LEIBNIZ UNIVERSITAT HANNOVER
This exchange program is sponsored by SDSU’s International Student Center
Contact studyabroad@sdsu.edu at the International Student Center for more information

Locations: Hannover, Germany
Population:  Over 522,000
Language of Instruction: English and German; Refer to the University’s International website
Spring semester or Academic year exchanges
Leibniz Universität Hannover
Profile:  Founded in 1831 by the scholar Karl Karmarsch, the “Higher Trade School of Hannover” started with only 64 students. Today there are more than 23,000 students in the natural sciences and engineering, the humanities and social sciences as well in law and economics.  Leibniz Universität Hannover is one of the largest institutions of higher education in Lower Saxony offering more than 60 degree courses ranging from the fields of natural and engineering sciences, law, business studies and economics, the arts, humanities, to the social sciences and education.

Locale: Hannover is not only the most to central city in Germany, since it lies at the intersection of the most important traffic routes, but also is one of the greenest cities in Europe. It offers its inhabitants and, of course, the students as well, a broad range of cultural facilities, sporting activities, colourful festivals, interesting shopping and, naturally, a lot of green space for leisure.

Divisions: Architecture and Landscape Sciences; Civil Engineering and Geodetic Science, Economics and Management, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Humanities, Law, Mathematics and Physics, Mechanical Engineering, Natural Sciences

Academic notes: Refer to the University’s International website

Language notes: Limited courses offered in English, internships available in English.

Room and board: Housing in student dorms/residences is guaranteed for Exchange students, and help finding off-campus housing or arranging a host family is also available.  Meal plans are not included with housing.

Exchange dates: Winter Semester lecture period begins in early October and concludes in early February.  Summer Semester  lecture period begins in early April and concludes July 7, 2008.

Special conditions: Refer to the University’s International website.

UNIVERSITY OF MUNSTER
This exchange program is sponsored by SDSU'S International Student Center
Contact Robert Carolin at the International Student Center for more information.

Location: Münster
Population: 280 thousand.
Language of instruction: German and English (some selected courses)
Academic year or Summer Semester.

University of Munster Website
Institute for Geoinformatics Website

Profile: The University of Münster is the third largest in Germany. Currently, about 44,000 students are enrolled and every year about 5,000 are graduating. The university's popularity is no doubt due to the wide range of subjects on offer (over 120), the excellence of the research carried out in many departments, and the high quality of life in the city of Münster. Münster University has an international dimension. More than 3,500 foreign students study here, and we have partnership agreements with over 400 academic institutions all over the world. Together with Enschede (Netherlands) and Osnabrück (Germany), Münster forms a university triangle within the area known as "Euregio". The Westphalian metropolis is sometimes described as a cyclist's paradise. There are a great many cycle lanes, and most students have bicycles.

Locale: Due to the fact that the University's buildings are not a closed unit, but scattered all over town, life at the University is intertwined with city life. Of 280,000 inhabitants more than 55,000 are students at either the university or the other institutions of higher education. Since there is no campus to live on, students are living in university dormitories or private flats all over town; in some quarters the proportion of student population is rather high. The principal means of transportation in the city is the bicycle. If someone comes to Münster, the first thing that catches his eye is probably the amount of bicycles parked in every convenient and inconvenient space. The sheer size of the University results in a great variety of student associations, music groups and other offers for your leisure time. The University has her own sports facilities, open to both students and lecturers. Municipal facilities like outdoor and indoor swimming pools as well are open to the general public.

Divisions : The University of Münster consists of about 200 different institutes. These are organized within 14 Colleges. They include 1) Evangelical Theology, 2) Catholic Theology, 3) Law, 4) Business and Economics, 5) Medicine, 6) Education, 7) Psychology and Sports Science, 8) History and Philosophy, 9) Philology and Languages, 10) Mathematics and Computer Science, 11) Physics, 12) Chemistry and Pharmacy, 13) Biology, and 14) Geosciences. The colleges are responsible for study, teaching, and research inside the subjects they represent. Their duties are the organization of lectures and seminars, the regulation of study and exams, and the promotion of research. The colleges are self-governing and fairly independent, managed by a dean who is elected from the staff for four years.

Language Notes: The primary language of instructions is German but some courses are offered in English. The number of courses taught in English varies by institutes and semesters. For example in the Institute for Geoinformatics there are three courses in English offered during the spring semester of 2004: 1) GI(S) Usability, 2) Time in GIS, and 3) Introduction to Research Methods. There is also a possibility to participate in research project teams with English as the working language.

Room and Board: Since the University of Münster is not a campus university, students cannot live on campus. However, the Student Union ('Studentenwerk') has 6,000 flats which it rents to students. Rents are exceptionally low, starting at €110 a month for the most modest type of accommodation. Although only 3,500 of Münster's 45,000 students come from outside Germany, 20% of the places in halls of residence are normally reserved for foreigners, and the quota is as high as 50% in the 99-roomed international hall of residence. However, once the quotas set by the University Administration have been met, all students, regardless of nationality, have equal opportunities. Foreign academics who come to Germany in order to do research work at the University of Münster can stay at the University's guest houses, the Alexander-von-Humboldt-Haus and the Europa-Gästehaus. Each year over 100 foreign scholars come to stay here, often for several months. The flats are in great demand, so it is wise to apply for them as soon as possible. The Catholic Student Community (KSHG) runs a number of houses, where students can rent small rooms for low rents, often ready-furnished. Foreign students are more than welcome to apply for a room. The Protestant Student Community (ESG) also runs an international apartment house Volkening-Wohnheim with 48 rooms for students from all countries and religions. Several of the numerous fraternities and student associations existing in the city of Münster own houses where small, low-priced rooms are offered. You don't have to become a member of the fraternity to qualify for this kind of accommodation. Most of the fraternities and their houses are for men only. If you are searching for an apartment or a room in a flat share, the best address for house-hunting is the online-version of the na dann. This is a small weekly newspaper for Münster consisting mainly of small advertisements and event notes. As well, if you are looking for second-hand furniture or bikes, this is the place to look.

