Whats Duh Difference?

ACADEMIC DIFFERENCES:

Workload, Culture, and Expectations: Independent, self-directed study is heavily emphasized at German universities. There are usually no definite assignments of a certain number of pages to read in textbooks. German students are expected to do independent primary and secondary reading during the course of their studies. Independent study is a crucial element of the academic freedom of a German institution and is designed to encourage self-motivation and promote interesting discussion, since not everyone has read the same material. While less demanding on a daily basis than study at a U.S. institution, independent study may ultimately be more rigorous in its demands.  To be a full-time student, students are expected to participate in 2 to 4 seminars a semester.  The relationships between faculty and students are very professional and similar to the relationships seen in the United States at  large universities.

Credits: 

Credit is usually granted at U.S. institutions on the basis of hours that the course met each week. Classes usually meet once a week.
European Credit Transfers: In a semester about 30 ECTS-Credits are completed which is equivalent to about 600-900 study hours.

German Credit Transfers:there is no centralized recording of grades and transcripts are not automatically produced at the end of each semester. Have to:

1. collect "Scheine" for your coursework from professors

The Schein will contain the following information: your name, course title, your professor's name, year and semester, number of hours per week, how you earned the Schein (e.g., by term paper, final exam, etc.), and your grade (may be on a pass/fail basis, or on a German scale, where 1-4 is considered passing)

2. secure an ISEP transcript.

Grades: Assessment is based on oral and written reports in seminars for which the student receives a Schein, or certificate (a grade can be requested). A certain number of Scheine are required in order to take the intermediate exam. The state exam, for which the student receives a grade, assesses the quality of his or her entire course of study. Grades are given on a five-point scale: 1, very good, to 5, unsatisfactory or failing.

Support:  The Zentrum für Studieninformation und Beratung (ZIB), academic advisors, and student advisors