Archives: FAQ - Page 4 - Study Program Medical Engineering

I am really struggling with my studies right now. What can I do?

The most important thing first: you are not alone! Almost all students are familiar with the experience of reaching a low point in their studies, feeling overwhelmed or not knowing what to do. The good news is that you can do a lot by yourself to feel better and experience success and satisfaction in your studies again. Here are some measures you can take right away:

Self-help material for various psychological problems (recommended by our psychologist!)
Self-help material for managing stress by WHO in various different languages (recommended by our psychologist!)
If you need to talk to a professional in person: make an appointment with our psychological counselors at the Faculty of Engineering or the University Outpatient Clinic for Psychotherapy.
If you have trouble adapting to the German university system and establishing a good routine for studying: Please read our booklet “Mastering your studies”.
If you need to improve your physical wellbeing and get out of you head: join a sports course offered by our University Sports
If you are concerned that you might not pass your conditional subjects within one year or might fail the third (i.e. last) attempt of an exam: Please apply to another English-taught Master’s program for the next semester (so that you have a backup plan) an make an appointment with your study advisor.
If you feel lonely and would like to make friends: join one of our student initiatives or the language exchange events of Studentenwerk. Female students are cordially invited to join the monthly International Women’s Café (Students’ Edition), organized by the Erlangen Women Center. The international student association DEGIS has produced this great video on how to make friends in Germany, which is a good starting point.

…and talk about your struggles with fellow students. They may be feeling just like you and be glad that you bring up the topic. Everything is easier when you share it with others!

Other exchange possibilities

You can also apply for the exchange programs managed by the Faculty of Engineering. Please contact the International Office of the Faculty of Engineering for a first consultation regarding these options.

If you are interested in internships abroad (industrial internship, research internship, practical part of your thesis paper – after consultation with your responsible academic supervisor at FAU) you can also seek financial and administrative support at FAU’s Central International Office, please find more information here: FAU – going abroad

If you want to study at a university that is not a cooperation partner of FAU you can also study abroad as a so-called free mover. Please find further information here.

Other exchange offers suitable for Medical Engineering

Universidad Nacional de San Martín, Argentina (contact: mobility[at]fau.de; Spanish skills required)
Unisinos, Brazil (contact: Claudia Barnickel; Portuguese skills required)
Universidad de Brasília, Brazil (contact: mobility[at]fau.de; Portuguese skills required)
Universidade Federal do Paraná, Brazil (contact: Claudia Barnickel; only for the branches Medical Image and Data Processing or HMDA, Portuguese skills on A2 level required; some lectures available in English)
Peking University, China (contact: Siming Bayer; doctorate, possibly Research Internship)
Riga Technical University, Latvia (contact: mobility[at]fau.de; English skills required)
Universidad de Guadalajara, Mexico (contact: mobility[at]fau.de; Spanish skills required)
Universidad de Antioquia, Colombia (contact: Christine Mohr; most suitable for the branches Medical Image and Data Processing or HMDA, others possible; Spanish skills required)

Medical Engineering students can also participate in the Erasmus+ exchange programs of the departments involved in the study program (Electrical Engineering, Computer Sciences, Mechanical Engineering, Material Sciences and Chemical Engineering and Bioengineering depending on your branch of study). You can find an overview of all cooperating departments and their contacts here.

Please take note that the application deadlines of the other departments can differ from those of Medical Engineering!

Erasmus cooperations for Medical Engineering

The Erasmus cooperations for Medical Engineering are still in progress. At the moment an exchange is possible at the following universities:

Universitatea Transilvania din Brasov, Romania – required language skills: English level B2, additional Romanian skills necessary!
Universidad Politénica de Madrid, Spain – required language skills: English level B2 or Spanish level A2 –
University of Oulu, Finland – only Master’s students; required language skills: English level B2
Université Grenoble-Alpes, France – only Master’s students, exchange only possible in winter semester; required language skills: French B2
Silesian University of Technology, Poland – required language skills: English level B1 for Bachelor’s studies, B2 for Master’s studies
University of Groningen, Netherlands – only Master’s students; required language skills: English level B2
Coimbra Institute of Engineering, Portugal – required language skills: English level B2 and good Portuguese skills (ALL lectures in Portuguese)
Universidade de Lisboa (Técnico Lisboa), Portugal; course content mainly computer science; required language skills: English level B2, Portuguese skills will be helpful
University of Southern Denmark, Denmark – required language skills: English level C1
Technion: Israel Institute of Technology, Israel – required language skills: English level B2 (exchange presumably without scholarship)
Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Isreal – required language skills: English level C1 (exchange presumably without scholarship)
Tel Aviv University, Isreal – required language skills: English level B2 (exchange presumably without scholarship)
Università di Siena, Italy – required language skills: English level B1, Italian skills will be helpful

The application deadline is the 15th of January for the winter semester of the current year and the summer of the following year! If there remain unassigned slots, students can apply for the summer semester of the following year until 1st of September. Exchange slots assigned in the second round do not necessarily come with a scholarship, so the official deadline in January is preferable!

