Overview

Study abroad in Berlin, Germany over the summer through GlobaLinks Learning Abroad, formerly known as EuroLearn.

Freie Universität Berlin International Summer and Winter University (FUBiS) is an intensive 4-6 week academic program offered in the summer in Berlin.

FUBiS 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.

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 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.

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Academic Highlights

Participants do not need to have prior German language background nor take German language classes 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:

Students have the options of attending both 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
• Geschäftssprache Deutsch (Business German – in German language)
• Global Politics: How to Cope with a World in Disarray?
• "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
• Transnational Cinema in Germany
• Law, Society and Politics in Comparative Perspective
• Urban Places and Spaces: Analyzing and Exploring Berlin
• Governing Climate Change
• Nutritional Epidemiology: Spinach or chocolate? How do we know what is good for us to eat?
• Music Composition: Compose, Rehearse, and Perform
• Borders and Crossings: German Literature and Culture from Romanticism to Presetn
• Art of the Western World-From Ancient Sculpture to Action Painting
• Global Ecological Governance
• Architecture in Berlin. A Walk through History
• THe European Union in the 21st Century: Internal and External Challenges
• Art in Germany from the Middle Ages to the 20th Century
• American in the 21st Century: Crises, Challenges, and Chances 

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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.
 

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Special Programs/Excursions

Included Excursions

Study visits to museums and memorials as well as to political and cultural institutions within Berlin are an integral part of all courses.

The following trips and activities are included in the Program Fee:

• Guided Tour through the Reichstag Building and the Federal Parliament
• River Boat Tour through Downtown Berlin
• Weekly 'Movietime' presenting popular and well-known German Movies
• Further tours and workshops (will be announced in the specific term)

Additional Opportunities

In addition FUBiS offers field trips along the former Berlin Wall, to the Berlin Reichstag, or on a riverboat tour through downtown Berlin as well as day and weekend excursions to Hamburg, Dresden, Weimar and other destinations.

Many of these excursions are optional and therefore may carry an additional cost.

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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.

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Orientation

The FUBiS Orientation takes place on the first Sunday of the program (arrival is on Saturday) at Freie Universität Berlin. Students will receive their personal documents as well as an overview of the structure of the program and specific details regarding the activities and events of the upcoming weeks. The ceremony will be rounded off with a buffet and a first meeting of all classes with their instructors.

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Enhance Your Experience Online

Global Citizen Development

The new Global Citizen Development modules are online learning components designed to help you explore your study abroad destination and experience at a whole new level. These modules are not mandatory; however, we strongly encourage your participation as they will introduce you to the opportunities and challenges you may encounter when participating in a study abroad program, as well as expose you to cultural insights and knowledge about your host country to help make your program abroad even more successful and fulfilling. Through the 3 modules, you will refine your skills in cross-cultural observation, adaptation, and communication.  

Course Catalog

To determine if the classes you need are available at this university, select Courses/Subjects to view the specific course options.

Tips: For advice on navigating the university’s course catalog, use the Selecting Courses link. You may also view the suggested grade and credit transfer information through the Grade Conversion.

If you have any questions about course availability, please contact studyabroad@globalinksabroad.org.  

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Photo Slideshow

Watch a short slideshow of photos of the Freie Universität campus and Berlin 

Ask an Alumni

Ever wonder what it's like to live in Europe? Are you having trouble finding the right university for you? Speak to students that were already there! They are truly experts on their universities and cities, and want to help you go abroad too.

Email studyabroad@globalinksabroad.org with your name, email, and your specific program of interest and we'll email you with the contact details for one of our 20,000 alumni!

Please don't hesitate to contact us as well with any questions.
 

Fees

Fee Includes

All fees are quoted in US Dollars unless otherwise specifically stated. Program Fees include tuition for full-time summer status, university and program administrative fees, some cultural excursions, and health insurance. Fees include all pre-departure services such as: orientation materials, visa-processing support (excluding the visa fee), housing placements, personal advising, subject selections, liaise with your home university, credit transfer assistance, and financial aid services. As a study abroad student, you will be required to enroll as a full time student which is equivalent to 6-8 U.S. credits. Accommodationa and a housing deposit is not included in this fee. Where required to reserve accommodations in advance the student will make direct payment for the refundable housing deposit. Students who select “personal apartment living arranged upon arrival by the student” will only be charged the Program Fees, and housing costs will be paid on arrival by the student.


 

*Housing prices listed above are for a homestay option and include 2 meals a day. Studio apartments, without meals, are also available and cost approximately $955 for Term 2 and $680-$720 for Term 3.

Fee Advice

Dates

Entry Requirements

Programs in Europe Coordinator

Name: Jill Muegge Title: Coordinator, Outreach and Student Services Department: Europe Programs Team BIO: Jill, an Outreach and Student Services Coordinator for EuroLearn, is responsible for enrollment and returned student services for programs at the University of Economics, Czech Republic; Freie Universität (FUBiS summer program and FUBEST semester program), Germany; American College of Thessaloniki, Greece; and Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore (UCSC), Italy. Jill graduated from the University of Denver with her Master’s Degree in International and Intercultural Communications and received her BA from Northwest Missouri State University. An AustraLearn alum, she studied at the University of Canberra and has since lived, worked, and traveled through Europe and Central America. Jill enjoys sharing her passion for international education, and, as a native Nebraskan, will always be a Husker fan.