Exchange dates: An SDSU student can study either during the Academic Year which includes both Winter Semester ( October-February ) and Summer Semester ( April-July ), or for just the Summer Semester (April-July) .

Special Conditions: This exchange program is open to all advanced undergraduate and graduate students with study/research interest in Geography in general and Geographic Information Science in particular. The knowledge of German language is not necessary to participate in this exchange. Students planning to go on the exchange are asked to get in touch with Prof. Piotr Jankowski from the Department of Geography at least 4 months before the start of the exchange.

INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY IN GERMANY
Contact studyabroad@sdsu.edu at the International Student Center for more information

Location: Bruchsal, Germany
Population: 42,000
Language of Instruction: English
Summer, Semester and Academic Year Available

University International Office Website
Curricula of the programs offered at IU
Academic calendar
Exchange student pages
IU Campus Guide
 
Profile: The International University in Germany (IU) was established in 1998, and is a private institution dedicated to academic excellence. Programs are offered in the fields of Business Administration, Information Technology and International Communication Management.
IU is a campus university characterized by its multicultural, open-minded environment with staff from 10 countries and a student body of around 200 students representing about 30 countries. Located in Bruchsal, a small town in the southwest of Germany, many scenic areas (Black Forest, Lake Constance, Rhine valley, Neckar valley, Alsace) as well as all major cities within Germany (Munich, Hamburg, Berlin, Dresden) and neighboring countries (Paris, Prague, Vienna, Amsterdam, Florence etc.) are within easy reach by train or airplane.

Unique academic qualities:

Administrative support:

Locale: IU is housed in magnificent historic buildings constructed at the turn of the last century (1902−1905), recently renovated and equipped with modern facilities for university teaching, research, and housing on campus.
It is located in the city of Bruchsal, a small town in southwestern Germany known throughout Europe for its large harvest of asparagus and strawberries. Some of the warmest temperatures in Germany are found in Bruchsal, as temperatures reach around 90 degrees in the summer. The most notable landmark in Bruchsal is an eighteenth century baroque palace. Bruchsal also offers an outdoor theatre, which hosts live music performances.
Bruchsal is within easy travelling distance to airports (Frankfurt am Main, Stuttgart and Baden-Baden) and well-connected by public transport. You can hike, mountain-bike and ski in the nearby Black Forest or enjoy world-class cultural events next door in Karlsruhe, Heidelberg, Mannheim, Baden-Baden, Stuttgart and Strasbourg (France).

Divisions: School of Business Administration; Communications Department; School of Information Technology

Academic Notes: Students may choose courses from different programs as well as language and liberal arts classes (cultural studies, cognitive studies, ethics, politics). IU’s BBA program offers specialization modules in Finance, Marketing, International Management, Entrepreneurship, Operations Management, and E-Business. The course offerings in Operations Management, E-Business as well as some of the IT modules are especially well suited for students majoring in Information & Decision Systems. Other specialization modules are suited for Finance, Marketing, Management and International Business majors.The B.Sc. and M.Sc. programs offer courses suitable for students of computer science, with IU faculty specializing in Computational Intelligence, Networks & Distributed Systems, Databases & Information Systems, and Social Informatics. The BICoM program includes course in Communication Theory, Advertizing, Public Relations, and Media Analysis, and is especially suited for communications students.

Housing: IU collaborates with several landlords to provide on-campus housing in one-, two-, three-, or four-bedroom apartments with shared kitchen and bathroom facilities.

Most bedrooms are completely furnished, and most kitchens are equipped with a kitchen table, chairs, fridge, microwave or oven, pots and pans, silverware and dishes. Bathrooms all have a sink, shower/bathtub, and toilet. Some three-bedroom units have an additional toilet. All four-bedroom units have two bathrooms. IU equips all apartments with telephones. Students are charged EURO 2 per month (plus tax) in addition to their phone bill. All bedrooms have cable TV access and Internet access.

Rent ranges, depending on the apartment, the size and the location of the bedroom (between 12 and 27 m²), and whether or not it has a balcony or terrace. Rents are also subject to occasional changes by the respective landlords.  One- and two-bedroom apartments and the less expensive rooms are few and in much higher demand.

Students are encouraged to apply early as accommodation will be allocated on the basis of the date at which IU receives the housing request sheet, which is sent out after the application for student exchange has been approved. While IU will try to place students according to their preferences, IU cannot guarantee placement.

Meal service on/off campus: The Dining Hall (IU Campus Restaurant) is open from 9:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. from Monday to Friday. It offers breakfast and 4 different lunches per day, a variety of light meals such as soups, salad, pizza, hamburgers, and hotdogs as well as soft drinks and mineral water. The university subsidizes the Dining Hall so that meals can be offered at cost price.

Exchange Dates: Fall trimester:  early September – mid December; Spring trimester: early January – mid April; Summer trimester: late April or early May – late July. Exchange students may come for 1 – 3 trimesters within an academic year.