Berlin - Language & Area Studies

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Overview

Quick Facts

City:

Berlin [1]

Country:

Germany [2]

Program credits:

15-19 per semester (5-6 courses)

Language(s) of Instruction:

German

Language prerequisites:

4 semesters of college-level German

The minute you step off the plane in Berlin, you’ll feel its energy. It’s a place of new ideas, where sustainable technology and modern design are a way of life, and art galleries can be found on nearly every corner. But don’t forget, this dynamic city is also a center of modern European history—it has no equal for leaving its imprint on the political, social, and cultural history of the 20th century. We invite you to study in Berlin and to explore one of the world’s most vibrant cities.

Specially-designed to improve your German language skills, the IES Abroad Berlin Language & Area Studies Program draws upon Berlin’s rich culture and tradition to connect your coursework with the living history of the city. IES Abroad courses are taught in German by local faculty, and a variety of academic options are available at local universities.

Berlin will be your classroom. Can you imagine learning about German politics and policymaking in class and then taking a quick walk to visit the German Parliament? Or discussing multiculturalism in Berlin and then touring one of the city’s bustling Turkish neighborhoods? This is study abroad. Wherever possible, our courses take advantage of the city’s many historical, artistic, and cultural sites, and several courses also include a hands-on, practical component.

To enrich your academic experience, you also have the option to participate in field trips to cities such as Budapest, Dresden, Hamburg, Krakow, St. Petersburg, and Vienna.

We want you to feel at home in Berlin, so we will do everything we can to help you integrate into life in Berlin, from internships to cultural activities. You even have the opportunity to volunteer at local organizations or to improve your German language skills through a language partner program. Access to the facilities at Humboldt-Universität also allows you to integrate into German university life.

Program Dates

These dates are preliminary and are subject to change. Students should not book flights according to these dates.

Academics

Our mission is simple: to provide you with the best study abroad program possible— which includes the highest quality academic and cultural experiences. We offer unique courses that explore German Language, History, Culture, and other topics through an in-depth and handson approach. Our world-class professors and course options at prestigious local universities enhance your academic experience and provide you with new perspectives each day in class.

You take 15-19 credit hours per semester. All courses are worth 3 credits unless otherwise specified and are taught in German. You create your own academic experience by selecting from the following required and optional program components:

IES Abroad German language course (required, 4 credits)
German-taught IES Abroad area studies courses (3 credits)
Internships (includes internship placement and seminar, 3 credits)
German-taught courses at partner universities (3 credits)

Courses

This is a list of planned course offerings. After you are accepted, you will see a list of final course offerings in your MyIESabroad account.

To learn more about IES Abroad’s innovative theoretical and pedagogical approaches to teaching language abroad, refer to the IES Abroad MAP for Language & Intercultural Communication [3].

Partner Institution(s)

Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin
www.hu-berlin.de [4]
Founded in 1810 by the German statesman and philosopher Wilhelm von Humboldt, the then-named Universität Berlin pioneered the model of the liberal arts education and became known as the “mother of modern universities.” During 40 years of socialist rule following the Second World War, academic and political freedoms were heavily restricted; following German Reunification, the university underwent an intensive restructuring and has since regained its former preeminence.

The University’s courses are held in buildings of historic and architectural significance throughout the city. The Palais Unter den Linden, which is presently occupied by the reknowned Museum für Naturkunde, was the former Prince of Prussia’s residence in the mid-18th century.

Courses
Below are some of the numerous disciplines in which IES Abroad students have enrolled in the recent past. Visit the Humboldt Universität's website [5] for a list of current and past course offerings. Course offerings vary by semester and are not available until shortly before the start of each semester.

Accounting
Art History
Biology
Biotechnology
Business
Chemistry
Classics
Communications
Computer Science
Economics
Education
Engineering
Environmental Studies
Finance
Fine Arts
Foreign Languages
Gender Studies
Geography
History
Linguistics
Literature
Mathematics
Music History
Philosophy
Physics
Political Science
Psychology
Religious Studies
Sociology
Theater
Ubran Planning

HU Sprachenzentrum
If you do not do well enough on the language entrance exam to take regular classes at Humboldt University, you can take courses at HU’s Sprachenzentrum (Foreign Language Institute) for your initial university experience, but are encouraged to take regular university courses with the support of a tutorial. The Sprachenzentrum offers courses in various aspects of German language and culture, as well as courses in many foreign languages. For specific course offerings, visit the Sprachenzentrum website [6].

