SPO requirements for study semester abroad

Information session and FAQs 

about study abroad for IBM and IBW 

Please note: 

All prices are subject to change. Please check with your 

regional coordinators for update and detailed info and 

attend the info sessions about regional focus areas. 

ALL INFO IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE EVERY YEAR: 

This is a general overview of the most important things 

to know. Please read this before contacting your dean 

of studies or regional coordinators. 

Prof. Nikola Hale 2012

Applying for tuition-free spaces at USA partner universities 

for studying in Winter semester 2013: 

Please list your priority wish list in your motivation letter. 

Tuition free spaces available ONLY for ws not ss 

California State Universities : 

2 spaces altogether at Sonoma, San Francisco or San Jose or Fullerton campuses 

University of Northern Colorado: 3 spaces 

Applications for partner universities in USA where we have limited spaces must be submitted to Prof. Hale in her 

mailbox on paper by the date announced (November 21 ) 9:00 a.m. and include: 

1. Letter of motivation and mention of the extra-curricular support you have given to the department 

2. Transcript of grades( showing all failures/unbereinigt) and Pre-bachelor grade 

3. Proof of English language proficiency, signed by your English teacher: TOEFL test not required except for 

California and can be submitted later once you have a space 

4. C.V. with a photo 

Selection is made before end of December by the Foreign Study Commission(han/cor) based on academic 

performance, support for the department and diplomatic competence. Students chosen for these spaces 

are expected to promote our exchange program abroad and here. 


International Studies at HFU Business School 

International Studies Coordination: Mme. Wehrle and Frau Fang-Heck, responsible for 

information on all partner universities, bulletin board, web info, International Week 

every SS, etc. 

Regional Coordinators: see lists; responsible for selection of students for study spaces, 

counselling and information sessions 

International Office: in VS, Annette Brodbeck and Petra Balasta, responsible for Info 

sessions and info on scholarships, DAAD stipends, ERASMUS stipends, PROMOS stipends, 

incoming and outgoing databanks, application forms, visa info, etc. 

• HFU Business School partners: for these spaces you must contact the regional 

coordinator. 

• HFU university partners: contact the coordinator first, but then also the International 

Office for further support. 

• Non-partner university, you need to do all administration and correspondence your self 

but ensure that your dean of studies agrees to your study plan. 

• IBM internationals must do either their foreign study semester at HFU or another 

university in Austria, German part of Switzerland or Germany, or decide to do their 

internship in one of these countries 


FAQ‘s about study semester abroad: IBM and IBW 

1. Does the order of internship and study semester matter? 

No, the semesters 5 & 6 are designated the semesters for the internship and study 

semester abroad, however, the sequence is up to you. 

2. Can international IBM students do both semesters outside of Germany? 

No, international full-time IBM students are required to spend one of the two 

semesters abroad, either the study semester or the internship semester, in 

Germany, Austria or German-speaking Switzerland. 

3. Can an international full-time IBM student do his/her study semester “abroad” 

at the HFU? 

Yes, remember: electives chosen for this semester count for the study semester 

abroad and not for the other 18 ECTS required. 

4. Can German students do their study semester in Germany? 

No, they must study abroad outside of Germany; 

the internship must also be outside of Germany.

SPO requirements for study semester abroad 

5. Can I go to a non-partner university? 

Yes, but you will then have to take care of all communication with this university 

and administrative issues yourself and check with your program director that the 

institution you have chosen fulfils the requirements. A community college, junior 

college, summer school or night school connected to a university is not 

acceptable. The study semester abroad must be one continuous semester 

abroad , not just an accumulation of 30 additional ECTS. 

6. How does the Faculty decide which students can go to which partner 

universities? 

The procedure is different for different countries. Contact the Regional 

Coordinators for specific information about partner universities, application 

deadlines, which semesters are possible, etc., go to the evening events on 

studying abroad offered and look at the study semester reports.


