BaCaTeC-Summer School 2008
Hochschulentwicklung
University of Applied Sciences – Munich
Lothstr. 34
80335 München
Phone: +49-89-1265-1461
Fax: +49-89-1265-1179
Mechanical Eng. Dept.
California Polytechnic State University (Calpoly)
San Luis Obispo
CA 93407-0358
Phone: +1-805-756-1115
Fax: +1-805-756-1137
Organisation
Hochschule München
Bereich Prüfung und Praktikum
Nadin Klomke – Summer Schools and SIP
Lothstr. 34
D-80335 München
Phone: +49-89-1265 1465
Fax: +49-89-1265 1111
University of Applied Sciences – München (Hochschule München) and California Polytechnic State University (CalPoly), San Luis Obispo, USA will offer a
Munich Summer School of Applied Sciences 2008
July 14 - August 14, 2008, Hochschule München (University of Applied Sciences - Munich)
for Bavarian and Californian junior and senior students of Mechanical Engineering, Automotive Engineering and similar programs.
The following courses will be offered:
- Thermodynamics
- Automotive Mechatronics
- Design of Lightweight Structure – Machine and Structural Design
- German Culture and Intercultural Studies.
Engineering courses will be taught by professors from Munich and San Luis Obispo, California. Language of instruction will be English.
The Summer School will run for 5 weeks. During the first week, our Californian students will attend an intensive German language course. Following, there will be 16 days with 5 to 6 hours of lecture and laboratory. At the last day, the final examination will take place.
48 student-professor contact hours will be covered for all engineering courses including laboratory experiments and demonstrations at University of Applied Sciences - München. Thus, it is equivalent to 3 US-credits or 4 ECTS-credits. For the German Culture and Intercultural studies course including the German language class, 62 contact hours will be covered which is equivalent to 4 US-credits or 6 ECTS-credits whereas for the German language class solely, 38 contact hours will be covered which is equivalent to 2,5 US-credits or 4 ECTS-credits.
One day per week is reserved for a field trip to a German car company (BMW or Audi) or for a cultural activity. Students will stay in student hostels.
More information and application form
Final report
The BaCaTeC – Munich Summer School of Applied Sciences 2008 took place from 14 July to 14 August 2008 at the University of Applied Sciences – München (UASM). It was a five-week programme for engineering students. The summer school has been supported by the Bavaria California Technology Center (BaCaTeC) which promotes the cooperation between universities and research institutes of Bavaria and California.
The summer school was opened by a one-week intensive German language course. In the following four weeks, the modules “Thermodynamics”, “Automotive Mechatronics”, “Design of Lightweight Structures” and “German Culture and Intercultural Studies” were offered. The engineering modules were taught in English by lecturers from the UASM and the partner university California Polytechnic State University (USA) in a tandem or in a trio. After the successful completion of the exams on the last day of lectures, 4 ECTS or 3 US-Credits were assigned for each module to all participating students.
30 students participated in the summer school; among them were 25 students from the United States and 5 students from the University of Applied Sciences - München. The summer school was planned and organised by the UASM in close cooperation with the California Polytechnic State University.
The students became acquainted with the city of Munich and its surrounding area in the supporting programme. It included a plant tour at BMW, a guided tour at the Allianz-Arena, a guided tour through Munich by bike and an excursion to the palace Herrenchiemsee located in the lake Chiemsee. In addition, participants of the module “German Culture and Intercultural Studies” had the opportunity to talk to a survivor of the Third Reich resistance group “White Rose” as well as to visit the Representation of the European Commission in Munich.
The oral and written feedback at the end of the programme was extremely positive. The vast majority of students were very satisfied with the lectures, the cultural programme and the support. The participation in the summer school motivated a lot of them to return to Munich for an internship, a placement or a master’s programme in the future.
The success of the summer school during the last three years encouraged the University of Applied Sciences – München to advance the programme even further. From 2009 on, the summer school will become more interdisciplinary and more international. Technically, the engineering focus will be broadened by economic topics and cross-subjects. To reflect the intercultural experiences in Germany and in the study group, all students will attend an intercultural communication module.