Intercultural competencies: Workshop prepares for foreign semesters

Intercultural competencies: Workshop prepares for foreign semesters

On June 4, 2025, a workshop took place at the Brandenburg University of Technology (BTU), which was to prepare students for their upcoming exchange abroad. More than 50 students took part in the event, which was aimed specifically at participants of exchange programs such as Erasmus+ and Studexa. The aim of the workshop was to convey intercultural competence to the students, which is essential for a successful study abroad. The workshop dealt with topics such as intercultural communication, cultural sensitivity as well as differences in the academic context and at the same time offered strategies for coping with a cultural shock.

The participants had the opportunity to exchange their expectations, fears and previous experiences in group discussions. They were supported by former BTU students who had studied at international institutions, including at the Teknologi Bandung Institut in Indonesia and at the Université de la Réunion in France. These companions addressed, among other things, the influence of cultural characteristics on personal assumptions about other people and prepared the students for the different "rules of the game" that can rule in other cultures.

advantages of study abroad

Studying abroad brings numerous advantages that go far beyond the purely academic. In addition to the promotion of intercultural skills, such experiences also enable new teaching and research approaches, the expansion of language skills and the establishment of international networks. These skills not only have a positive impact on the personal development of the students, but also on their professional opportunities. In addition, they strengthen civil society and the country's innovative strength, as the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) emphasized.

The BMBF promotes international exchange through various programs, including scholarships from the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), supporting study and research stays abroad as well as special programs such as haw.international . These programs offer students the opportunity to attend universities abroad not only during their bachelor's degree, but also in Master.

exchange programs and support

For students who are interested in an exchange, the BTU also offers free places for the summer semester 2026. At the University of Munich, as part of the Institute for Intercultural Communication, students can also apply for all exchange programs in the faculty, with important application dates such as January 31.

In addition, there are numerous ways to be financially supported, for example by the DAAD scholarship database, which provides an overview of various funding opportunities. This support applies not only to students from universities of applied sciences, but also to prospective teachers and postdoctoral students who want to gain international research experience.