.
The student inititative IAESTE offers an internship placement in the technical field. Information on the ERASMUS internship program as well as funding opportunities and / or scholarships can be obtained from the Office for International Affairs.
Independent of the EU Lifelong Learning Program, you can apply directly to a foreign university of your choice. Information can be obtained from the International Office and the Office of International Affairs.
Are you a master student of Materials Science and Engineering and interested in studying in France and simultaneously achieving a double degree from two universities?
Then you might be interested in the Double Degree Program by Friedrich-Alexander-University and the University of Limoges.
Quick facts:
- You study your first two semesters in Erlangen, the other two in Limoges
- You write your master’s thesis in Limoges
- University accommodation in Limoges is ensured
- Financial support is available
- All relevant lectures are in English
- Applications are possible until April 1st
Lecture overview:
For more information please contact Prof. Dr. Dominique de Ligny or Susanne Michler.
The cooperation program with National University of Mar del Plata in Argentina enters its third year. The program is supported by I.DEAR (Ingenieure Deutschland-Argentinien) and enables Master students of Materials Science and Engineering and Nanotechnology (WW Department) to spend one year in Argentina. Students from the FAU WW Department are eligible to spend the first 6 months at National University of Mar del Plata attending lectures, while in the last 6 months of the internship students carry out a research project in a research institute or in industry in Argentina.
The same offer have Argentinian Master students from Mar del Plata who can spend one year in the WW Department at FAU.
The year abroad is completely funded by the program.
For detailed information and for applying to this program, please contact Prof. Aldo R. Boccaccini.