Location & Commute Time
The university’s main campus is located on the main boulevard, Unter den Linden, in Mitte, Berlin’s central district. The IES Abroad Berlin Center, Brandenburg Gate, Museum Island, German Opera and main shopping streets are all a short walk away. Most students take public transportation to travel to and from their classes. HU’s satellite campus for the natural sciences, where most of the university’s research labs are located, is in the neighborhood of Adlershof, about 45 minutes by train southeast of the main campus.

University Clubs & Events
The Humboldt-Universität was recently recognized by the German Foreign Office for offering the best support to international students of any university in the country. Its Cultural and Academic Orientation Program (KUSTOS), subsidized by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) offers orientation seminars and support to international students.

The university has an International Division devoted to providing assistance for international students at HU.

In addition, there is a student-run club for international students (Orbis Humboldtianus) on campus which offers student-to-student mentoring for exchange students, a Tandem Partner service, which matches students with language partners, and regular social and cultural events where international and German students can meet.

Freie Universität
www.fu-berlin.de [7]
Although the Freie Universität was founded only 50 years ago, as early as the beginning of the 20th century the neighborhood in which it is located, Dahlem, was home to several academic research institutes. Early researchers conducted ground-breaking research and won several Nobel Prizes.

The Freie Universität’s faculties and administrative offices are housed in many of the same buildings as the former institutes. With the addition of more contemporary, architecturally-significant buildings nearby, the campus resembles the structure of a university campus in the United States.

IES Abroad extends to its students the Freie Universität’s tradition of academic quality and research through the university’s broad curriculum.

Courses
Freie Universität offers IES Abroad students exciting opportunities in the faculties below.

The University is particularly known for its courses in Chemistry, Computer Sciences, Geosciences, Human Medicine, Language & Civilization Studies, Law, Mathematics, Pedagogy, Pharmacy, Political Sciences, and Social Sciences.

Note: Enrollment in partner unversity courses requires that you place into an advanced German language level during the program orientation.

Visit the Freie Universität website [8] for a list of current course offerings.

Biology, Chemistry, and Pharmacy
Economics
Geosciences
History and Cultural Studies
Law
Mathematics and Computer Science
Medicine
Pedagogy and Psychology
Philosophy and the Humanities
Physics
Political and Social Sciences
Veterinary Medicine

Course offerings vary from semester to semester. Exact course availability is determined shortly before the start of each semester. For this reason, it is not possible for you to officially register until you arrive in Berlin.

Location & Commute Time
Located in the quiet, residential garden district of the southwestern neighborhood of Dahlem, the Freie Universität is a 50 to 60 minute commute by public transportation from the IES Abroad Berlin Center, or about seven miles.

University Clubs & Events
IES Abroad Berlin students taking courses at the Freie Universität have access to the university’s libraries, clubs, and events. The University frequently sponsors guest lecturers. The FU also has an International Club, which organizes over 30 events per semester for international and German students. The student government at the FU runs a center for LGBT students.

Technische Universität
www.tu-berlin.de [9]
Founded in 1879 through the merging of several renowned research institutions, Berlin’s Technische Universität has a long history of innovation, but also periods of hardship. After World War II, the University opened a new Humanities faculty, intended to focus students and faculty on ethics and social responsibility. As the first technical university in Germany to encourage study of the Humanities, the University continues to emphasize the connection between society and technology. Additionally, TU is home to Berlin’s famous Center for Anti-Semitism Studies.

Courses
The TU is divided into seven faculties, each of which contains several institutes. Visit Technische Universität's website [10] for a list of current course offerings (click on Vorlesungsverzeichnis).

Faculty I. Humanities: Philosophy, Theory, and History of Science; German Literature; History and Art History; Metropolitan Studies; Social Sciences and Political Education; Educational Science; Languages and Communication; Vocational Education; Gender Studies, Anti-Semitism Studies.
Faculty II. Mathematics and Natural Sciences: Chemistry, Mathematics, Solid-State Physics, Optical and Atomic Physics, Theoretical Physics, Astronomy and Astrophysics.
Faculty III. “Process Sciences”: Biotechnology, Energy Technology, Food Science, Process and Chemical Engineering, Environmental Protection Technology, Material Science.
Faculty IV. Electrical Engineering: Energy and Automation Science, High Frequency and Semi-Conductor Systems Technology, Telecommunication Systems, Microelectronics, Software Engineering and Theoretical Computer Science, Economic Information Systems and Quantitative Methods.
Faculty V. Mechanical Engineering and Transport Systems: Fluid Mechanics and Acoustics; Psychology and Occupational Science; Land and Sea Traffic; Air and Space Travel; Construction, Micro- and Medicinal Technology; Industrial Engineering; Mechanics.
Faculty VI. “Planning—Building—Environment”: Applied Geosciences, Architecture, Civil Engineering, Geodesy, Landscape Architecture, Ecology, Sociology, City and Regional Planning.
Faculty VII. Economics and Management: Technology and Management, Business Management, Economics and Economics Law.