7. Who are the Regional Coordinators? 

China: Fang-Heck 

French-speaking world: Wehrle, 

Spanish-speaking world: Lachenmeier 

USA, Turkey, Austria: Hale, 

South Africa: Conzelmann, 

Australia, New Zealand: Lederer, 

Finland, Scotland: Taylor, 

All others within Erasmus: Russia, 

Denmark, Netherlands, Hungary, 

South Korea: International Office 

8. How many credits do I have to take? 

SPO: 30 ECTS. Depending on the university you go to, and depending on the number of credits they 

give per course, this could mean approximately 5-12 courses. 

9. How many courses do I have to take if I go to a university overseas which does not 

use the ECTS (European Credit Transfer System)? 

You must take whatever is defined at that university as the Full-time load for a full-time student 

there. E.g. USA, normally 4 three-American credit courses, i.e., all 4 courses must be graded, one 

of them may be a non-business course.


10. Are all courses during the study semester abroad graded? 

Take all graded; when you return and decide which will count for which module, 

for example, if 5 modules are taken, 4 must be booked as graded, and one may 

booked as pass/fail. 

11. Can I take non-business courses? 

Yes, one of the graded modules can be out of the area of general topics and of 

the 4 of which must be business-related, one of which can be pass/fail. 

See table


1/5 of the full time 

load may be 

general topics 

1/5 of the full time 

load may later be 

booked as pass/fail 

but you must bring 

all courses home 

with grades! 



12. Which forms do I have to submit before departure? 

Students are required to submit their Learning Agreement form, which is available on 

our website, under Downloadables, Organization, to the Dean of Studies, before 

departure .For the registrar’s office, the form declaring your study semester abroad . 

13. What if I want or have to change a course once I get to my foreign university? 

Students must use the Learning Agreements Amendments form and send this to their 

dean of studies. 

14. What if I fail one course taken abroad? 

In this case, you will have to take a replacement course, after a meeting with your dean 

of studies who will authorize which course may count for this, or courses for the same 

number of ECTS as you failed, at the HFU in your 7 th semester to fulfil this requirement. 

15.What if I fail all courses taken abroad? 

Then you will have to fulfill the entire requirements given in the Study Regulations.


16.How do I make sure that I get credit for the courses I took abroad? 

Students are responsible for informing the Registrar’s office at the foreign university of 

the address they should send the OFFICIAL original Transcript to: 

Frau Metzger for IBM Frau Teppert for IBW, 

Prüfungsamt, 

HFU-Furtwangen. 

Jakob-Kienzle Str 17, 

78054 Villingen-Schwenningen, Germany. 

17.When will the grades be converted? 

Prüfungsamt should send a copy to the regional coordinators to convert the grades. At 

the latest at your re-entry seminar in your 7th or 8th semester(depending on when 

you return) you will be instructed as to how to distribute the elective grades. 

18. If I do a double diploma abroad, can I pick which grades I want to count for my 

HFU study semester abroad? 

No, you must designate which semester of the two you spend abroad will count 

towards your HFU graduation requirements and only grades from one semester will 

be counted.


19.How will the grades be converted?, 

The regional coordinators will use standardized conversion tables from the HFU. 

There is no “upgrading” or “downgrading” for especially strict or lax grading 

conventions abroad. It is up to the students to call their foreign universities if it 

takes a long time to get the official transcripts. 

20.Which reports are required of me? 

There are three! 

You are required to hand in two reports in English: 

Study Semester Report in English and the 

Intercultural Logbook Report in English to Prof. Hale by the latest, one week before 

the Re-entry Seminar in the semester you return to the HFU. These may be sent 

earlier by email to Prof. Hale at hale@hs-furtwangen.de. 

ONLY foreign students who study at the HFU for their “study semester abroad” are 

exempt from the Study Semester report. All students, regardless of where you do 

your internship, in Germany or abroad, are required to submit the Intercultural 

Logbook. The questions for both of these are on the website 

Internship Report (English for IBM; German for IBW)goes to your Internship 

Coordinator directly.

