German Universities of Applied Sciences (UAS7) Study and Internship Program (SIP)
Put Germany on your resume! Spend a semester at a leading German University of Applied Sciences (UAS), then intern in a company, research laboratory or institute (on or off campus), or nonprofit. Study, work, practice German, and live in one of the world's most livable cities! If you are a STEAM (Science Technology Engineering Art and Math) student, then make a full academic year in a German city your best decision yet! Whether you choose Bremen, Cologne, Hamburg, Munich, Münster, or Osnabrück, you will find a vibrant student life and welcoming urban community. Spend the fall semester taking courses and the spring semester interning full-time. German Universities of Applied Sciences 7 offer hundreds of English-language courses, taught by highly experienced faculty who are integral to German scientific and business innovation. Gain a deeper understanding of your discipline from rigorous and engaging, applied learning coursework, and get started on your own path to an international career in your field.
Check out this Recorded Information Session for a summary of the UAS7 program!
Application Deadline
Program Start
Program End
Program Details
Academic Program
UAS7 is a strategic alliance of seven leading German Universities of Applied Sciences committed to excellence in teaching and research. UAS7 offers a broad variety of 600+ degree programs at the undergraduate and graduate levels. UAS7 is a world leader in Computer Science/Information Technology, all forms of Design and Engineering, International Business, and various Life and Social Sciences, with unparalleled connections to German as well as global industries and innovations. UAS7 stands for well-established and future-oriented degree programs ‘made in Germany,’ professionally relevant programs and application-oriented courses, international perspectives from a distinctly European and German vantage point, small and effective learning communities, and close relationships to German industry.
Choose from semester-long Study Program (SP, spring) and Internship Program (IP, spring and summer), and the academic year Study-Internship Program (SIP) at 6 Hochschule (city-universities) in Bremen, Cologne, Hamburg, Munich, Münster, and Osnabrück.
Note: This webpage features the SIP. There are separate webpages for the IP and the SP. Apply for only one.
Since 2006, the Study and Internship Program (SIP) has enabled highly qualified undergraduates from U.S. and Canadian colleges and universities to experience the German approach to hands-on education at a member of UAS7, a consortium of Germany’s top universities of applied sciences. SIP students spend a semester studying at a UAS7 campus and a semester interning in a company, research laboratory, or non-profit agency.
In your UAS7 application, you will identify your top 3 choices for university, based on your best academic fit. The host university will make the final decision, based on your qualifications. If accepted, you are likely to be placed at your first preference, but you may be offered a spot at your second choice.
During the fall semester of your SIP, while you are taking courses, your host UAS university will work with you to arrange the details of your spring full-time internship placement, whether at a university laboratory or research facility (you will receive a placement upon acceptance), or a local corporation (you will be aided in the search process). Although most SIP students will apply for internships after arriving in Germany, you can request placement in a UAS7 research laboratory/institute internship in your UAS7 application. Successful applicants who do not select this option or who are not selected for a UAS7 research internship can still apply for internships during their fall study semester.
Internships with corporations typically last 5 to 6 months, but UAS7 research internships may run from 2 to 6 months.
Review the UAS7 SIP webpage for more information regarding this unique combined opportunity.
Course Descriptions and Syllabi
You may also choose to enroll in an intensive German language course before the beginning of the study term and/or a during the study semester.
General Education Information for UAlbany Students
Credits earned on this program will automatically satisfy the International Perspectives requirement. Three credits of foreign language study will satisfy the Foreign Language requirement. No additional approval is required for you to earn these general elective credits.
Major/Minor Information for UAlbany Students
Courses may also satisfy major and minor requirements, upon approval by the department.
Transcript
All courses taken abroad count towards UAlbany General Elective credits. Credits and grades will appear on your UAlbany transcript. You may file a request to have additional courses approved for equivalency as necessary.
Your Instructors
UAS7’s 92,000 students, 2,500 full-time faculty members, as well as several thousand part-time lecturers from local industry, study, teach, and research in Berlin, Bremen, Cologne, Hamburg, Munich, Münster, and Osnabrück. German and international faculty also supervise research and internships for both degree and exchange students. UAS7 faculty all bring extensive experience in their respective fields, and their research as faculty members often sustains private and public sector connections. Altogether, UAS7 members maintain cooperative relationships with over 1,000 companies, from multinational firms like Airbus to ‘hidden champions’ who are often global leaders in their market niches.
Housing
You will be prompted to apply for housing once accepted by UAS7. Accommodation in university dorms is provided on a first-come, first-served basis and is not guaranteed. You may choose to share an apartment with other students or to stay with a host family. Most international offices maintain an online inventory of student apartments and host families. A variety of neighborhoods are quite livable and convenient due to high-speed trains, buses, and bike-friendly streets. Your semester ticket fee entitles you to a student card and free access to city and even some regional transportation.
Meals
You can dine in university cafeterias and nearby cafes, restaurants, and brahaus (taverns). You can purchase food at local stores and cook in your shared apartment, if you choose that option. In home stays, host family members usually serve meals as part of your room and board.
Estimate of Costs
Germany UAS7 All Locations EXCHANGE 2019-20
More Information
Click for more information on Program Costs and Financial Aid.
Remember to speak with the Office of Financial Aid at your home campus to determine how your aid package could apply towards your program abroad.
Academic Requirements
This is a rigorous study and internship/research abroad program. You should be a sophomore or above and have a strong academic record in order to apply. A GPA of 3.0 or above is preferred.