Note: Enrollment in partner unversity courses requires that you place into an advanced German language level during the program orientation.

Course offerings vary from semester to semester and are determined shortly before the start of each semester. For this reason, it is not possible for you to register until your arrive in Berlin.

Location & Commute Time
The Technische Universität’s main campus is in Charlottenburg, a lively, cosmopolitan borough in the former West Berlin. The campus is also close to the Tiergarten and main shopping boulevard of Kurfürstendamm. The Technische Universität's main campus is about three miles from the IES Abroad Center, or 10 minutes by train.

University Clubs & Events
The TU has an International Student Counseling Center, which offers administrative guidance to international students, as well as organizing a social events and excursions throughout the year. As part of a program for international students, the university offers a “subject mentoring service.", consisting of small, weekly seminars for international students, run by advanced TU students and covering topics such as paper-writing and background mathematics required for technical courses.

The Language and Culture Exchange (Sprach-und Kulturbörse, or SKB), through which language courses are available, also organizes regular cultural outings and social events for German and international students.

The SKB has a Tandem-partner service as well, through which students can find language partners.

There is also an organization of LGBT students and their allies on campus.

Additional Universities
Courses may be available at the following universities.

Hochschule für Wirtschaft und Recht Berlin
Kunsthochschule Berlin-Weißensee
Universität der Künste

Prerequisites and additional application materials may apply.

Internships

While adding study abroad to your resume is impressive enough, adding an international internship experience is even more powerful, and can help distinguish your application for graduate school or a job opportunity in today’s competitive job market. The internship we organize for you can also provide invaluable cultural experience, and help you develop professional and personal skills.

All internships take place post-program except placements at schools and at some social organizations.

Placement Examples

Business – Rowohlt Publishing House, Mobilee Records
Cultural Institutions – Berliner Ensemble Theater, Centrum Judaicum, Fotografische Sammlung des Stadtmuseums Berlin, Pergamon Museum
Education – Local primary and secondary schools, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin
Government – German Parliament, the Institute for Cultural Diplomacy, Umweltministerium Brandenburg, German-American Fulbright Commission
Social Organizations – Carl-von-Linné Schule für Körperbehinderte

In addition, internships may be available in Architecture, Computer Science, Engineering, Mass Media, and Medicine.

Field Study

IES Abroad Berlin organizes field study trips that complement IES Abroad courses and contribute to a general knowledge of German culture and society.

Past activities have included:

Guided tours of Berlin’s multicultural neighborhoods
Visits to museums and theater performances
Excursions to historical sites and political institutions

Housing

Our job is to make sure that your greatest challenge is deciding what landmarks to see first or discovering the best café—not finding a place to live where you feel comfortable. We do our best to locate housing that is reflective of how the local students are living. Our goal is that when you leave Berlin, it will feel like home.

IES Abroad Berlin housing gives you the unique opportunity to live in homestays with local residents throughout the city. Hosts may be single adults, single parents, families, or German university students. Most homestays are in apartments.

Students typically prepare their own meals at home or dine in affordable student cafeterias or restaurants. Meals are not included in the program fee.

Student Life

Part of making you feel at home in Berlin is doing our best to help you feel safe and cared for. Whether it’s the orientation program that prepares you for what’s ahead, your housing that is well-located and comfortable, or the field trips that take you to places off the beaten path—we’re all about our student services. This is just one of the things we’re known for.

Orientation

The program begins with a three-day orientation that introduces you to the IES Abroad Berlin staff, your fellow students, and the city of Berlin. Topics such as academics, housing, transportation, and health and safety are covered.

Additionally, CORE™, IES Abroad’s Comprehensive Orientation & Re-entry Experience, begins during orientation and continues throughout the semester with activities focusing on cultural adjustment, goal achievement, and preparing for the return home.

The three weeks following orientation are divided between intensive German language instruction and a series of lectures, tours, and excursions related to the history, art, and culture of Berlin.

Extracurricular Activities & Cultural Events

Redefine the way you live and learn in Berlin through our cultural events, which include visits to:

Komische Oper
Pergamon Museum
Berlin Synagogue and Jewish Community
Jewish Museum
German Parliament

Field Trips

Although your adventure begins in Berlin, our field trips take you to other great cities in Germany and beyond to provide contrast and context for what you are learning in Berlin. The day trip offered each semester is included in the program fee. Two additional partially-subsidized trips are also offered. Past destinations are listed below.

Potsdam
1 day | Fall & Spring
Visit the capital and crown jewel of the state of Brandenburg, and admire Sanssouci’s fabulous palaces and surrounding gardens.