Studying 

in Turkey 

ERASMUS partner 

All courses in English 

Top university 

can take Turkish as a Foreign Language 

Contact International Office for more info 

www.istanbul.edu.tr/english 


Applying for tuition-free spaces at USA partner universities 

for studying in Winter semester 2013: 

Applications are accepted in early November for 

tuition-free partner universities in USA, for a study 

semester the following winter semester only: 

summer semester does not fit our calendar. 

. 

Applications for partner univiersities in USA where we have limited spaces must be submitted to Prof. Hale in 

her mailbox on paper by the date announced (November 21 ) 9:00 a.m. and include: 

1. Letter of motivation and mention of the extra-curricular support you have given to the department 

2. Transcript of grades( showing all failures/unbereinigt) and Pre-bachelor grade 

3. Proof of English language proficiency, signed by your English teacher (not for ibm) 

4. C.V. with a photo 

Selection is made before end of December by the Foreign Study Commission(han/cor) based on academic 

performance, support for the department and diplomatic competence. 


Tuition-free limited spaces: for WS 2013 applications to Prof. Hale 

California State Universities : altogether 2 spaces: the two students chosen list 

their priority choices out of these campuses: Sonoma or San Jose or San 

Francisco or Fullerton campuses 

University of Northern Colorado: 2 spaces 

Reduced tuition umlimited spaces: 

UMKC, Kansas City 

applications directly to International Office 

Georgian College, Canada 

SELU, Louisiana 

SIUC, Ilinois 

ERASMUS, no tuition abroad :Istanbul University, check with International Office 

for deadlines

Sonoma 

San Francisco 

San jose 

Fullerton 

UNC 

SIUC 

UMKC 

SELU 


SOUTHERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY CARBONDALE 

IBW Ramona got a reduced tuition 

space through our exchange 

program at SIUC and took courses 

in: 

Advertising Management, 

Consumer Behavior, Sales 

Management, Strategic Promotion 

and Brand Management, and 

Psychology of Employee Relations. 

Ramona also likes to spend her time at the Student 

Recreation Center (kickboxing, step aerobics, tennis), 

the University Mall, and the Student Center (bowling). 

Prof. Nikola Hale 2011 

Ramona Pöhler, RamonaPoehler@aol.com

IBM students at our partner, 

University of Northern Colorado 

www.unco.edu 

Day and Carolin got tuition-free spaces 

through our exchange program at UNC 

and took courses in: 

Business Finance, Managing Complex 

Organizations, 

B2B 

marketing, E-marketing, Investments, 

International HRM and Advertising & 

Promotion 

For fun: Prof. Kastner‘s 

Stammtisch club, hiking in the 

Rocky Mountain National Park, 

snowboarding, BBQ‘s, UNC idol, 

fitness courses and working out 

in the gym 


California Polytechnic University, San Luis 

Obispo, California 

Taking courses in International 

Business Management, Human 

Ressource Management, 

International & Cross Cultural 

Management, International 

Business, and Product 

Development & Launch. 

Numerous leisure activties offered 

by the university 

Nico & Stefanie report that their 

stay is both, educationally valuable 

and above all, lots of fun!! 

Nico, IBM, and Stefanie,IBW 


BBA-Student Chris in Moscow 

Tuition-free Space at our Russian 

Partner University, MIRBIS 

Courses in: 

Business & Self Management 

Marketing Strategy and Planning 

Russian Language 

Investment & Capital Markets in Russia 

International Economics 

Mass Media & Globalization/ PR in Russia 

Spare Time: 

Trips to Minsk & St. Petersburg, Nightlife, 

Fascinating City & People 

Discovering 

IBM Christian Busch now finishing his Ph-D. at London School of Economics 

in International Relations & Policy 


HAWAI'I PACIFIC UNIVERSITY 

1164 Bishop Street 

Honolulu, Hawai’i 96813 

USA 

www.hpu.edu 

CONTACT PERSON: 

