Humboldt Universität zu Berlin is accredited by the German Ministry of Education as a degree granting institution of higher learning.
Humboldt Universität zu Berlin
Founded in 1810 by Wilhelm von Humboldt, the world-renowned Humboldt Universität zu Berlin is the oldest of the three Berlin universities. The university was founded under the ideal of providing a well-rounded, humanist education to its students. Prince Heinrich of Prussian donated his former palace, built from 1748 to 1766, to the university. The palace remains the university’s main building today. Located in Berlin’s most famous street, Under den Linden, between Brandenburg Gate and the TV Tower at Alexanderplatz, the university found itself in the Soviet sector of the divided city after World War II. In 1946 teaching resumed and in 1949 the university’s name was changed from its original one, the Berlin University, and renamed in honor of Von Humboldt.
Humboldt boasts 29 Nobel Prize winners, and was home to such prominent scholars as Albert Einstein, Heinrich Heine, Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. The university’s enrollment of 38,000 includes more than 5,000 international students.
With a special emphasis on the humanities, the university offers a total of 170 subjects and 130 courses of study. These range from rare ones such as Biophysics and Hungarology to standard ones such as Law and Medicine. The School of Education offers a wide variety of courses, including Special Education with all its areas of specialization. In addition, the new Berlin-Adlershof scientific campus opens up unique opportunities for science majors to work with scientific research institutions, preparing them for careers with modern high-tech companies. The university continues to improve its offerings by adding new courses of study, degrees and academic structures each semester.
Many of Berlin’s theaters, cinemas, museums and galleries, including the five museums on the Berlin Museumsinsel (Museum Island) are a short walk from the Humboldt campus. The Museum of Natural History, located on the Humboldt campus has impressive collections of dinosaurs and minerals.
The international club “Orbis Humboldtianus”, is the hub of many international activities at the university. At the club you will meet fellow international and German students at “Country Evenings”, the “International Coffee Hour”, and other international events.
Classroom Information
- German faculty from Humboldt Universität zu Berlin will teach your language and culture courses
- Courses are taught in English and German and are open to International students.
- Periodic exams, homework assignments and final exams will be administered.
- Attendance in all classes is mandatory and monitored by each professor.
- Teaching styles in Germany can be very different from those found in the US or Canada. Be prepared to adapt to the different classroom structures and coursework expectations for your school.
- Class size ranges between 12 and 15 students for language courses and between 12 and 40 students for your culture course.
- You will be in class with international students from the US, Europe, Canada and other parts of the world. You will not be in classes with host national students but you will have plenty of opportunities to interact with them during cultural activities and excursions and at the international club. “Orbis Humboldtianus”.
Grading
All final course grades will be reported in the form of a "Letter Grade." The following letter grades will be used:
| German Letter Grade |
US Letter Equivalent |
US Verbal Equivalent |
|
Excellent
|
A
|
A
|
|
Above Average
|
B
|
B
|
|
Average
|
C
|
C
|
|
Below Average
|
D
|
D
|
|
Failure
|
F
|
F
|
Professors include evaluations of written tests and assignments as part of their final grade compilation. Students may add or drop a course at the very beginning of the program. After this deadline students must adhere to the course schedule selected. Please note that this grading scale is recommended, but final credit and grade evaluation is ultimately determined by a student's home university.
