For more than 50 years, it has been the first contact point for students from more than 100 countries worldwide: The Studienkolleg at Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) prepares them for their studies at a German university. Courses are offered to train German language as well as mathematics and natural sciences. It is aimed at adapting the scientific and language skills of the students to the level of lectures at German universities. The Studienkolleg will celebrate its 50th anniversary on Thursday, July 11, 2013, at the Festsaal of KIT’s Studentenhaus.
The Studienkolleg was established in 1963 at the then Karlsruhe Technical University. For five decades, it has been offering support for foreign students starting their university studies in Germany: “KIT attaches particular value to internationality in studies and teaching, a major objective being international exchange. The Studienkolleg prepares our freshmen from abroad for their studies and provides them with the basic scientific knowledge and language proficiency required. This is an important basis for a successful start of university studies,” Professor Alexander Wanner, KIT Vice President for Higher Education and Academic Affairs, says.
Foreign applicants, whose final school certificate does not entitle them to directly start studies in Germany, are offered a preparation course of two semesters for the entrance examination in mathematics, natural sciences, and in German,” explains Dr. Claudia Goll, Director of the Studienkolleg, Language Center, and MINT-Kolleg Baden-Württemberg at KIT. If the applicants pass the entrance examination, they are qualified to start studies at German universities and colleges.
“In addition, the Studienkolleg prepares foreign students for the Deutsche Sprachprüfung für den Hochschulzugang, the German language examination for university entrance (DSH),” Goll continues. The DSH examination is an entrance examination for foreign students to prove that their knowledge of the German language is sufficient for university studies. The Studienkolleg is also responsible for the university entrance examination of employed persons. And it is a TestDaF Center (DaF means German as a foreign language) that offers examinations several times a year.
Since 1989, the Language Center has been part of the Studienkolleg. It offers language courses on several levels in fourteen languages to all students of KIT. Since 2012, Studienkolleg has been cooperating with the Beijing Institute of Technology (BIT) (http://www.kit.edu/visit/pi_2012_10119.php). It organizes DSH examinations at the universities of Metz, Shanghai, and Beijing.
The Studienkolleg lives on the dialog with the students, whose diverse cultural perspectives enrich education at KIT: “The lessons at the Studienkolleg do not only prepare for studies, but also include cultural programs and excursions and, hence, familiarize the participants with the life and culture in Germany,” says the born Irani Kiana Rostami, alumna of the Studienkolleg and current student of informatics at KIT. “I can only recommend foreign students to join the lessons of the Studienkolleg and to train the German language,” Rostami says.
The institution will celebrate its anniversary on Thursday, July 11, 2013, 15.30 hrs, at the Festsaal of the Studentenhaus (Ade-nauerring 7, KIT Campus South).
Representatives of the media are cordially invited and asked to re-gister using the form enclosed.
Information on the Studienkolleg: www.stk.kit.edu/english/.
Being “The Research University in the Helmholtz Association”, KIT creates and imparts knowledge for the society and the environment. It is the objective to make significant contributions to the global challenges in the fields of energy, mobility, and information. For this, about 10,000 employees cooperate in a broad range of disciplines in natural sciences, engineering sciences, economics, and the humanities and social sciences. KIT prepares its 22,800 students for responsible tasks in society, industry, and science by offering research-based study programs. Innovation efforts at KIT build a bridge between important scientific findings and their application for the benefit of society, economic prosperity, and the preservation of our natural basis of life. KIT is one of the German universities of excellence.