English and American Studies: Erasmus+ student mobility

Overview: First things first

(1) The Deadline for Erasmus+ applications at the English Department (for the first and second semester in the academic year 2024/25)  is 20 February 2024, although Mobility Online will remain open until 5 March 2024.

(2) TERMINOLOGY: In English-speaking countries, courses often refer to study programmes (Studium / Studienprogramm). "Kurse" in the sense of individual "Lehrveranstaltungen" are referred to as modules or units. I will use the term module here and also in the linked PDF files to refer to individual Lehrveranstaltungen, unless I am specifically referring to our Vienna University curricula and curricula overviews.

(3) Semester dates may differ considerably from Austria, especially in the UK and in Ireland (also North America, Australia); the second semester often starts in January and tends to overlap with the Austrian winter semester. 

(4) Applications need to be uploaded in Mobility Online by 20 February 2024. After reviewing the written applications and other documents, the Department will invite all elegible candidates to join a short interview, which will take place in the first week of March (online or on site). Nominations will be finalized by 15 March.

(5) Availability of modules -  Recognition - MA student applications
This is a complicated issue involving our places abroad, our curricula and so on. All information is found below under the point RECOGNITION, and some information is also repeated in the PDF files. Please read the information below carefully.

(6) Finally: We do understand your wish to go abroad to improve your language skills. Nevertheless, our Erasmus+ exchanges, especially those with UK and Irish universities, are not meant for students just having this objective in mind. Our partner universities are all excellent institutions, and they expect us to send advanced students with very good English language skills, a solid foundation knowledge of their area(s) and a genuine interest in studying in a different academic context and situation. At the Department of English we have to take this into account, and it is therefore with these benchmarks in mind that we select our candidates.

Studying Abroad with Erasmus+

Full-time students in our department who are interested in the academic sides of their subject and would like to spend one semester abroad as part of your study programme can apply for the Erasmus+ programme (with partner universities in Europe, including UK and Ireland). Another option would be the Non-EU exchange programme with places in the USA, Canada, Australia, Asia, South America and Africa.

The International Office offers information on both programmes HERE. After you have read this general information (available in German and English), return to our website to learn more about the specific conditions applying to Erasmus+ and UK places at the Department of English. All applications need to be submitted online via Mobility Online; for details see below.

 

Content of this website

  1. Places
  2. Requirements
  3. Application Deadlines and Procedure
  4. Availability (accessibility) and selection of modules - Online Learning Agreement - Recognition

1. Places

PROFILE OF PLACES AND LINKS (Sorbonne/Paris and Antwerp still missing - some information added on 11 Jan 2024)

QUICK OVERVIEW OF AVAILABLE PLACES 2024/25 (now fully updated for 2024/25)

It is recommended to read these two files together with the files provided further down towards the end of Point 4 - what can best be recognised for each study programme.

All Erasmus+ student exchanges are based on formal agreements between the institutions and departments involved. Usually, the exchange is subject-specific, but in the area of philologies agreements sometimes operate across languages.While Erasmus+ agreements run for six-year periods, our post-Brexit UK agreements are now bilateral and are reviewed on an annual basis.

While continental English Studies Departments usually offer English linguistics and literature in the same department, these areas can be separate in UK and Irish universities. Linguistics is often in the same School or Department as Modern Languages, see, for example, Limerick, Southampton, or University College Cork. Some of our agreements cover access to both departments, others are more limited.

None of our partner universities offers Teacher Education programmes. In the UK and in Ireland (and also some continental universities), Teacher Education is organised differently from Austria (usually at graduate level). For this reason, all Fachdidaktik modules have to be completed in Vienna.

In order to find those places which are best suited to your study programme and personal interests, you need to read the information below carefully. Take enough time to consider your choices.

Note also that the department may offer fewer places than listed in the official Erasmus database.

If you have questions after you have read the information, you are welcome to contact the departmental Mobility Coordinator, Mag. Monika Wittmann (monika.wittmann@univie.ac.at).

2. Requirements

The ERASMUS- student mobility programme aims at regular full-time students of the University of Vienna who at BA level have completed at least three semesters in the relevant field of study before the start of their ERASMUS stay. Since our partner universities expect advanced English language skills and a solid foundation knowledge in literature and linguistics from our candidates, we generally suggest that you apply a little later:

  • BA and BEd students: semester 4 or 5, or slightly later (ILSS1 + 2 as well as PPOCS1 should be completed when you apply)
  • MA and MEd students - from semester 1 onwards

BA and B.Ed. students in their last Bachelor semester may apply and then study abroad during their first MA or M.Ed. semester. In fact, in the M.Ed. programme this may the most reasonable thing to do, as there is only a small number of courses which can be recognised.

