Whether it’s partner universities or international students: for a long time now, German has not been the only language spoken at FHWS. Because the University of Applied Sciences Würzburg-Schweinfurt promotes internationalisation in many ways – and has been doing so for many years.
“Hi. Hallo. Hello. Hola. Ciao. Bonjour," echoes through FHWS from all sides. The corridors of the University of Applied Sciences Würzburg-Schweinfurt have long been home to more than just German-speaking students. And lectures in English have also long been part of FHWS' repertoire. For some time now, the number of international students in particular has been increasing. As of the 2020/21 winter semester, 1,804 international students were enrolled at the University of Applied Sciences Würzburg-Schweinfurt – that's about 20 percent of all students. This figure has increased significantly, particularly with the launch of the TWIN Programmes.
What does TWIN mean?
TWIN Programmes are a unique selling point for FHWS and strengthen collaboration between international and German students throughout the duration of a bachelor's degree programme. In order to acquire robust cultural and linguistic skills, students who start on a German-language bachelor's degree programme have the opportunity to take English-language courses and vice versa. In this way, students who are enrolled in a German-language degree programme at FHWS can take exams in the same degree programme but in English, or vice versa. These parallel degree programmes are called TWIN Programmes. Upon successful completion of their studies, students receive a TWIN certificate in addition to their bachelor's degree certificate.
The development of the TWIN Programmes at FHWS
A look at the figures shows how great the effect of the TWIN Programmes is: "In 2014, before the launch of TWINs, about four percent of our students were international students. Today we have just under 20 percent," says Dr. Daniel Wimmer, Head of the International Office (HSIN). Young people can study in both German and English at FHWS in the following degree programmes:
- Since winter semester 2014/15: Bachelor’s programmes Business and Engineering/Wirtschaftsingenieurwesen and Logistics/Logistik
- International Management/Betriebswirtschaft was added in 2016
- Mechatronics/Mechatronik was added in 2017
- And the Robotics/Robotik degree programme was added in 2020
FHWS partner universities around the world
German students also have the opportunity to go abroad for a semester and have been doing so since the 1980s. The first three partner universities were:
- Bunka Gakuen University in Tokyo (since 1983),
- University of Pécs in Hungary (since 1985), and
- Shih Chien University in Taipei (since 1987).
The collaboration with the University of Pécs was particularly novel at the time. "Before the fall of the Berlin Wall, a completely official cooperation agreement between higher education institutions from a western and an eastern country was very unusual," explains Dr. Wimmer, head of the International Office. Travel for exchange purposes was barely possible at that time – with the exception of Hungary. Because the country had a rather liberal attitude for Eastern Europe at the time, according to Wimmer. Today, FHWS has collaborations with 238 higher education institutions in 61 countries – and the number is constantly growing. In a few years, the University of Applied Sciences Würzburg-Schweinfurt will probably be even more international than it is today.
How do you become a partner institution?
There are various ways in which partnerships between higher education institutions can be established.
- Two professors know each other and want to work together. As a result, the higher education institutions conclude a contract for the exchange of lecturers and students.
- Sometimes the initiative can also come from students. They ask their faculty to enter into a collaboration.
- The third possibility is a collaboration initiated for strategic reasons and which is integrated into FHWS. However, this is a long-term process that requires a lot of patience and persuasion.
Fundamentally, all participants must see added value for themselves and their work. The basis for this is not only a fundamental understanding but also a common interest – in research, teaching, structural development and further education. Because a collaboration must always be supported by people, otherwise it is not viable.
