Berlin Program
Please note: Only students registered in the undergraduate College of the University of Chicago may apply to this consortially-sponsored program through Chicago. Students at one of the other BCGS universities should apply through their home institution. Students at non-BCGS institutions should contact the BCGS office at Columbia University (phone: 212-854-2820; e-mail: berlin@columbia.edu) to inquire about making an application.
The University of Chicago Berlin program provides students in the College with an opportunity to study for an academic year in the exciting capital of a reunited Germany. The program is operated by the Berlin Consortium for German Studies (BCGS), an association of six American universities (comprised of Chicago, Columbia, Cornell, Johns Hopkins, Pennsylvania, and Princeton). It is based at the Freie Universität (FU) Berlin, a pre-eminent German university located in Dahlem, a villa district in southwest Berlin. Program participants also have access to courses at other major Berlin institutions including Humboldt University and the Technical University. Chicago students are expected to participate in the Berlin program for the full academic year. The program begins in late August with a six-week orientation session the chief component of which is a concentrated German review course. The German university calendar, beginning in early October and running to mid-July, is divided into two semesters separated by a break of nearly two months (mid-February to mid-April. Usually BCGS students take three courses in the first semester, four in the second. In the first semester, one of these courses will normally be a BCGS course taught (in German) exclusively to program participants by the BCGS Academic Director (a position filled on an annually rotating basis by the member institutions). A student who is deemed to be in need of further language work may also be asked to take an advanced language course in the first semester. In the second semester, subject to the Academic Director’s approval, students have the option of pursuing an independent study project.
As a participant in this program you will reside, through most of the initial orientation session, with a local family. With the beginning of the regular FU calendar you have the option of staying in a student residence hall or finding alternative accommodation in the city. Most students avail themselves of the latter option, living in an apartment with local students.
You will receive a full year's credit for your work in Berlin. This credit is posted in the form of course titles, units of credit, and grades at the top of your Chicago transcript. (While this posting is a quasi-automatic procedure, you should be aware that final grades from German academics can be slow to arrive.) Since the application of these credits toward specific requirements in a student's degree program is variable, you are expected to consult with your academic adviser and program chairman to determine the exact distribution of credits.
You remain registered full-time in the College and pay regular College tuition plus the study abroad administrative fee required of all participants in Chicago's programs abroad. (For precise figures go to Study Abroad Program Fees.) You pay living expenses, including housing, food, books, travel, and incidentals, “on the ground” in Berlin.
You retain your financial aid eligibility. However, two expenses--the study abroad administrative fee and the round-trip air fare to Berlin--are not underwritten by College Financial Aid. On the other hand, since you cannot be expected to work part-time while in Berlin, the self-help component of your financial aid package does not include a term-time employment factor.
The Chicago Berlin program is designed for University of Chicago undergraduates in good standing. While it is most appropriate for students in their third year, qualified students with compelling reasons for participating in their second year will be given a fair hearing. Because of Germany’s late-ending academic year (mid-July) and the slowness of grade transfer from Berlin, you should think of participating in the program as a fourth-year student only if you are not concerned about a delayed graduation. You must have at least two years of German language in the College (or demonstrate by examination a comparable competence) to participate in this program (obviously language study beyond the second-year level is highly desirable). You must also present an all-around creditable transcript showing that you have addressed yourself conscientiously to general education requirements and have gotten a start in your major subject during your first two years in the College.
Applications are available on the study abroad website. To apply to the Berlin program, a student submits a general study abroad application electronically, then downloads the supplementary application specific to the Berlin program and submits it on paper, normally in mid-winter quarter of the previous academic year. The application process includes a German language examination to be administered in winter quarter and a required conference with Mr. Fortner. Appointments can be made with Mr. Fortner by contacting the Dean of Students in the College at 773-702-8615.
A student accepting an offer of admission is expected to secure his or her place with a $500 non-refundable study abroad administrative fee and a deposit in an amount specified by the BCGS. (To begin the application process, click on the Study Abroad General Application.)
If you would like to discuss the Berlin program
and the possibility of participating in it, please contact Lewis
Fortner (Harper 213; 702-4858; fortner@uchicago.edu).
Statements contained on this site are subject
to change without notice.
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