International Engineering Program

Preparing for Your Year Abroad: German IEP

Preparing for the year abroad in a stress-free way takes months of planning before you depart. Most students leave for the year abroad in late August and return twelve months later. Students studying at the Technische Universität Braunschweig or the Technische Universität Darmstadt will participate in a one-month immersion program in September. After the immersion program ends, students have a two week period to travel, e.g. to internship interview sites in other parts of Germany.  The official semester starts mid October, and runs until mid-February.

The preparation process includes individual and group meetings and orientations to discuss a range of topics such as the application process, academics, internships, accommodation, course selection, registration with the university, culture and cultural differences, visa advising and health, safety and security abroad to offer the maximum support to our students. We will also connect you to fifth year students who just returned from their year abroad, to exchange students from our partner universities whenever possible and to other helpful resources.

Follow the timeline below and also check out the German IEP Student Guides below created by German IEP Student Ambassadors to help prepare you for the year abroad. Part one of the German IEP Study Abroad Survival Guides contains information about the preparation process, the year before going abroad, and part two of the series provides information about the year abroad itself.   

German IEP Abroad Timeline

September – December

  1. Sign Up for GER 351 “Studying and Working Abroad I” for the fall semester (Course Description: Prepare for studying and working in German-speaking countries. Develop study skills through a series of lecturers by German-speaking experts, explore options for internships abroad, and write a German resume.)
  2. Attend First Informational session: Early October, exact date TBA
  3. Budget: View the Program Budget Sheet in URI Abroad for estimated program expenses. 
  4. Passport Application or Renewal: If you have a passport, make sure it will be valid 6 months past the date of your anticipated return. If you do not have a passport, or if you need to renew your passport, go to your nearest post office (which for URI is in Wakefield); you MUST schedule an appointment.
  5. Obtaining a Visa: While URI offers students guidance on how to apply for a visa, it is ultimately the student’s responsibility to apply for and obtain the appropriate visa needed to support their studies. In early spring of the year you are planning to go abroad, Jamie Loredo, Education Abroad Advisor, jamie.loredo@uri.edu, will set up a group meeting to advise you on how to apply for the one year “Aufenthaltsgenehmigung” and the “Zusatzblatt” which allows for an internship in a German company through the Boston Consulate. You then need to start compiling a substantial list of documents to bring to the consulate, among them your acceptance letter from TU Braunschweig or TU Darmstadt. Dr. Berka will arrange a visa application group mtg. for May so you can apply in Boston before heading home for the summer. If you decide to go individually, you need to make an appointment on the consulate’s website for May or June.
  6. Financial Aid: Each year Dr. Berka will send a list of IEP students who are planning to study abroad for the year to Enrollment Services so they know that this year is a required part of the IEP. Students receiving a merit-based scholarship will roll over this scholarship at a prorated rate for the fall semester. The merit scholarship will pause during the spring/summer when you’ll be in your internship and not pay URI instate tuition (as you do for the fall). If you return to URI for your 5th and final year, your merit scholarship will resume. Please address any other questions with a financial aid advisor in Green Hall.
  7. Meet with Advisors to Discuss Academic Plan for Fifth Year: Make sure to work on a graduation worksheet with your advisors, so that you know which classes you have to take for graduation. Since you will have to register for Fall courses from abroad, let us know if there is a conflict between a German course and courses required for engineering in your 5th year. Review your IEP program curriculum sheet.
  8. Research: If you have a GPA over 3.0, and would like to earn 3 credits of MCE, CHE, ELE etc. 491 professional elective credits, talk to Dr. Berka about research opportunities.
  9. Scholarships: Start working on scholarship applications for scholarship opportunities with December or January deadlines, such as the Beatrice S. Demers fellowship, the DAAD RISE and the Gilman scholarship. For additional grants and deadlines, check out IEP Scholarship & Fellowships. 
    Note: The URI Academic Works scholarship portal opens on April 1 and the deadline for URI scholarships is June 30th (some scholarships do have different application cycle dates). Please register for it on April 1st to be matched as a candidate for URI internal scholarships you are eligible for! Pay special attention to the Flynn scholarship for which you can apply when going abroad.

