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Fact Sheet:
Fact Sheet:
Language of instruction:
English, German
Housing options:
Home-stay, Private apartments
Class standing required at departure:
2-Sophomore, 3-Junior, 4-Senior
Areas of study:
Architecture, Art history, European studies
Minimum GPA from application until departure:
2.8
Program type:
Study abroad
Program Description:
GlobaLinks Learning Abroad
Summer and Winter School in Berlin, Germany at Freie Universität
Freie Universität Berlin International Summer and Winter University (FUBiS) is an intensive 3-6 week academic program offered over the January-term and in the summer in Berlin.
FUBiS summer participants choose from intensive and semi-intensive German language classes at five different levels of proficiency as well as Business German. In addition FUBiS offers various courses with a focus on Germany in the areas of history, politics, business, literature, culture, art history, and film. These classes are taught primarily in English by distinguished German and international faculty. Students are able to combine a German language course with one English subject course, take two subject courses in English, or focus entirely on Intensive German instruction for the summer terms.
During the January-term, students can choose from one German language class offered at all proficiency levels or one elective class taught in English. No language experience is required for this program.
FUBiS classes make use of the vast historic, cultural, and political institutions and resources Berlin offers.Study and field trips to museums, memorials as well as political and cultural institutions are integral parts of the curriculum. In some classes students have the unique opportunity to attend specially organized and exclusive round-table discussions with decision makers, diplomats, and experts in their field of study.
The FUBiS program offers students many choices:
• Combination of language and subject classes. This allows students to improve their language skills as well as further their knowledge of a subject matter.
• Combination of two subject classes which may count toward a major or minor at the home institution.
• Intensive German language classes. These classes meet every weekday and allow students to focus on and thus considerably improve their German skills.
The Freie Universität Berlin is a premier destination for research and education in Europe. It is ranked nationally and internationally among the top research universities in Germany. In 2007, after an intense, nation-wide competition, the Freie Universität Berlin became one of nine German universities to be awarded an Elite status by the German Research Foundation (DFG). In the Excellence Initiative competition, the Freie Universität won the highest number of grants and was selected for its outstanding graduate programs, excellent research clusters and successful internationalization strategy.
Academic Structure
Participants do not need to have prior German language background but are required to enroll in one language course during the summer term. FUBiS classes make use of the vast historic, cultural, and political institutions and resources Berlin offers. Study and field trips to museums, memorials as well as political and cultural institutions are integral parts of the curriculum. In some classes students have the unique opportunity to attend specially organized and exclusive round-table discussions with decision makers, diplomats, and experts in their field of study.
Depending on the block and course structure chosen, students can earn between 3 and 6 US semester credits:
Term 1 (3 weeks, January)
Students select a German language class (offered at all proficiency levels) or an elective class taught in English. (3-4 US credits)
Term II (6 weeks)
Students can choose from one of the following academic options:
2 subject classes (6 US credits total)
1 subject and 1 langauge (6 US credits total)
Intensive German language (4.5 US credits total)
Term III (4 weeks)
Students can choose from one of the following academic options:
2 subject classes (4 US credits total)
1 subject and 1 language (4 US credits total)
Intensive German (3 US credits total)
Students have the options of attending both summer blocks.
Sample Classes
To view all available classes with descriptions, click HERE.All subject classes are taught in English unless otherwise noted.
German language courses on five different proficiency levels
Deutsche Exilliteratur: Mann, Brecht, Adorno (in German language)
Understanding the European Union: Internal and External Affairs
Sustainability Law and Governance
Geschäftssprache Deutsch (Business German – in German language)
Global Politics: How to Cope with a World in Disarray?
Architecture In Berlin: A Walk through History
"Islam & the West" - Transcending the Dichotomy
Seduction and Terror: The Third Reich
European Business Management
Metropole Berlin in Literatur und Kultur von 1945 bis zur Gegenwart (in German language)
From Ancient Sculpture to Action Painting: Art of the Western World
Location: Berlin
Berlin is a European center of politics, culture, and art. Visitors and residents alike are captivated by its unique atmosphere. With 3.4 million inhabitants, Berlin is a dynamic and multicultural city. The city has played a key role in the country's development spanning many centuries.