There is no language requirement but prior experience with German is a plus. If you are proposing to take coursework in German, then you will need to demonstrate adequate proficiency during the application process.
Learn more about UAS7 SIP eligibility requirements here.
Experiential Learning
Experiential or applied learning is at the heart of UAS7 education. Through the semester Internship Program (IP) and academic year Study-Internship Program (SIP), you can conduct research in a university laboratory or intern at a corporation that is closely affiliated with UAS7 faculty. In the semester Study Program (SP) and academic year Study-Internship Program (SIP), you can choose a hands-on, problem-based course and work on an interdisciplinary, international research team. In 2018, SUNY students participated in UAS Bremen’s Airbus Café and HAW Hamburg’s MARS Lab.
Student Clubs and Organizations
There are various UAS7 student interest groups that you can join. There are also activities and excursions for visiting international students as well as a We Buddy program, in which degree students welcome exchange students and help them adjust to German academics and student life.
Funding Opportunities
Most financial aid and academic awards will apply to semester programs.
External scholarships, listed on our website, are a good way to partially fund your study abroad experience. In addition, the Center for International Education and Global Strategy offers two scholarship programs for UAlbany students studying abroad on UAlbany or 4-year SUNY programs.
More information on applying to these scholarships is located on the Scholarships web page.
If accepted by UAS7, you will receive a UAS7 Travel Scholarship in the amount of 1,000 Euros. The scholarship will be distributed by the university’s international office, after you arrive in Germany. In reciprocity, you will author an essay on your UAS7 experience at the end of your stay. In Germany, you can open a short-term bank account (for international students) to deposit these and other funds.
Check out the Gilman Scholarship program for options in Germany and around the world.
In Their Own Words
In 2018, SUNY students participating on the Study Program joined UAS Bremen’s Airbus Café and HAW Hamburg’s MARS Lab. Alumni stories from UAlbany students are coming soon.
View video testimonials from SUNY and other U.S. college students who participated on UAS7’s Study, Internship or Study Internship Programs.
About the City
As the economic and innovation leader of Europe, Germany is the perfect location for your study and internship year abroad.
Bremen: Once the medieval maritime trade center of the northwest, now a bicycle haven, this Free Hanseatic City-State was dubbed Germany’s first ‘City of Science’ due its high concentration of tech industries and innovations.
Köln/Cologne: Heralded as Germany’s cultural capital as well as its oldest and most cheerful city, Cologne’s prime location along the picturesque Rhine has made it a natural center for creativity and productivity for centuries.
Hamburg: As Germany’s second largest city, with the second largest port in Europe, and thousands of bridges uniting ancient and new neighborhoods, Hamburg keeps evolving as a magnet for industry, science, arts, and nightlife.
Munich: Best known for Oktoberfest and BMW, Bavaria’s capital city is also home to world-class cuisine, museums, parks, architecture, and universities. Munich repetitively places in the top 10 cities in the world for quality of life.
Münster: The capital of Westphalia is celebrated as a cultural, green, bicycle friendly, and lively ‘student city,’ with ‘cosmopolitan internationality’ and ancient Germanic history equally apparent in nearly every neighborhood.
Osnabrück: The Saxons’ ‘City of Peace’ stands apart as a pioneer in innovation, production, and urban planning, open to new ideas and newcomers, while preserving its medieval architecture and distinctly German identity.
Travel Documents
A valid passport is required to participate in this program. If you are a U.S. citizen, you do not a visa in order to enter Germany. Soon after arriving in Germany, you must register your address at the local Rathaus (City Hall) in order to receive your Residence Permit. The Resident Permit entitles you to stay in Germany for a specified time period, whether for study, research, or internship, and to travel throughout the European Union (according to each E.U. member-nation’s rules). If you are not a U.S. citizen, you may need to apply for a visa once accepted into the program, as well as obtain a Residence Permit once in Germany. More information regarding visa and resident permit eligibility and application processes is available upon acceptance to the program.
Application Availability
Applications become available online one semester before the program start date, based on the following timeline:
- Spring/Winter/Spring Break programs: July
- Fall/Year/Summer programs: December
Program Dates
Academic Year 2019-2020
09/01/2019 to 08/15/2020
About the Program
German Universities of Applied Sciences 7 is a consortium of independent collaborative universities, each a global leader in Design, International Business, and STEM. German UAS7 excels at experiential education and innovative research partnerships with German and multinational industries. The SUNY-UAS7 Exchange allows SUNY students to study or research/intern for a semester or a year at one of seven German city-universities, which offer rigorous courses and a vibrant student life. Take advantage of the UAS7 Travel Scholarship to come to Germany for this opportunity of a lifetime.
Check out this Recorded Information Session for a summary of the UAS7 program!
Program Orientations
Upon acceptance to the program, you will be required to attend a mandatory pre-departure orientation. During this time, you will have the opportunity to meet other program participants, discuss in-depth the details of your program, and prepare of the overall education abroad experience. The fall semester pre-departure orientation will be conducted the week before the end of Spring UAlbany classes and in late November/early December for the spring term abroad.
Upon arrival at your host UAS, you will attend a mandatory program orientation. This is an important and informative set of sessions organized by International Office of your host university.
Support Services
UAlbany’s Office of Education Abroad staff assists you during the application process, in your preparation to travel abroad, and on-site if necessary. The UAS International Office staff serve as an experienced resource for resolving issues that you may encounter in while abroad.