The University of Berne offers various exchange programs for students. This applies to students that persue their studies at the University of Berne and would like to spend 1-2 semesters abroad as well as to students that would like to come to Berne from another University for 1-2 semesters.

Detailed information on that subject can be found on the website of the International Office of the University of Berne: http://www.int.unibe.ch/content/index_eng.html

Exchange programs for outgoing students

The department of chemistry has various agreements with universities in Europe (Erasmus program) and worldwide (ISEP, other exchange partners), where our students can spend 1-2 semesters for their studies.

It is often the case that not all 30 ECTS can be obtained during one semester abroad, which are usually required within the chemistry studies in Berne. This can cause a delay in your studies in Berne. Should you be interested in such an exchange, the director of studies recommends that you do this exchange in the 5th semester. First of all, by then you have built up a good basis in your chemistry studies and second of all, it is the most convenient semester for an exchange from an administrative point of view: you are not yet working on your bachelor thesis and in addition you could, if necessary, still take some classes from the bachelor's program during the 7th semester to complete your bachelor's program, but at the same time start with your master's studies. Therefore it is theoretically possible to not lose a semester while studying a semester abroad.

Such an exchange during the master's program cannot be done during the two semesters in which you write your master's thesis.

Should you be interested in such an exchange, we recommend that you contact the student administration office in advance to discuss your possibilities. As soon as you fill out the learning agreement in the process of the exchange program application you have to contact the Director of Studies to get the compiled program approved.

Exchange programs for incoming students

Please note that all the bachelor lectures from the bachelor's program "Chemistry and Molecular Sciences" are held in German. Therefore you should have very good German knowledge, if you attend lectures from that program. It is possible for bachelor students to attend lectures from the master's program which are held in English, but in this case it is recommended that students are at least in their 5th semester of their bachelor studies in order to follow these lectures.

For administrative questions (application, entry formalities, information material etc.) regarding the various exchange programs, please contact directly the International Office of the University of Berne http://www.int.unibe.ch/content/index_eng.html . For questions regarding the chemistry program (content of lectures etc.) you can contact either the exchange coordinator Prof. Thomas Wandlowski or the secretary of the student administration office Ms Sandra Zbinden.

Students coming for an Erasmus-Internship

In the field of Chemistry it is possible to come to the University of Bern for an internship in one of the research groups, if your University has an Erasmus-Agreement with our Department. In this case please pay attention to the following points:

• Such internships can also take place during the summer months and don’t necessarily have to be completed during the usual semester.
• You have to find a research group that is willing to host you during your stay. The research groups can be found here: http://www.dcb.unibe.ch/content/forschung/forschungsgruppen/index_eng.html
• The acceptance from a research group is not yet the final acceptance for the Erasmus stay. Once you know that a research group would be willing to host you, you have to fill-out the application for the Erasmus stay. http://ibdb-server.unibe.ch/fmi/iwp/cgi?-db=mdb_webform_stud_in&-loadframes. The final acceptance will be confirmed once we have received your application documents.
• Please make sure you start the application process early enough (at least 3 months prior to the starting date, better earlier). The application process can take several months because of the visa application etc. Also the search for accommodation can be difficult in Berne as there are limited student lodging houses and other accommodation options. So the earlier you start the organizational process, the better your chances are to find accommodation.