International - Erasmus students from abroad

A warm welcome to all international newcomers! We are happy that you have decided to explore our University for one or more semesters and hope you will enjoy your stay!

We expect you have already completed and submitted the forms you need for
• application for enrollment at Universität Hamburg
• application for accommodation in a student dormitory
• Study Agreement

We cannot guarantee that you will be allocated a place in a dorm. If you cannot, we will try our best to help you find a feasible alternative. The following pages aim to answer FAQs about preparing to study in Hamburg. Please do not hesitate to contact us at any time during your stay if you have further questions or need assistance.

ECTS calculation chart for the Faculty of Humanities (PDF) (for incoming students only, October 2024)

Since summer term 2025, Dr. Schlegel is our Erasmus coordinator at the IAA. Should you have organizational queries, please contact   Ms Rabiul at the Erasmus office of the department SLM.

Dr. Johannes Schlegel
E-Mail: johannes.schlegel"AT"uni-hamburg.de

 
Please find all relevant information and forms for application on the pages of the Department of International Affairs.

Erasmus office

Julia Rabiul
Office: Philturm, C8003 (8. OG)
E-mail: erasmus.geisteswiss"AT"uni-hamburg.de

Welcome to the Institute of English and American Studies (IAA) at the University of Hamburg: we hope you have a rewarding time with us. Please read the following information before you begin your studies in our department.

CEFR Language Level Requirements
The language proficiency required at entry level at IAA is B2 (upper intermediate). The aim of the language programme is for students to reach C1 (advanced) by the end of their second year, and C2 (proficient) by the time they complete their third year of English language courses. Please be advised that a language proficiency level below B2 will not enable you to successfully participate in our programme and meet the requirements for obtaining ECTS points. If you are unsure of your own abilities in English, we suggest that you take a language test before coming to us. If that is not possible, try to assess your own abilities. Generally speaking, you should be able to read most academic texts with ease, and be able to respond fluently in speech and writing. We are happy to help, but it is important to remember that language learning takes time, and that it is always better to have realistic expectations if you wish to make a success of your studies.

Access to Entry-level and M.A. Courses
As an ERASMUS student you are expected to have completed at least one year of studies at your home university. You are therefore not eligible to take part in any of the seminars and courses designed for our entry-level students (i.e. Seminars Ia, IELS-courses, oral performance courses). Similarly, if you are a B.A. student, you are not eligible for the courses we offer in the M.A. programmes. This means that the Seminars III and Seminars IV as well as the English for Academic and Professional Purposes, Practical Skills for English Teachers, and Composition for Linguistics courses are not open to you unless you come to us as an M.A. student.

Language Courses in the Sprachpraxis Programme at IAA
The language courses at IAA are specifically designed to complement the studies in literature, culture, and linguistics with a strong focus on vocabulary expansion in these disciplines. There are also some courses in the vocational teaching degree programme. Please be advised that we do not offer any general English courses. The university has a central language facility, the Sprachenzentrum on the main university campus (Von-Melle-Park 5). For further information go to: www.uni-hamburg.de/sz

Subject to availability, the following language courses are open to you at IAA:

Module II: Text and Response;
Text Production Module III: Advanced Integrated Skills;
Advanced Style Business/Vocational English A and B

Please be advised that there is an early assessment procedure at the beginning of the semester. If it is clear to the instructor that your English abilities are below the requirements for the course, you may not be able to participate further. In this case, you may have to adjust your schedule and learning agreement. This is in your best interest; the instructor will know whether there is a realistic chance of your being able to obtain the course credit (ECTS points) you need by the end of the semester.


ECTS Credit Points
All seminars, lectures and language courses carry a fixed number of ECTS points. Please check that your choice of course, seminar or lecture can provide the number of credit points you require on the ECTS chart of the Faculty of Humanities in this section. If you need additional credit points, please speak to the lecturer or instructor at the beginning of the semester, but be advised that these additional credit points must be earned by performing additional tasks, and that this may not always be possible. Some lectures and language courses in our programme are not graded. If you require a grade for a chosen lecture or course at the end of the semester, you must discuss this with the professor or instructor as soon as possible at the beginning of the semester. While we aim to make your studies with us as rewarding as possible, we may not always be able to meet your individual needs. It is therefore very important that you speak to the lecturer or instructor as soon as possible, and you may have to adjust your schedule and learning agreement as a result.


