OVERVIEW
Welcome to the Faculty of Architecture at the Peter Behrens School of Arts (PBSA) of the HS Düsseldorf. For our visiting international students, we are offering the following study programs:
As an exchange student, you are free to take classes from all of these study programs depending on your level of studies and interests. Please note that not all classes are offered in both winter and summer semester! Be careful in your course selection to check that. Also, important to note is that all lecture courses and most seminar courses are offered in German language only. Please choose these courses only if you are fluent in German. Most design labs and some seminars are accessible with English language skills. Some courses offered in the Faculty of Design are also available upon special request.
During each semester, there is one week where all courses are paused. In the winter semester, all students then take part in different workshops which have a common theme that changes every year, this week is called intra muros (project week).
In the summer semester, there is the extra muros week (excursion week), where all students can choose from many different destinations to travel to and experience architecture, culture and urban design first hand. The destinations range from cities nearby to places all around the globe.
Information for prospective exchange students at HSD
Sequence of events of the semester for exchange students (incomings)
Before the beginning of each semester the Deans Office will request a valid list of all exchange students from the International Office (Ms. Michaela Petri).
These are to be divided into two lists according to Incomings and Outgoings and show the following information:
- Title (Mr., Mrs. Etc.)
- First and last Name
- E-Mail
- Home University (including the address)
- Host University (including the address)
- Student identity number (Matrikelnummer of Outgoings)
- Coordinator at Home University (E-Mail and contact information)
- Coordinator at Host University (E-Mail and contact information)
Immediately following the presentation of the Design projects for the next Semester the Deans Office will place a link on the PBSA Website and made available to the incoming external exchange students. This shall enable the Incoming exchange students to review the possibilities and create their individual Learning Agreement before arriving at the HSD.
An overview of the architectural courses, requisite and elective, according to the valid curriculum offered by the PBSA Faculty of Architecture will also be made available on the PBSA website in English.
In general, Incoming students are allowed to attend all courses, Bachelor and Master, within the Faculty of Architecture according to their level language and professional skills.
The attendance of courses within the Faculty of Design is possible in limited areas, only however with the expressed permission of the International Coordinator of the Faculty of Design (Mr. Boddin) and the course professor.
In preparation for the incoming students, the International Coordinator of the Faculty of Architecture (Prof. Niess) and/or the Deans Office offer consultancy in the choice of courses to establish a “Learning Agreement” before (and during) the mobility.
After receiving the first version of the Learning Agreement, the Deans office will notify each course professor in advance of the incoming exchange student including their contact information. The goal is that each Professor has a valid list of all students for the course, including the incoming exchange students, before the course begins.
In addition to this a list of all incoming exchange students to the PBSA Faculty of Architecture, including the students name and the name and country of the home university, will be provided by the Deans office at the beginning of each semester.
The Deans office will also provide the Students Office of Studies (Studienbüro) a complete list of the incoming exchange students at the beginning of each semester for the preparation of the individual Transcript of Records of each student. (example document to be found under P:\StudienbüroGestaltung\Prüfungsangelegenheiten_Architektur\Erasmus-Stud_Ausland).
At the beginning of each semester a welcoming and introduction event for the incomings will be held by the International Coordinator of the Faculty of Architecture and the Deans office. At this introduction meeting the “Course Performance Form” for grading will be handed out and explained. The Course Performance Form will also be made available on the PBSA website for download. Please keep this form for the duration of the semester as you will need it for your grades! Also at this “meet and greet” event former PBSA Outgoings will also be present to offer services as possible “Buddies” for the incomings for day to day questions and help during their semester.
At the beginning of a new semester incoming students need to contact the professor for each course they plan to attend and have them note the attendance and date in the Course Performance Form.
If „during the mobility“ changes to the attended courses occur, the incoming student is responsible to immediately notify the professor about the discontinuation of the course as well as notify the professor for the new course to be attended. Both need to be noted and dated in the Course Performance Form.
At the end of the semester the incoming student is responsible to immediately contact each professor of the courses successfully completed and have them grade the course, sign and date the form. After all grades have been entered, dated and signed the Course Performance Form needs to be handed in at the Student Studies Center (Studienbüro) in building 2, room number 02.01.44. There they will use the form to complete your Transcript of Records and forward these transcripts together with the Course Performance Form to the head of the Testing Office of the Architecture Faculty (Prüfungsamtsvorsitzender, Prof. Ackermann) for his signature. These completed and signed documents will either be handed back to the incoming student personally or posted directly to their home university.
