Information for Incoming Students

Welcome!

Thank you for your interest in the History Department at Trier University. On this website, you will information about the basic material you will need for planning your semester or year abroad with us in the History Department.

If you cannot find the information you need, please feel free to contact our departmental Erasmus+ coordinator, Dr. Eva Bischoff (bischoff[at]uni-trier.de). With more general questions about studying at Trier University, please contact Ms Kroener or Mr Proost (exchangestud[at]uni-trier.de) at the University’s International Office.

Learning Agreements

You will have to conclude a learning agreement to facilitate the recognition of the ECTS credits between your home university and Trier. In looking for potential classes to attend, it is important to keep in mind that all classes taught be a member of the history department are open to all visiting exchange students. However, not all of them will be taught in English.

You can look up a complete list of future courses on our university’s online platform PORTA or check the annotated course programme provided by the History Department’s students council here.

Please do copy classes from the learning agreements of previous exchange candidates in Trier or use class lists from previous semesters: Our classes change every semester and this will lead to unnecessary paperwork with learning agreements and amendment forms.

We advise students to take classes worth a total of about 25-30 ECTS credit points each semester. Tthese points can be gained in various subjects; you do not need to collect all of your ECTS points with us in History Department (e.g. taking German language classes). Speak to your Erasmus coordinator at your home university and

If varying numbers of ECTS credit points are available for a class, the number awarded will depend on the workload and assessment. On your learning agreement, list the number of credit points you would like to aquire for the class. You will need to negotiate the workload with the lecturer at the start of the semester.

Please note that listing courses on your learning agreement does NOT mean you will be automatically registered for and/or accepted into these courses. Please use Trier University’s online platform PORTA to register for classes during the registration periods listed there (if you already have a Trier University email address), or email the relevant lecturer if you have missed the registration periods.

If you have any further questions regarding learning agreements, please contact Dr. Bischoff (bischoff[at]uni-trier.de). To have the final learning agreement signed, students should contact Ms Kröner or Mr Proost (exchangestud[at]uni-trier.de) in the International Office.

Classes offered in English

We aim at teaching a minimum of four classes in English each semester. Here is the list for the upcoming two terms (last update 4 October 2023):

Winter Term 2023/22

Summer Term 2024

General information

• Details on all study programmes at Trier University can be found here.
• German nomenclature can look deceivingly similar to Anglophone universities but does not necessarily refer to the same element of a study programme!
• The term “Modul” is particularly misleading. In German, it is a larger heading under which similar courses are grouped together (as if in a container). These courses (weekly classes) would usually be called “modules” at an Anglophone university.
• Containers (“Modules”) are the stable elements in our study programme and are ‘filled’ with individual courses (“Seminare” or “Übungen”) whose topics can vary significantly over time. Instructors are (mostly) free to choose the topic according to their area of expertise. There is a tendency to create a new course for a new term and not re-teach the class later on.
• Erasmus students are welcome to attend courses of both BA and MA study programmes. ECTS requirements of the home university can be matched by adjusting exam/writing requirements accordingly on our end.