January

  1. Sign Up for GER 352 “Studying and Working Abroad II” for the Spring semester.  (Course Description: Continue preparing for studying and working abroad. Further develop study skills through lecturers by German-speaking experts, write a cover letter for a job or internship, and participate in mock interviews.)
  2. URI Office of International Education – Attend an optional information session on how to apply to study abroad in the URI Abroad Application System.

    • All students who plan to study abroad are required to obtain permission from URI and therefore must complete the URI Abroad Application. In general, IEP students should apply using the Fall Semester application for their program – not the Academic Year.
  3. Contact Jamie Loredo, Education Abroad Advisor, at jamie.loredo@uri.edu if you have any questions about the URI Abroad Application or about the study abroad process.

February

  1. Attend Career/International Cultural Preparation Meeting.
  2. URI Office of International Education – Step 1: Complete Phase 1: Pre-Decision of your URI Application for IEP Study Abroad. Deadline: March 1st
  3. Attend German IEP Preparation Meeting.
  4. TU Applications: Dr. Berka will set up an “Apply to the Technical Universities” group meeting to walk you through your applications to the TU Braunschweig and TU Darmstadt. Please note: once you receive your acceptance letter from the partner universities in April, you will apply for housing through the links provided in this acceptance letter.
  5. Apply for Summer Immersion at a German Summer School (optional): Enroll in the up to 6 credits at any level of German language credits in the TU Braunschweig Summer School for Language and Culture. This is highly encouraged for transfer students from CCRI who need to make up a year in a summer, anyone who started taking German late or anyone who wishes to increase their proficiency before going abroad for the year. You can also earn MCE/ELE and German language credits when enrolling in the TU Darmstadt Summer University Engineering and Language. and transfer 3-6 engineering and/or language credits. Both summer schools offer a highly attractive excursion program to local and regional sites and companies. Scholarships may be available, so please reach out to your IEP director.

March

  1. URI Office of International Education – Step 2: Complete Phase 2: Post-Decision of your URI Application for IEP Study Abroad. This includes your Pre-Approval Form. Deadline: May 1st
  2. Internship Documents and Placement: Past GIEP program participants will visit the IEP/IBP prep courses GER 351 and GER 352, and will talk about their internships in Germany. You will work on your German cover letter and resume in class. With Dr. Berka’s help, you will gain access to our internship portal where you can learn more about the different German companies that have internships and view projects from past GIEP program participants to help you determine the company you would like to intern for.  In case you were not able to take GER 351 and 352, please schedule an appointment with Dr. Berka.
  3. Prior Approval Forms: Dr. Berka will set up a group meeting to help you fill out the prior approval form so you can transfer credits back to URI. She will discuss course equivalencies URI – Technische Universität Braunschweig or Technische Universität Darmstadt. She will sign off on German and Gen Ed outcomes courses, but you need to get a signature from your engineering departmental chair for your desired engineering courses. Once you obtain those signatures, submit the form to coe-forms-group@uri.edu since it requires the final signature from Assistant Dean Kathleen Maher. Remember to add in a couple (2-3) more classes than desired, in case of class unavailability or of any changes while taking courses in Germany. Students will then need to upload the finalized Prior Approval Form to URI Abroad in the post-decision phase of URI Abroad application.

April

  1. URI Office of International Education – Attend Pre-Departure Meeting.
  2. Health Insurance: In addition to URI Health Insurance or other private insurance, all URI Students are covered by CISI Insurance. Students confirmed to study abroad will automatically be registered and emailed proof of insurance, which they will need to obtain a visa.  Students studying at TUBS/TUD will also have to take out a German insurance for the year.

