The Larger Picture

Certificate

 

The University of Münster sees itself as an international community, it is an intercultural meeting place where internationalisation is practised every day. Intercultural interaction is also part of everyday life outside the university. As part of the project "The Larger Picture", students can complete a programme on international and intercultural education and receive a certificate for their achievements and commitment.

Students can begin and complete the programme at any time during their studies at the University of Münster – from Bachelor to PhD student. It consists of the three components "intercultural education", "intercultural engagement" and "languages" and concludes with a reflection on the topic of intercultural competence, individual learning experiences and the development of personal intercultural skills. Study-related visits abroad can also be recognised at the student's request.

International exchange students can complete a compact version of the programme. Please follow the instructions in the individual component descriptions.

Components of the certification programme

• COMPONENT 1: Intercultural education (3 SWS)

  You attend courses/events with an international/intercultural focus. Completing an intercultural competence training (1 SWS) is obligatory.  In addition, students must attend further course totalling 2 SWS (2 hours of instruction per week).

  The International Office offers various intercultural competence trainings every semester. These training courses are also part of the General Studies. More courses can be found in the course catalogue of "The Larger Picture", your choice is not limited to this catalogue, however.  It is recommended that courses suitable to the programme but not in the catalogue be selected from non-restricted degree programmes. Please contact teaching staff before the start of the course, make sure to observe any requirements and have your participation certified (you can use the lecturer's form or this one).

  International students can also attend courses with a focus on Germany for this component.

   

  Exchange students:

  You need to attend an intercultural training course of 1 SWS (1 hour of instruction per week).

  The International Office offers trainings during the semester, and – before classes begin – the course "Make Münster Yours!".

• COMPONENT 2: Intercultural engagement (2 Semesters)

  This component is all about experience in intercultural interaction and personal intercultural commitment. Your commitment must last for at least two semesters.

  In this component, participation in the university's Buddy Programme can be recognised, for example, but also engagement in an international university club/student initiative or in a non-profit organisation/project with intercultural focus. Students can get involved in a different group each semester.

  The intercultural commitment must be documented. Please consult the respective groups/organisers to arrange this and make sure that all relevant information is included (type of commitment, scope, duration).

   

  Exchange students:

  Your engagement in a university group/student initiative or participation in the Buddy Programme must be for one semester.

• COMPONENT 3: Languages (3 SWS)

  To aquire or deepen your langauge skills, you need to take part in language courses totalling 3 SWS or in a language tandem for at least one semester. You can find information on language courses and tandem on the web pages of the Language Centre of the University of Münster. International Students whose first language is not German, can have German language courses recognised for this component.

  Participation in courses must be documented (you can use the lecturer's form or this one). Please register with the teaching staff before the course and make sure to observe registration procedures and requirements.

   

  Exchange students:

  You attend a German language course. If German is your first language, you need to choose a different language.

  The University's Language Centre offers a large number of language courses.

• Reflection

  You take a critical look at the concept of "intercultural competence", your learning experiences and the development of your individual intercultural competences.

  The reflection must be at least 7,500 characters long and can be written in German or English.

   

  Exchange students:

  The reflection must be at least 3,000 characters long and can be written in German or English.

At your request, a study-related visit abroad can also be recognised. Such a visit should have lasted at least one month.

International students can have their study-related visit at the University of Münster recognised.

 

Registration

You do not need to register to participate in the certification programme. As soon as you have completed all requirements, you can submit the relevant documents to Ms Petra Bettig in the International Office and apply for the certificate to be issued. If you have any questions about the certificate, please contact Ms Bettig.