Courses in German as a Foreign Language

Courses in German as a Foreign Language (Deutsch als Fremdsprache) are available free of charge for exchange students at the Department of Business Languages.

Intensive German Language Course

The Department of Business Languages and Intercultural Communication offers exchange students an intensive German language course prior to the beginning of each semester (beginner, lower intermediate and advanced levels). In the winter semester, the course is offered for three weeks prior to the beginning of the semester and in the summer semester for two weeks. ECTS credits are allocated to students who attend each course meeting and pass the final exam. The three-week course before the beginning of the winter semester is 3 ECTS credits. The two-week course prior to the summer semester is 2 ECTS credits. The course is free of charge.

Semester Courses

The following levels and courses are offered throughout the semester:

Beginners Level

• Basic Course I German, 6 hours per week, 6 ECTS credits
• Basic Course II German, 6 hours per week, 6 ECTS credits

The courses Basic I and Basic II German cannot be attended simultaneously.

Intermediate Level

• Intermediate I German, 6 hours per week, 6 ECTS credits + Text Production Intermediate I, 2 hours per week, 2 ECTS credits
• Intermediate II German, 6 hours per week, 6 ECTS credits + Text Production Intermediate II, 2 hours per week, 2 ECTS credits

The courses Intermediate I and Intermediate II German cannot be attended simultaneously.

Advanced Level

• (I) Grammar in Situations, 2 hours per week, 2 ECTS credits
• (I) Communication German, 2 hours per week, 3 ECTS credits
• (II) Introduction to Language for Specific and Academic Purposes German, 2 hours per week, 3 ECTS credits
• (III) Case Studies German, 2 hours per week, 3 ECTS credits
• (III) Individual Language Projects German, 2 hours per week, 4 ECTS credits
• (IV) Special Language for Specific Purposes German, 2 hours per week, 4 ECTS credits
• (V) Special Language Studies German, 2 hours per week, 4 ECTS credits

The Roman numerals in brackets indicate the level of each course offered at Advanced level. Exchange students may combine courses from different levels (e.g. Communication German and Case Studies German) if their knowledge is sufficient to follow both courses. This option applies to exchange students only, because their period of study is limited to one or two semesters. Regular full time students have to attend the courses successively. To enter the seminars "Special Language for Specific Purposes German " and "Special Language Studies" entry interviews must be attended at the beginning of the semester.

In addition to the above mentioned courses there are two with a special status:

• Certificate Preparation Course German (2 hours per week, 3 ECTS credits) prepares for ÖSD examinations (Austrian Language Certificate) at three different levels ("Zertifikat", "Mittelstufe" and "Diplom Wirtschaftsdeutsch"). The minimum entry requirement is Intermediate I. The course is open to all students interested in preparing and taking these exams.
• German - Phonetics (2 hours per week, 2 ECTS credits) aims to improve students' pronunciation. Entry requirements: Basic Course II or recommendation by teacher.

Exchange students are not required to attend German Language Courses but attending them is STRONGLY recommended, as experience has shown that foreign students have difficulties with the German language. If students do not attend the course their knowledge of German is often insufficient and the students have difficulties in exams.

Exchange students can also attend other language courses available at the Department of Business Languages free of charge.

The current course offer can be found on http://lva.jku.at/.