Language certificates

Most students heading for UK places will need an official language test. We do not request it for your application, but be prepared to take one as soon as you have been nominated for a UK place.  We generally recommend the IELTS (academic) for UK universities, but Cambridge tests are also possible, as is a TOEFL in case you are also considering applications to US universities in the near future (i.e. the next two years or so). 

3. Application Deadlines and Procedure

The Department of English assigns all places for both the winter AND the summer semester and for the whole academic year at the end of the main application period  in mid-March. There is no second application phase in autumn.

Applications reaching us after 20 February cannot be considered, although the Mobility Online portal will remain open till 5 March. All required application documents need to be uploaded online. DO NOT SEND application documents by email or hand them in personally!!

The following documents need to be uploaded (Mobility Online):

  • a current transcript of records (NOT just a statement of positive grades!!)
  • a letter of motivation in English, including a passport-sized picture and your (self-calculated) grade average (more information)
  • proof of your identity (e.g. copy of your ID card, passport, driving license)
  • no language test certificate is necessary at this point, though it may become necessary if application is successful

Please read the information on the motivation letter carefully!

After review of your application documents by the mobility coordinator your application may be denied or you will receive an invitation for a short personal interview (either online or on site), which will take place between 5 and 12 March 2024 (the invitation will be sent by email in early March). During this interview, in which the mobility coordinator will be joined by three to four colleagues from the department to guarantee objective and unbiased selection, you will be asked to present the main points and arguments of your motivation letter again and answer individual questions from us. For more information see tips on motivation letter.

Our selection criteria include:

  1. Formal qualifications are fulfilled √
  2. Your grade average in English Studies is better than 3.0 (more around 2.0 for some UK/ IRL universities) √
  3. We will look at your academic progress and achievements in general, and evaluate the suitability of your study programme and place(s) selected √
  4. Assessing the quality of your arguments in the motivation letter √
  5. More advanced students are usually preferred (depends on place/university) √
  6. How you present yourself during the interview √

If all goes well, you will be nominated in Mobility Online before 15 March. The International Office will then contact you and inform you about the next steps. You will also receive information on how to proceed from Mag. Monika Wittmann. You will complete additional documents in Mobility Online in spring, and apply formally at your host university, start the module selection procedure, look for accommodation, make travel arrangements, and so on.

4. Availability (accessability) and selection of modules - Online Learning Agreement - Recognition

Officially, all students participating in one of the university's exchange programmes need to contact the SPL-Studienprogrammleitung to clarify module recognition.
At the Department of English your contact is Mag. Monika Wittmann. She was part of the SPL team for six years and continues to advise outgoing students on behalf of the current SPL team about the selection and recognition of modules.

BACHELOR students: As has been mentioned, didactics courses cannot be taken abroad. Also, all students are expected to have a solid basic knowledge of linguistics, literature and cultural studies and in addition good language skills in English. Therefore, at Bachelor level, only the more advanced modules in literature, cultural studies and linguistics, plus the electives (extension) ECTS can still be replaced by courses abroad. For details please see the info-sheets below:

    BA English and American Studies 033 612                         B.Ed. (Lehramt) UF Englisch               

MASTER students: MA and M.Ed. students can apply from semester one onwards; M.Ed. students are recommended to apply while finishing their B.Ed. so they can start their M.Ed. programme with a semester abroad.
In the UK and in Ireland, there is no access at all to MA courses; however, higher-level BA courses will be recognized in Vienna for your MA programme. More details:

MA Anglophone Literatures and Cultures (066 844)       MA English Language and Linguistics  (066 812)
                                                        M.Ed. (Lehramt) UF Englisch

Course recognition is important because your Erasmus+ grant is linked to recognition. 3 ECTS per Erasmus+ month need to be recognized in Vienna, which means that for one semester 12 to 15 recognized ECTS are necessary. This is monitored along the way through the socalled Learning Agreement, an online form which serves several functions: 

a) it is used to inform your host university about the modules you wish to take during your stay; the host university can also see that the modules are approved by the home university. At the same time, you will often also apply via your host university's online services.

b) at the same time it is a formal and binding confirmation of your home university SPL regarding the recognition of these modules. It can be changed any time between nomination and the start of your semester abroad. 

The Learning Agreement is an Online tool within Mobility Online. It is a bit complicated to use, so please read the relevant section / instructions in the Mobility Online handbook before setting your Learning Agreement up or changing it later on.
Since the first version of the Learning Agreement has to be drafted months before your semester abroad starts, it invariably has to be adapted before your arrival at the host university. In order to avoid complicated online procedures, always discuss all module choices with Mag. Monika Wittmann beforehand via email or personally, and only submit the new online version when all is clear.  It will save both your time and that of Mag. Monika Wittmann and the SPL.

After your ERASMUS stay you will apply for official recognition of the courses taken abroad. For this last step see https://spl-anglistik.univie.ac.at/study/exchange/recognition-after-exchange/.