Overview

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 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.

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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 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 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

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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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Course Catalog

To see if the classes you need are available at this university, review the course catalog:

Click here to view courses/subjects available at this university.

Click here to view the "Academics: Course and Credit Information" for instructions on choosing the right subjects, tips on navigating the course catalog, and information on credit transfer.

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

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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.

Term and Academic Program	#weeks	Program Fee	Housing	Totals
FUBiS Term 2: Intensive German	6	$3,650	$1,300	$4,950
FUBiS Term 2: Language + Subject	6	$4,450	$1,300	$5,750
FUBiS Term 3: Intensive German	4	$2,850	$1,000	$3,850
FUBiS Term 3: Language + Subject	4	$3,380	$1,000	$4,380

Fee Semester

Dates

Entry Requirements

EuroLearn Coordinator

Name: Rachael Fellabaum Title: Assistant Manager - EuroLearn Department: Semester or Year Abroad in Europe and Asia BIO: Rachael is the Assistant Manager for EuroLearn programs. She assists students with all inquiries as well as enrollment services. Rachael graduated with a BA in International Relations and Russian from Bucknell University. In addition to travelling to Australia, New Zealand, China, and Eastern Europe, she spent 18 months living and working in Moscow, Russia. Rachael is excited to help students have the opportunity to experience life abroad.