Academic guidelines for an exchange semester at a partner institution
1
It is possible to study at one of our 35 or more European partner institutions and circa 16
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worldwide partners only during the 6 semester. If you wish to undertake an exchange
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semester you must apply to do so during your 3/4 semester.
2
The grades achieved in your exchange semester will be fully accepted as equivalent to
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your 6 semester HfG grades and will contribute to your final degree grade.
3
If you are studying at a European partner institution you should achieve 30 ECTS-credits
points (ECTS-cp) under the ECTS scheme, which is now being operated by most of our
European partner institutions. 1 ECTS-cp is equal to 25-30 hours workload (this includes
all work activity: lectures, seminars, research, workshop time etc.). This equals to a total
workload of 750-900 hours per semester.
4
If you are studying at a non-European partner institution where other credit systems are
awarded you should also take on the equivalent workload of 750-900 hours.
5
You should aim to undertake a range of studies similar to those normally taken at the HfG
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during the 6 semester, namely:
•
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a major design project (workload ca.15 ECTS-cp)
projects or subjects with theoretical content e.g. social sciences, design theory or
history, cultural studies, human sciences, media analysis, or similar content,
(workload ca. 5 ECTS-cp)
projects or subjects you are interested in e.g. technical subjects, computer studies, or
hand oriented skills such as drawing, modelmaking, etc. (workload ca. 10 ECTS-cp)
•
You could contribute to your credit points by undertaking language studies if these are
offered by the partner institution. Some institutions offer pre-semester language courses
(max. 2 ECTS-cp).
Recommendations – new possibilities
Some of our partner schools are organised according to an annual timetable with trimesters
(with less than 30 ECTS-cp) rather than a semester schedule. This means that finding a
comparable range of studies for sufficient credit points may take some careful planning e.g.
by organizing an additional topical or local project, documentation, or essay with us or your
host tutors.
Do not automatically attempt to do exactly the same studies that you would have done at the
HfG. Compare the curriculum offered by the partner institution with your previous experience
and outlook and try to use it as an extension of the HfG curriculum to increase your flexibility
and skills.
Take the opportunity to study new subjects. You could also choose introductory subjects from
the lower semesters. This will provide cultural insights into new design approaches which will
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not be so obvious if you only do 6 semester design projects.
Prof. Ulrich Schendzielorz, Claire Garnier
November 2013