Palaces, Polka, and Pierogi
7-day trip | Fall
Visit the cities of Vienna, Budapest, and Krakow on this week-long trip. Start the trip in Vienna, the capital of Austria, and visit grand imperial palaces, museums, and the Hofburg, where the Habsburg rulers lived, loved, and built their empire. Also, enjoy rustic Austrian cuisine at a farmer’s restaurant. The next stop is Budapest, one of the most beautiful cities in central Europe, which straddles the romantic Danube River, with the Buda Hills to the west and the start of the Great Plain to the east. Visit the Hungarian Parliament building in the country's capital and enjoy a traditional dance performance in a local winery. In Krakow, explore the treasure trove of Gothic and Renaissance architecture with the city's Jewish quarter and the Old Town. Then, travel outside the city to visit the UNE SCO world heritage Auschwitz-Birkenau Concentration Camp.

Hamburg
2 days | Spring
Explore the Northern port city of Germany, walk below the river Elbe trough the Elbe-tunnel, go shopping in Hamburg’s fancy shopping areas, and try the fish from the North Sea.

Dresden
2 days | Fall
Visit the Saxon capital which is called “the Florence of the North,” and see the Zwinger palace, the Baroque Königsstrasse, the Frauenkirche, and museums full of countless art treasures.

St. Petersburg
6 days | Spring
Experience the Russian life style, take a breathtaking guided tour of St. Petersburg, visit the world-famous Hermitage Museum, enjoy a Russian banquet, see the Amber chamber (the “eighth” wonder of the world) at the Catharine palace, and explore the architecture of Basil Island.

Center

IES Abroad Berlin [11]

The IES Abroad Berlin Center is located in Mitte, the central district of Berlin, and is within easy walking distance of the Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Museum Island, Brandenburg Gate, the Berliner Dom, and other sights.

Features include:

Classrooms
Small library
High-speed Internet and printer access
Student lounge and outdoor terrace

The two IES Abroad programs at the Berlin Center are conducted on separate floors of the building.

Center staff:

Barbara Gügold
Director

Barbara Gügold has been the Director of IES Abroad Berlin since 1992. She is a member of the Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin faculty where she teaches the methodology of foreign language teaching. She received her doctorate from Martin-Luther-Universität Halle in English Literature, and obtained a master’s degree in English and Russian from Leipzig Universität. She has worked in Sweden, Poland, Belgium, and the U.S. as a frequent guest lecturer. In her spare time she takes full advantage of the wealth of cultural opportunities in Berlin.

IES Abroad Staff
Katrin Arendt
Assistant Director

Thomas Wagenknecht
Academic and Cultural Advisor

Rolf-Dieter Staudt
Office Manager and Coordinator of Student Services

Britta Tonak
Housing and Special Programs Manager

Faculty (Summer and Semester Programs)
Sabine Berking
Cultural Studies
Doktor philosophiae, Kolumnistin der Frankfurter Allegemeine ZeitungProjektleiterin at Wissenschaftszentrum Berlin

Wolfgang Bialas
Political and Social Science
Doktor philosophiae, University of Leipzig; Research Associate, Hannah-Arendt-Institute, Technical University Dresden

Ulrich Brückner
International Business
Doktor philosophiae, Gastprofessor, Political Science Department, Szczecin University, Poland
Stanford University

Laurenz Demps
History
Professor Doktor habilitates
Professor Emeritus
Institute für Geschichte
Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin
Stadthistoriker

Ulf Heinsohn
Economics
Doktor oec
Berlin School of Economics
Law Berlin

Reinhard Isensee
Political Science, American
Studies
Privatdozent Dr. habilitates
philosophiae
Philosophisches Fakultät,
Humboldt-Universität zu
Berlin

Bernhard Maleck
Political Science, History
Doktor habilitates philosophiae
Freiberuflicher Projektmitarbeiter

Michael Opitz
Theater, Media Studies
Doktor philosophiae
Literaturrezensent, Financial
Times and Freitag;
Deutschlandradio Berlin,
Abteilung Kultur und Literatur

Carola Opitz-Wiemers
German and Feminist Literature
Doktor philosophiae
Deutschlandradio Berlin, Abteilung
Kultur und Literatur

Joachim Seifert
Diplom-Grafiker,
Wissenschaftlicher Mitarbeiter,
Abteilung Künstlerische
Grundlagen,
Kunsthochschule Berlin-
Weißensee

Dorothea Löbbermann
Literature, Film Studies
Doktor philosophiae in American Literature, Humboldt Universität zu Berlin
Adjunct Faculty, Humboldt Universtät zu Berlin

Eva Maleck-Lewy
Jewish Studies
Doktor philosophiae

Cost