Professor Hale 

NUMBER OF STUDENTS: about 9.000 

REGION: 

STUDY FEES: 

Urban campus, multicultural city, near beaches, much Asian presence 

Although HPU is not an official partner 

of our department, they have made a 

reduced tuition price of $ 4000, subject to change. Please 

directly for the price this year. 

special offer of a 

contact them 

BOOKS: about $ 300 - $ 500 

LIVING COSTS: 

LEISURE ACTIVITIES: 

AVAILABLE SPACES: 

TOEFL: 

Living costs in Hawaii are very high: please read study semester reports for 

details. 

National parks, hiking, water sports, fantastic landscape 

Unlimited spaces 

Not required, with a letter attesting to your English proficiency 

Prof. Nikola Hale 2011 

Study semester reports are available

University of Missouri at Kansas City 

Henry W. Bloch School of Business & Public Administration 

115 Bloch School 

5110 Cherry Street 

Kansas City, Missouri 

www.umkc.edu 



NUMBER OF STUDENTS: About 16.000 

REGION: 

STUDY FEES: 

Heartland of the USA, metropolitan area, low-cost friendly environment. UMKC 

has a campus atmosphere, right in the middle of the city; many Fortune 500 

companies are located in Kansas City. 

Through our exchange agreement, UMKC gives a Chancellor’s Special Student 

Award to each student, which creates a reduced tuition – 

check with international office at HFU 

BOOKS: Approximately $ 300 

LEISURE ACTIVITIES: Extensive campus events and sports activities, Kansas City is well-known for its 

jazz and music scene, big city with all cultural offerings. 


TOEFL: 

Unlimited spaces 

Not required 

NOTE: Since this is a partner university of the entire University of Furtwangen, more information is also available 

through the international Office. Applications for UMKC should go to the International Office. 

Study semester reports are available 


Southern Illinois University 

Carbondale, IL 62901-6899 

USA 

www.siu.edu 


NUMBER OF STUDENTS: 

REGION: 


350.000 total; 10.000 - 20.000 / campus 

Surrounded by forests, fields, lakes and bluffs, SIUC is a regional nucleus of 

academic, creative and cultural endeavors. And the region is an outdoor 

paradise for boaters, rock climbers, hikers, nature lovers, and horseback 

riders. Carbondale is 6 hrs. south of Chicago; nearest airport St. 

Louis, Missouri 

STUDY FEES: 

BOOKS: Approximately $ 200 



TOEFL: 

Due to our exchange agreement, students pay a reduced tuition— 

check with Int office 

All kinds of sports on campus, small town activities, a visit to the great 

midwestern city of Chicago should be part of your travel plans, if you attend 

this university. 

WS only Unlimited spaces 

Not required 

Since this is a partner university for the entire University of Furtwangen, applications should be submitted directly 

to the International office. 



Southeastern Louisiana University 

College of Business and Technology 

SLU Box 10735 

Hammond, LA 70402-0735 

USA 

www.selu.edu 



NUMBER OF STUDENTS: About 16.000 

REGION: 

Rural town, 30 miles from the exciting jazz city of New Orleans 

STUDY FEES: 

Tuition: approximately $ 2.000(subject to change)check with Int office 

LIVING COSTS: approximately $ 1,500 

BOOKS: 

students do not have to buy textbooks, these can be rented for approximately 

$ 90 



TOEFL: 

Campus sports and small town activities. Due to proximity to New Orleans, 

students can easily take advantage of the music and nightlife of New Orleans, 

famous for its Mardi Gras celebrations. 

WS only Unlimited spaces 

Not required, with a letter attesting to your English proficiency. 

SELU is our department’s longest-term North American partner university. 

Since this is a partner of the university applications should be submitted directly to the International Office

SPO requirements for study semester abroad

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