Study abroad students will find a wide and diverse offering of museums, cultural events, musical performances, and theater awaiting their exploration. The city also provides ample recreation opportunities in parks, forests and the area's many lakes. Berlin offers unrivaled educational, intellectual, cultural, and recreational opportunities.
Around the University
The university campus is located in a charming and mostly residential section of former "West-Berlin." Traveling within the city, including the commute to and from the FUBiS campus, is an easy task thanks to Berlin's highly developed public transport system. The Berlin public transportation network combines subways, trains, bus, streetcars, and even passenger ferries on some of Berlin's lakes.
On campus, the dining hall (Mensa), which is located in the vicinity of the FUBiS offices and classrooms, offers a wide selection of inexpensive food. Here, students can enjoy nutritious lunches, vegan/vegetarian, and at least one organic meal. In addition, salads, antipasti, bagels, cakes, rolls, and fast-food style meals are available at a reduced price for FUBiS students.
FUBiS participants may use the university's vast library system. The user-oriented library information system provides the literature for research, teaching, and studying. Free Internet access is available at all libraries. Also, FUBiS participants will have access to the Freie Universität Berlin on-campus computing facilities, including free-of-charge Internet access and access to on-campus printing facilities.
Housing
Students choose from three housing options with varied costs including living with a host family, a fully furnished studio, or a single room in a shared apartment at a student dormitory.
Host Family
Most students who wish to enhance their German proficiency select a homestay as their housing option. Living with a local family in a single room and eating breakfast and dinner with them can add immeasurably to the experience. Homestays are typically located about a 30 minutes from campus by bus or metro. More than apartment housing, a homestay almost guarantees linguistic and social immersion, providing students with unrivaled opportunities at improving their language and intercultural skills. Homestays provide the comforting presence of a family in the inevitable moments of homesickness without taking away from the independence and mobility that university students typically experience when living in dorms at their home universities.
Homestay placements are limited. If you want to live with a homestay family, early application is recommended.
Studio Apartments
The apartments utilized by the FUBiS program are located about 30 minutes by bus and metro from where classes are held. This is not at all unusual, since German (and more generally, European) universities tend to be commuter-student institutions. The apartments are single-occupancy, each one with its own bathroom and fully equipped kitchen.
Dormitory
Off-campus housing is available on a first come, first serve basis. Depending on availability of the rooms students will either live in the Studentenwerk (20 minutes from campus by bus) or the Student Village (30 minutes from campus by bus or metro). Both are non-profit organizations providing affordable housing for students.
FUBiS accommodation is only available for the duration of the FUBiS programs. Students arriving prior to the program start or those who intend to stay longer should make their own individual arrangements.
About GlobaLinks Learning Abroad Programs
GlobaLinks Learning Abroad programs are created with individual student's goals in mind. Our programs are built around a unique Discovery Model which is delivered by our amazing staff, both in the U.S. and overseas. Our Discovery Model provides every student with an individualized experience through discovery in 5 key areas: personal, academic, cultural, social, and professional. Our North American staff counsels each student through the application and enrollment process, and our on-site Resident Coordinators set up a calendar of activities for students related to each area of discovery. These activities are more than just tourist excursions, and include opportunities like networking events, local festivals, gallery openings, and other similar events that you can't find in a travel book.
GlobaLinks Learning Abroad programs in Europe include everything you would expect in a study abroad program: guaranteed housing, 24-hour in-country support, an in-country multi-day orientation program, comprehensive pre-departure services, excursions, and discovery activities to make the most out of each student's experience. Students of all majors are welcome to apply, and no prior language skill is required even for foreign-speaking destinations as some or all courses are taught in English at each university. Scholarships are available.