May – August

  1. URI Office of International Education – Step 2: If you have not already done so, complete Phase 2: Post-Decision of your URI Application for IEP Study Abroad. This includes your Pre-Approval Form. Deadline: May 1st.
  2. Submit Final Internship Application to Dr. Berka: Bewerbungsbrief + Lebenslauf/Passbild (electronically integrated into the Lebenslauf) – Deadline: First week of May.
  3. Travel Arrangements: GIEP students usually go on a group flight at the end of August. Recommended flights will be provided at a later date.
  4. Attend Pre-departure Meeting: This last meeting, typically in August, will serve as a final overview of the plans for the year abroad. 

While in Germany

September

  1. Arrival: You can book a flight through Frankfurt, Hannover or Berlin and then transfer to a train to get to Braunschweig.
    • TUBS: When you arrive at Braunschweig train station on September 1, a staff member from the International Office will receive you and take you to the dorm or your apartment.
    • TUD: When you arrive at Frankfurt airport, take the Darmstadt Airliner bus to travel to Darmstadt, then proceed to your dorm by tram or bus.
  2. Orientations: Orientations at partner university (info about Visa, registration formalities, health insurance), with help of TUBS/TUD International Office will be communicated in your acceptance letter.
  3. Coursework: One-month Sommerkurse in Braunschweig/Darmstadt begins right at the beginning of September.
    • September intensive course plus one month housing paid by TU Braunschweig (4 credits – Ger 3xx)
    • September intensive course at TU Darmstadt provided at no cost (4 credits – Ger 3xx)
  4. Registration and Residency: Register locally with the city and apply for and obtain your residence permit, referencing the information provided to you in the pre-departure orientation and on the on-site timeline.

October

  1. Begin Wintersemester* (Mid October – Mid February)
  2. Enroll for Both Winter and Summer Semesters: This means that you will then be eligible for a complimentary Deutschland ticket (for travel regional trains, city buses, subways and trams), and also ensures that your residence/work permit (Aufenthaltstitel in passport) is valid throughout the year.
  3. Scholarship Aid/Financial Aid: Applies as usual
  4. Leaving Exchange Program
    • Braunschweig (TUBS): Inform the staff which courses you took on this course certificate form. Include classes in which you registered for an exam, took the exam but failed (received a “5”). Once they have all your certificates, they will issue your transcript and then send two copies to your home university. Before you leave Braunschweig follow the IO’s departure guide.
    • Darmstadt (TUD):TU Darmstadt will be able to determine your grades through its TUcAN portal. Stay tuned for departure procedure information from the International Office.

November – January

  1. Prepare for Internship:
    • Location/assignment typically worked out with Dr. Berka by summer/fall semester.
    • Begin looking for housing for in the area of your internships. Use wg-gesucht.de, the Facebook pages of your target city or other platforms to find housing.
    • Fill out the Required IEP Internship Application in your URI Abroad portal by the Spring Course Registration Deadline (Jamie Loredo from OIE will email this to you). You MUST fill this out so that OIE can enroll you in the 12 credits you need to maintain your student status.
  2. Getting Courses Transferred and Intent to Graduate (if applicable):
    • Upon completion of the exchange program, you will need to have your program’s institution send an official transcript to OIE so that your transfer credit can be evaluated. Please refer to OIE’s Transfer Credit policy for more information.
    • If you will be graduating in August (after your internship), you will need to fill out the College of Arts and Sciences Intent to Graduate Form for your German B.A. and submit it by the Feb. 1st deadline.
    • Fill out the College of Engineering Intent to Graduate form for your engineering B.S.
  3. Winter Break: You can use some of this time for housing interviews or researching your internship company/location!

February – August

  1. Take Exams (if not already completed).
  2. Begin Internship: Usually starting in mid February – mid-August.
  3. Courses: Work on online GER 315 Internship Course assignments during Spring Semester and summer. For this six-credit course, in Spring, your instructor will post an “I” grade. Once all assignments are submitted and graded your letter grade will be posted in early August.
  4. Advising: Check-in with your advisor and get your advising hold and any other hold lifted so that you can register for Fall semester courses.
  5. Register for Fall Semester Courses.