German Language & European Studies

For each 6-week session, you are required to take 16 ECTS. All Semi-Intensive German language courses (Track A) are worth 8 ECTS credits / 97 contact hours, and all subject courses (Track B) are worth 6 ECTS credits / 64 contact hours.

Our U.S. credit recommendations are based off of the course contact hours; however, transfer credits earned will be decided entirely by your home university. It is important to be in touch with your university about course approvals and transfer credit pre-departure. Our enrollment polisy requires that you maintain full-time enrollment status, as determined by your home university.

The transcript from Freie Universität Berlin will reflect ECTS credits and contact hours. Please be in touch with your home university regarding credit transfer for this program.

The contact hour at Freie Universität Berlin is 60 minutes. The cover letter that will accompany your transcript upon completion of your program will reflect the adjusted U.S. 50-minute contact hour. Please discuss credit transfer with your home university prior to departure.

Per 6-week program, you'll choose between the following options:

• Language & Cultural:

  • Enroll in one German language course and one culture course (16 ECTS)

  • Enroll in two courses and choose from a combination of German language and culture courses (16 ECTS)

• Intensive Language: Enroll in a single intensive German language course (12 ECTS)

Courses and course hours of instruction are subject to change. Eligibility for courses may be subject to a placement exam and/or prerequisites. If you require sample syllabi, reach out using the Contact Us button.

We offer course level recommendations for the courses listed below. Please note that the course level recommendations are based on the Freie Universität Berlin’s (FUB) course structure system. According to FUB’s administration, all subject courses are designed as upper division level undergraduate courses. For all language courses, we consider courses from Beginning to High Intermediate as lower division, and Advanced to High Advanced as upper division. These recommendations are intended to facilitate the determination of course equivalencies by advisors and credential evaluators at participants' U.S. home institutions.

Enrollment in German language courses is determined by the results of a language placement exam administered online pre-program by Freie Universität Berlin. Please note that your performance on the placement exam may not reflect the number of semesters of language instruction you’ve already completed at your home university. If you are trying to place into any level of language beyond true beginning, it is recommended that you prepare for the language placement exam by reviewing previous coursework.