Students, Study Programmes, Internship Requirements

To achieve Bachelor’s or Master’s degrees students at the University of Bremen choose from a diverse range of subjects and programmes which are taught by the following faculties, which of course also offering Ph.D. programmes:

• Faculty 01: Physics/Electrical Engineering
• Faculty 02: Biology/Chemistry
• Faculty 03: Mathematics/Computer Science
• Faculty 04: Production Engineering – Mechanical Engineering & Process Engineering
• Faculty 05: Geoscience
• Faculty 06: Law
• Faculty 07: Business Studies and Economics
• Faculty 08: Social Sciences
• Faculty 09: Cultural Studies
• Faculty 10: Languages and Literary Studies
• Faculty 11: Human and Health Sciences
• Faculty 12: Pedagogy and Educational Sciences

As mentioned before, practical and professional aspects have always played a significant role in Bremen’s study programmes and students have traditionally been encouraged to integrate practical training phases into their courses of study. In a number of study fields, for instance in technical subjects, social sciences, and in human and health sciences, internships in relevant professional companies or organisations are mandatory elements of the syllabus. Usually, these internships should be arranged after at least one year of studying, or towards the final term. Varying from course to course, the time frame allocated to these practical training periods can range from a few weeks to one academic term with about six months.

In many cases students are free to choose the »right point in time« and are somewhat flexible to adjust to the necessities of potential employers; other course models and study plans prescribe certain time slots for internship activities. For mandatory internships, which are generally supposed to be full-time, there will always be a clearly defined length of the training period, which the students need to observe in order to obtain their school’s recognition of the task accomplished. Voluntary internships, which are as highly recommended and regarded as equally valuable as the prescribed ones, are usually more open to the students’ and the employers’ individual planning. Given the benefits of gaining international practical experience, students may well choose to integrate more than one internship into their studies.

When thinking about the feasibility of hiring an intern from Bremen, the employer’s assessment needs to take into account that students will be well prepared when they arrive at their destinations. Along with the scientific education in their respective study programmes, advisors and counsellors at the University of Bremen do their utmost to train students ahead of time concerning all aspects of their international experience. The Career Center and the university’s International Office, in close cooperation with the dedicated internship advisors at the individual faculties, offer a wide range of both structured and informal options for this purpose. As a result, students are generally well-versed in all questions regarding administrative and legal issues and have also learned about intercultural issues, the importance to adjust, and how to deal with »culture shock«, should it occur.

A good command of the destination country’s language can usually be expected from any intern. We are well aware that in order to be able to function well abroad, students need to be able to understand and speak the country’s language, and the future trainees are informed accordingly. To support this aim, a highly specialised Language Center, serving especially the student community, has been founded in Bremen in 1995 and provides a wide variety of language courses (among them the Arabic language, Chinese, Japanese, Russian, and of course all major European languages). Also, to be able to communicate well in English is a widely acknowledged objective for young, educated people in Germany, and some courses are regularly taught in English in several study programmes. Thus, even in the case of the more rarely spoken and/or »difficult« national languages, communicating in English will generally work. Since students tend to put in extra efforts once they have decided to apply for a practical training position in a foreign country, employers can rest assured that the students’ language skills will be at least sufficient to communicate effectively, both in and outside the workplace.