If you do not have a certificate for the required language skills, please contact our Language Center. The earlier you get in touch with them, the higher are your chances to get your language certificate in time.

The Study Service Center for Medical Engineering collects all incoming complete applications until the application deadline. After the deadline, all applications which meet the language and subject specific requirements, participate in an unbiased random selection (lot drawing).

Erasmus +

ERASMUS+ is part of the Lifelong Learning Program of the European Union and offers scholarships for student mobility between the participating universities in Europe and some other, Non-European countries. The Erasmus+ cooperation agreements are supervised at FAU by the program representative of a department or study program. In addition to the exchange place, you will also receive a (partial) scholarship. Attention: The Erasmus scholarship does not cover your complete living expenses abroad! You can find the latest scholarship rates here.

The Erasmus+ cooperation agreements are supervised by different program officers at FAU. The application for an Erasmus exchange is therefore always made for a specific university and should be addressed directly to the respective Erasmus coordinator at FAU. On the one hand, Medical Engineering has its own Erasmus exchange agreements, on the other hand, Medical Engineering students have the possibility to participate in the Erasmus programs of the departments involved in the study program (Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, Mechanical Engineering, Materials Science and Chemical and Bioengineering – depending on the chosen field of study). An overview of all cooperations on department level incl. contact persons can be found here. Please note that application deadlines and place allocation modalities may differ from those of Medical Engineering.

You are free to apply for several exchange destinations and to several Erasmus coordinators at the same time. If you receive more than one exchange offer by our FAU coordinators, please be so fair as to inform them as soon as possible which offer you want to accept and which ones you want to decline. This way, another fellow student will get the chance to go abroad, too. Thank you!

Please note that application documents for the Erasmus partners of the Department of Computer Science should be prepared as indicated on the Computer Science website.

Erasmus+ Program Representative for Medical Engineering

Dipl.-Informatikerin Daniela Novac

Phone: +49 9131 85-27617
daniela.novac@fau.de
Room 01.154-1 (1st floor, office with glass walls in between the two computer rooms)
Martensstr. 3.
91058 Erlangen
Office hours: Thursday, 12:00-14:00 (previous registration via email required)

What do I need to apply for an exchange position?

Depending on the destination university, you apply to different coordinators at FAU, either at program, department, faculty or university level. The respective application requirements may vary from case to case. Therefore, please check the websites of the relevant office to find out exactly which application requirements you have to fulfill and how the application process works.

With regard to language certificates, the following generally applies: high school diplomas or documents stating that your university degree was taught in English cannot be accepted as language certificates for the application for an exchange place. If necessary, please have your language level determined in good time at the FAU Language Center by taking the very inexpensive mobility test if you do not have another official certificate (TOEFL, IELTS, DELE, etc.). However, the Language Center urges you not to take the mobility test shortly before the application deadlines (usually in January).

What else do I have to consider in terms of organization?

If you are a Non-EU citizen please inquire about the visa requirements of the host country before you apply for the exchange at FAU. After successful nomination for the exchange by FAU, please make sure that you apply for your study visa in due time.

It is usually advisable to apply for a semester of academic leave from the student administration for a stay abroad, as your semester abroad will thus not be counted as a semester of study. While being on academic leave, academic credit may be given at FAU (exception: repeat exams!), but credits can be achieved at the university abroad during the semester of leave and can be recognized in the scope of your studies after your return. Please also refer to the information on the accreditation of academic achievements. If you miss part of your exams at FAU due to different semester times abroad, it is possible to make up for them after returning from abroad during the current semester of leave.

Regardless of how you organize your stay abroad, the following always applies: If you would like to have achievements from abroad recognized and accredited for your Medical Engineering studies, your contact is the Student Advisory Service/Recognition Officer for Medical Engineering. It is strongly recommended to conclude a learning agreement for the recognition in medical engineering BEFORE the stay abroad (see ‘Preparation and procedure’).

Where can I study abroad?

In order for you to be able to study at a university abroad, there must usually be a cooperation agreement between a program/department of the home university and the target university. This regulates, among other things, that you are exempt from any tuition fees at the host university. As a student of Medical Engineering, you will have the opportunity for an exchange at the level of study programs, departments (in German!), faculties or universities. Exchange opportunities within the framework of the Erasmus+ program are to be distinguished from the so-called direct exchange (see below for more information).

When and for how long can I study abroad?

You can study abroad for a maximum of 12 months in both the Bachelor’s and Master’s programs. In the Bachelor’s program, a stay abroad is recommended from the 5th semester on, in the Master’s program from the 2nd semester on (if any requirements have already been passed).

How can I get general information about studying abroad?

Here you can get first information: First steps towards spending time abroad. As an introduction, it is also worth visiting the information events of the FAU Central International Office. Here you will find an overview of the events offered in the current semester (in German!).

If you want to take a look at the possible destinations for your study abroad, you can check out the Mobility-Online Portal with an intro on our website. With this tool you can view a map of the world and customize your search according to your preferences.

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