Your Learning Agreement
After checking your language level and the ECTS points available for each course, you are now ready to draw up a schedule and discuss your learning agreement with your professor at your home university. Please remember that any agreement is by definition mutual. Your learning agreement will have to be discussed – and possibly amended – with the professor in charge of the ERASMUS programme. This important second step ensures that you can begin our studies with a realistic learning agreement and schedule that is designed to make your studies with us a success.

Registration for Courses
Before the start to the teaching period (semester), you should contact the professor or instructor of your chosen course by email. He or she may wish to interview you during the first session before granting you a place on the course. The professor or instructor who has accepted you in his or her course will add you to the list of participants during the first session. Before or immediately after the first session of your chosen course, please contact the 'Lehrveranstaltungsmanagement' to arrange your registration: Frauke Dünnhaupt(duennhaupt"AT"uni-hamburg.de) or Nicole Zajac(nicole.zajac"AT"uni-hamburg.de). You will be issued with your immatriculation number and given access to the e-learning and materials platform AGORA, but there is no necessity for you to be registered on the university's central STiNE system. If you require further information, please get in touch with Ingrid Pries at the central admin office, Geschäftszimmer (office 07069), by email: IAA(iaa"AT"uni-hamburg.de) or by phone: +49 (0) 40 42838-2567 / -5881.

We look forward to meeting you and hope you have a successful and happy time at the Institut für Anglistik und Amerikanistik in Hamburg.

General information on the City of Hamburg.

Course catalog of the Institute of English and American Studies can be found here.

Hamburg Public Transport Association (Hamburger Verkehrsverbund, HVV):

• www.hvv.de
• www.hvv.de/en

ECTS credit calculation chart (PDF)

Check out the pages of Department of International Affairs and PIASTA (Intercultural Living and Learning at Universität Hamburg)

ERASMUS contacts at the University’s faculties.

Check out our suggestions for free-time activities!

Things to do in your free time

Hamburg’s cultural scene has a lot to offer. Many cinemas, theaters, the opera, museums, etc. provide student discounts. Hamburg’s pubs and clubs are also worth a visit. In addition, check out our suggestions below:

• Want to be an actor? Join the University Players at the Institute of English and American Studies! Auditions always take place in the first semester week at the Audimax. Also, we always need stagehands willing to take care of props, costumes, PR, and all the other jobs that promise backstage glamour, but no pay. Visit the University Players in their office on Von-Melle-Park 6, 10. floor, B10024 and check out the University Players Homepage.
• Would you like to ski, sail, swim, do judo, dance, fence, row, or play table tennis? Buy a SportsCard from University Sports (Hochschulsport Hamburg) and get moving! You can choose from more than 80 activities in 200 courses.
• The program Kunst Meets Kommilitonen (kmk) organized by the youth branch of the sponsors’ association Freunde der Kunsthalle (friends of the art museum) of the Hamburger Kunsthalle offers guided tours by art students for students.
• If you want to send news to the world, you may wish to participate in UniTV, a broadcasting project initiated and run by students. Once a month, UniTV broadcasts a news hour. UniTV meets regularly in the WiWi building.
• Once a week, Uni Film shows films for students at the Audimax. Great movies at the best rates. Uni Film - Audimax, Von-Melle-Park 4.
• If music is your calling, come and join University Music! The University Choir and Orchestra have weekly rehearsals and offer concerts each semester. The orchestra’s weekend workshops in Sprötze, Lower Saxony, are legendary.
• Do you get a thrill from being on stage without knowing what will happen next? Then check out one of Hamburg’s improv theater groups. They will teach you how to conjure up a play instantaneously with only a few cues from the audience. Check out Steife Brise or a list of many other improv theater groups in Hamburg.
• Do you speak computer code? If you want to become fluent in computer lingo, come and join a computer course at the Regional Computing Center - Regionales Rechenzentrum, RRZ, Schlüterstraße 70.

Have you discovered fun activities that would be worth adding to this list? Please let me know! Contact Johanna Heinemeier.

Collected by: Johanna Heinemeier
Updated regularly