Thank you for your interest in a stay abroad during your psychology studies at the University of Siegen! The Department of Psychology would like to support you as much as possible in gaining international experience.

As part of your psychology studies at the University of Siegen, you have many different opportunities to gain experience abroad. These include:

• A semester at a partner university in Europe with Erasmus+
• A semester at a partner university outside Europe with Promos
• Completing an internship within Europe
• One semester at any university as a freemover
• Bachelor's thesis at a foreign university

Stays abroad are not limited to other European countries, but can take place anywhere in the world. In principle, stays abroad are not limited to certain formats; a variety of options and possibilities are conceivable. As a rule, if you want to gain experience abroad as part of your studies and are willing to invest time and energy, a stay abroad will be possible.

General information

When should I go abroad?

A mobility semester is included in the curriculum in the 5th semester. This means that there is a structured plan for planning a stay abroad in the 5th semester and how you can adapt your course of study to stay within the standard period of study. However, you can deviate from this suggestion as well as from the 5th semester - in this case, it is particularly useful to seek advice from the study coordinator at an early stage.

Of course, you can also extend your studies and, for example, go abroad in the 7th semester and write your thesis there.

When should I start organizing my stay abroad?

Basically, the earlier the better! However, this does not mean that you cannot organize a stay abroad at short notice.

Opportunities for stays abroad

Erasmus+

Erasmus+ gives you the opportunity to study at a partner university in Europe and benefit from Erasmus funding. There is currently an Erasmus+ cooperation agreement with the following partners:

• University of Klagenfurt, Austria
• Université de Picardie Jules Verne in Amiens, France

There is also the possibility with the Erasmus coordinator Prof. Kai Horstmann
to initiate a cooperation with another European university and spend the semester there.
The key to participating in Erasmus+ is a learning agreement in which courses amounting to 15 ECTS are already defined before your stay, which you take at the partner university and which will be recognized after your return.
Contact the study coordinationoffice early (ideally in the 2nd semester)
to prepare for your stay, adjust your course of study accordingly and prepare the details of the Learning Agreement in good time.
Please note the application deadline for Erasmus+. You can find all information about the application here. The International Student Affairs
of the University of Siegen provides further information and links to the relevant application portals.

Promos

Promos gives you the opportunity to study at a partner university outside Europe and benefit from Promos financial support. There are currently cooperations for the subject Psychology in the following countries:

• America
• Japan
• Mexico

It is also possible to initiate a cooperation with the Erasmus coordinator Prof. Kai Horstmann
to initiate a cooperation with another university and spend the semester there.
The key to participating in Promos is a learning agreement in which courses amounting to 15 ECTS are already defined before your stay, which you will take at the partner university and which will be recognized after your return.
Contact the study coordinatorearly (ideally in the 2nd semester)
to prepare for your stay, adjust your course of study accordingly and prepare the details of the Learning Agreement in good time.
Please note the application period for Promos. All information about the application can be found here. The International Student Affairs
of the University of Siegen provides further information and refers to the relevant portals for application.

Internship abroad

You have the opportunity to complete both your orientation internship and your professional internship in another European country. For the certification of a BQT-I internship, you will find here
a corresponding English form. The criteria within the certificate also represent the requirements for recognition. Discuss your planned internship abroad with the internship coordinator(Dr. Kristian Kleinke) as early as possible, but in any case before starting the internship.
In any case, suitable proof must be provided that the psychotherapists working in the institution have completed at least 3 years of further training in psychotherapy that meet the criteria of the EuroPsy Specialist Certificate in Psychotherapy and are authorized to practice psychotherapy in their country. Suitable evidence for an equivalence check (e.g. copy of the EuroPsy Specialist Certificate in Psychotherapy from a supervisor) must be enclosed with the internship documents.
Please note that the recognition of internships abroad is not regulated uniformly throughout Germany; this is particularly relevant if you are aiming for a clinical Master's degree.

An official statement and FAQ from the Düsseldorf district government can be found here.

Freemover

If you would like to spend a semester abroad without the obligations and associated funding from Erasmus+ or Promos, you have the option of organizing your semester abroad independently. Registration is not handled by International Student Affairs at the University of Siegen, but you can still find specific information for your preparation and planning on the Freemover subpage.
Before your semester abroad, please contact the study coordination office to discuss your course of study and to clarify whether you can have courses abroad credited towards your degree.

Bachelor's thesis

You can also write your Bachelor's thesis at a foreign university. This requires good advice and consultation with a supervisor at the University of Siegen. Ideally, you will find a supervisor at the University of Siegen who will supervise your thesis abroad. It is also possible that you will be involved in an international project with lecturers from the University of Siegen. If you are interested in this, please also contact the study coordination office or the Erasmus representative.

Planning your stay abroad

If you only know that you want to go abroad, but do not yet know how exactly you should plan it, first answer the following questions for yourself:

• What do you hope to gain from a stay abroad?
• When do you want to go abroad? (in which year and which semester?)
• What do you want to learn when you go abroad?
• Are you willing or able to study for longer?
• What financial support do you already have available? (i.e. how much money do you have available per month when you are abroad? This will then determine which regions and what further support you will need).
• What language do you want to speak?
• In which region of the world/Europe should your stay ideally take place? List at least three preferences; assume that everything is possible.

Then contact the Erasmus coordinator or the study coordinator.

What our students say

"My semester abroad in Klagenfurt was very enriching, as I was able to learn a lot of new things, got to know many people from different countries and felt very comfortable. Above all, the proximity to the lake and the mountains, my daily bike rides through the city and to the university made the time unforgettable for me."

Further questions

The contact person in Psychology, especially for technical questions and discussion of the course of study, is the study coordination office. To initiate cooperation with other universities abroad, please contact the Erasmus coordinator for Psychology Prof. Kai Horstmann
at
If you have specific questions about Erasmus+, please use the Erasmus+ consultation hour: isa-erasmus@zv.uni-siegen.de