Marburg, Germany: Philipps University of Marburg
UT-Dallas has a regular student exchange program with one of Germany's oldest universities, the University of Marburg, in a beautiful middle-sized city about an hour's ride north of Frankfurt in the state of Hesse. A fine medieval castle overlooks the historic city center as well as Germany's first purely Gothic church (St. Elisabeth's) to give Marburg a picturesque quality, while the modern city is very much a university town, enjoying a reputation for its high academic tone and active student life.
On the university generally, see http://www.uni-marburg.de/
UTD students have three different possibilities for studying at Marburg, either in the regular academic curriculum (conducted largely in German, but with some courses and some entire Masters programs in English) or in two special programs for international students (conducted in English and German). As with most international exchanges, students pay their own travel and living expenses as well as tuition at their home institutions. International educational mobility through any of these programs is subject to the UTD Office of International Education protocols.
For further information about the programs offered or for general information about living arrangements and expenses in Marburg, please directly contact Dr. Sascha Moells at sascha.moells@utdallas.edu, who is a professor of finance and accounting in Marburg and a UTD affiliate.
IUSP = The International Undergraduate Study Program
See the description at http://web.uni-marburg.de/iusp/
This special program for international students offers undergraduate courses during the two regular semesters (September to December and February to June) in English or in German with special English tutorials, assignments, and tests. Students may register for one or both semesters, with courses offering transfer credit in many degree plans (with prior approval of advisers here).
Emphasis has traditionally been on German language and culture, American studies, English literature, history, psychology, political economy (institutional economics and policy research), and also business administration (accounting, finance, and management). With special care to keep European and wider international perspectives in the developing curriculum, more subjects are added regularly or are available upon request (for example, in fields such as biology, physics, chemistry, computer science, or mathematics). For students with a special interest in the Middle East, starting in 2013 the IUSP will offer topical courses on the region as well as advanced language courses in Arabic.
Two scholarships are available for UT-Dallas students participating in this program. The grants cover the tuition of € 2,000 (about US $2,600), so students must pay the remaining € 3,100 (about US $ 4,030) for a dormitory room, a meal subsidy, course materials, and a cultural program. Contact the Office of International Education about applying for the scholarship.
IUSP Scholarship Application
(due May 13, 2013, for Fall 2013)
Note that UT-Dallas's own International Education Fund Scholarship (IEFS) can be used to help defray expenses for this program. Applications are due at the Office of International Education on May 29, 2013, for Fall 2013.
ISU = The International Summer University
See the description of the 2013 program at http://www.uni-marburg.de/isu. The summer study program (from 20 July to 17 August) offers:
- German language courses (all mornings). Students may start German language study or continue at their appropriate intermediate or advanced levels, but all participants must take a German course.
- Seminars and lecture courses (in English or German) on current European and German political, economic, and cultural topics. Special emphasis is placed on the main topic: the European Union and, this year, on the Arab Spring as well as peace and conflict in the Middle East. Undergraduate credits for these courses may be transferred into some UT-Dallas degree plans (with prior approval of advisers here).
- An extensive cultural program, with weekend excursions, special evening lectures, parties, etc.
This international program is available as a study-abroad option under which students pay the Marburg program fee of € 1,900 (about US $2,470) for course materials and a dormitory room during the four weeks there. Students are also responsible, of course, for travel, meals, and miscellaneous living expenses. Although they do not pay UTD tuition, students may apply for transfer credit (with prior approval of advisers here).
Remember that UTD's own International Education Fund Scholarships (IEFS) can be used to help defray expenses for this program. The application deadline at the Office of International Education is March 29 for the summer of 2013.
Regular Curriculum Studies
At its general Web site, http://www.uni-marburg.de/, you can find information in German and English about the university's setting, organization, and regular curriculum. Most courses are offered in German, though some programs (especially in economics, business administration, and the natural sciences) also offer Master's degrees in English. Special refresher language courses help to prepare international students for any course work in German.
Marburg and UT-Dallas have agreed to exchange students on a reciprocal basis, with payment of tuition and fees at their home institutions. UT-Dallas students pay only a small registration fee to Marburg and their travel and living expenses. If students want course credit here for Marburg work, however, they must seek prior approval from their UTD advisers.
