German at William & Mary

Study Abroad Programs in Germany and Austria

The German Studies Section at the College of William and Mary strongly recommends that students study in a German speaking country for a summer, a semester, or a full year. Study abroad in a German speaking country is typically done either through one of the programs with which German Studies at W&M is directly affiliated (Summer Study Abroad Program in Münster; Semester or Year Abroad in Exchange with the Universität Münster), through a program administered by another American university, or through direct enrollment at a German or Austrian University or Summer Program. The latter option is primarily for students who have an excellent command of German, exhibit a strong degree of independence, and can navigate through the German University system (which is known to be highly bureacratic and difficult!). The last option also requires that students obtain course grade certificates (Scheine) from their Professors and document all the work they have done while abroad.

However you decide to study abroad in a German speaking country, students are required to consult with the Head of the German Studies section before departure and to fill out a Transfer Credit Pre-Approval form, which specifies which courses are to be taken and the W&M equivalences for such courses and the estimate of the number of credit hours.

Upon returning to W&M, students are required to fill out a Transfer Credit Post-Approval form, have it signed by the Section Head, and submit it to the Global Education Office.

2008 Summer in Münster, Germany

Vassar College, The College of William and Mary, and Sweet Briar College sponsor jointly a summer program that offers students the opportunity of a unique living-learning experience where classroom instruction and environment reinforce each other. The program is open to students in good standing who have completed at least one year of Elementary German or the equivalent.

Students will live in private homes for the time of their stay in Münster to enjoy an atmosphere of everyday conversational German. The personal contact with native families provides a first-hand experience of German life and thought.

William and Mary students may take two courses, from GRMN 201 up through a 400-level German course, and earn 6 transfer credits for the program. Students who take German 201 and German 206 in Münster fulfill the language requirement through the successful completion of these two courses.

The site of the academic program is Münster, one of Germany's oldest and most picturesque university towns. Founded in 793, Münster became the capital of Westphalia and was chosen as the scene for the signing of the Peace Treaty after the Thirty Years War in 1648. The cultural and intellectual awareness of this formerly hanseatic city is manifested in its rich examples of virtually all major architectural styles, notably its beautifully restored medieval buildings and its many excellent institutions of higher learning.

The University of Münster, one of Germany's largest, was chartered in 1773. Its growing popularity is reflected in the present student enrollment of over 40,000.

Münster's convenient location to other countries easily permits students to take excursions to France, Holland, and Denmark if they wish to gain insight into other European cultures.

Junior Year or Semester in Münster

Each year the German faculty of the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures selects up to five William and Mary students to study during their junior year at the Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität in Münster, Germany. By agreement with the university's Akademisches Auslandsamt (Foreign Student Office), these students are automatically admitted there for the academic year. The German faculty also designates one of the students to receive a full maintenance scholarship (EURO 500 per month for 10 months) provided through the Akademisches Auslandsamt.

Qualifications: 

The William and Mary students attend regular classes at the university, and thus must possess good fluency in German in order to profit from this opportunity. The minimum level of qualification for the program is five semesters of college-level German or the equivalent, i.e., German 205, 206 or 208. Even for those with this background, the German faculty sometimes recommends a 4- to 8-week intensive course at a Goethe-Institut in Germany before the beginning of the university's academic year.

Living and academic arrangements: 

The students live in university dormitories, generally in single rooms with individual or shared kitchen and lavatory facilities. There is no on-site director from William and Mary, but assistance is available from three sources:

• the Akademisches Auslandsamt; 
• the William and Mary German House tutor, who is selected each year by the English department at the University of Münster and returns to the university in the following year; 
• the Deutsch-Amerikanische Gesellschaft, a group of families and individuals in Münster who have a strong interest in fostering German-American relations and thus "adopt" the William and Mary students.

Courses and credit: 

Courses taken in Münster are evaluated for transfer credit when the students return to William and Mary for their senior year. The College is committed to providing at least 30 hours credit for classes which students can show (through seminar certificates, tests, papers, documented interviews by professors, etc.) they have attended. Naturally it is easiest for concentrators in German to find courses which fit their concentration; however, students in other fields, e.g., international studies, government, history, and even natural sciences or mathematics can also find courses which contribute to their concentration or other degree requirements. Close consultation with their William and Mary concentration adviser before and during the year abroad is highly recommended.

Costs: 

Neither William and Mary nor the University of Münster charges tuition for this academic program, but the latter does require nominal fees for such things as student health insurance, the student association, etc. The main cost of this program is for transportation to and from Germany, for room and board, for books, and for other travel and personal expenses during the year. The scholarship amount mentioned above is meant to cover the costs of room and board, and can be used as an estimate of how much students without this scholarship should budget each month.

Application procedure: Students interested in applying for this program should contact the head of the German section. Other information can be found on the webpages of the Akademisches Auslandsamt and of the Studentenwerk.