ERASMUS+ for Students at the Department of Computer Science (Outgoing students)

The Department of Computer Science maintains a number of partnerships with universities that participate in the EU programme ERASMUS+. On this page, we have compiled information about studying abroad within the ERASMUS+ programme.

Our ERASMUS coordinator at the Department of Computer Science is Prof. Holz. Clara Wigger assists him in this role. You can contact them at erasinfk@uni-muenster.de.

You are very welcome to arrange an appointment with Prof. Holz. However, we kindly ask you to read through the frequently asked questions below first. Based on our experience, a brief email is then often sufficient to clarify any further details.

Preparing your ERASMUS stay

Your interest in an extended stay in another country is the point of origin. Below, we list the steps that you will usually go through until the start of your stay abroad.

  1. You gather information about ERASMUS and possible hosting universities, for example on the web pages of the FB10 or the the International Office. The student association (Fachschaft) is also a good source of information. Among other things, they offer informational sessions (usually at the start of the winter term).

  2. You do some research to determine, which partnering university is a good fit for you: consider which country you are interested in, where the partnering university is located, what courses are offered in computer science, and at what intervals, what language requirements you may need to meet etc. Note that other faculties may have ERASMUS partnering universities of interest as well - it may be possible to organize your stay via that faculty (see below for more information).

  3. You apply with the listed documents. You may choose up to three possible partnering universities. Please note the deadline: 15 December of each year.

  4. We conduct an internal selection process. We will notify you in January, for which partnering university you habe been selected. To continue, you will need to accept this offer.

  5. The next step is to determine concrete courses you would like to take during your stay abroad. Once you have this list, you need to contact the departmental examination officers and request an assessment for which corresponding courses at the University of Münster you can receive credit points, and how many. The officers are Prof. Vahrenhold for the Bachelor programmes and Prof. Braun for the Master programmes in Computer Science. You will need to fill out forms.

  6. Once you have this assessment, you can submit an Online Learning Agreement (unless the partnering university does not support this). You will be notified by us. The approved Online Learning Agreement certifies that the credits listed therein will be counted towards your degree at the University of Münster.

  7. The subsequent steps differ between the hosting partner universities. You will be notified correspondingly by us and the partnering university.

Details about the processes

  1. Do you recommend a stay abroad during my degree?
    Our opinion is clear: Yes. It is a great opportunity to broaden your horizons. If you can, don't miss out on it.

  2. What is the job of the ERASMUS coordinators?
    The ERASMUS coordinators negotiate new exchange programmes with partner universities, renew existing partnerships, and establish the framework conditions for student exchanges. We also conduct the selection process as part of the application procedure and answer questions about it.

  3. When should I begin preparing for my ERASMUS stay?
    As soon as you can, but at least 12 months before the intended start of your stay.

  4. Can I organize a stay abroad with a university that is not a partner of the Computer Science Department but does partner with another institute or faculty?
    This may be possible. If you wish to pursue this option, you will need to contact the ERASMUS coordinators of the other institute or faculty and ask under which conditions they would nominate you. This process is entirely in their hands - you apply with them, not us, and have to go through their selection process.

  5. I would like to stay at a university that partners with the Department of Computer Science, but I do not study Computer Science myself.
    We accept such applications in principle, as part of our regular application process. We will nominate non-CS students for spots that are still free after our internal selections process, i.e., your application is considered at a lower priority. The partnering university has to approve these nominations. We have no influence over this decision. We didn't have enough such nominations in the past to be able to assess the chances of success. Our recommendation is that it's worth the try.

  6. Application Procedure

    1. When is the application deadline?
      The Department of Computer Science has a central internal deadline for all ERASMUS applications. This deadline is 15 December every year. Applications submitted after this date can only be considered at a lower priority.

    2. Which application documents do I need?
      We have listed the required documents here.
    3. Which universities can I study at?
      Please review the list of partner universities.
    4. Which university should I choose?
      This is a personal decision. Your choice may be influenced by a particular interest in the host country, the academic focus of a host university, or simply your curiosity and desire to explore something new. From our perspective, it is important that you do courses for which you receive credit here, or take courses that are not offered here - but also, that you make great new experiences.
    5. Which courses can I take at the host universities?
      Unfortunately, we cannot provide specific guidance on this. Just as at the University of Münster, course offerings change constantly, making it impossible to maintain a comprehensive overview. You should therefore consult the course catalogues of the partner universities to get an idea of the available options.

  7. Recognition of Credits Towards Your Degree at the University of Münster

    1. Which courses taken abroad can be recognised towards my degree?
      You can, and should, obtain confirmation of credit recognition in advance. Once you know which host university you have been nominated for, please select the courses that interest you and prepare a table outlining their contents. Based on this information, you can draw up a proposal for credit recognition. Please submit this proposal to the departmental examination officers. For Bachelor’s degrees, please contact Professor Vahrenhold. For Master’s degrees, please contact Professor Braun.

    2. How does the credit recognition process work in detail?
      Ideally, the partner university supports the digital procedure through so-called Online Learning Agreements (OLAs). If your application is successful, you will be informed whether and how you can use this system.
      Before creating an OLA and submitting it for approval, you must complete the credit recognition process described above with the departmental examination officers. The OLA is a binding document: once it has been approved, recognition of the agreed credits is guaranteed.
      If the OLA procedure is not used, you will receive detailed information during the application process. In general, you will need to bring the relevant documentation back from abroad in paper form and explicitly apply for credit recognition at the University of Münster. Thanks to the preliminary consultation with the examination officers, this process should also be relatively straightforward.

    3. Is my choice of courses in the OLA then fixed and cannot be changed any more?
      No. You can still change the OLA. However, you will need to go through the process with the examination officers.

    4. Can I receive credit without the OLA or a previous check with the examination officers?
      Yes. However, the OLA certifies what credit you can get before you leave, and that is why we recommend it. You can also request the examination officers to assess possible credit after your return.

    5. What if I cannot change my OLA any more, or don't want to, or I learn upon arrival that the courses I selected are not on offer or I won't be admitted?
      This can happen on occasion: no planning is perfect, and the partnering universities must also react to short-term changes in circumstances. In such a case, you request an assessment of your credits after your return.

    6. Can I receive BAföG while abroad?
      Yes! Please have a look here. You can even receive BAföG abroad if you cannot get it in Germany.

Alternative ways to study abroad (outside the ERASMUS programme)

There are many other ways how you can organize a stay abroad. We have listed some important options here.