Internationality
It seems fair to say that the Economics Department in Bonn was the first in Germany to bring an international component into graduate education in economics. Students of the BGSE are encouraged to submit papers to international conferences such as the annual meetings of the European Economic Association, the Econometric Society, and to other internationally leading conferences (see also section "BGSE students at conferences").
Next to numerous lectures and seminars hold by international guest researchers, the BGSE offers summer schools on a regular basis, also held by internationally distinguished experts and visited by international students and postdocs (see section "summer schools"). Of course, all summer schools as well as all other activities of the BGSE are conducted in English.
Furthermore, the BGSE is one of the founding partners of the European Doctoral Program (EDP). The EDP opens up the way for the students of the BGSE to spend time at one of the EDP-Partners in Barcelona, Florence, London, Louvain-la-Neuve, Paris and Tel Aviv, to participate at the annual doctoral student conference, the EDP-jamboree, and to benefit from the EDP’s long established and firm tradition to integrate graduate students into the international academic community (see also section "EDP-Exchange Program").
In addition, based on the excellent reputation of graduate education in Bonn, BGSE students are equally well received by other institutions without formal cooperation agreements. In the last few years, some of our students have spent extensive visits of six months and more at Harvard University, the University College in London, at Oxford University, at Toulouse University, at Columbia University, at the University of Pennsylvania, and at the University of Zurich.
The BGSE does not only expose its students to the international community but also wants to attract international students to come study in Bonn. Therefore, qualified international students are strongly encouraged to apply for admission.
The BGSE assists foreign students in numerous ways:
- finding a place at a student dorm for the first year
- individual assistance with visa formalities
- assistance with university related formalities
- tour of the university and the city of Bonn
- tips and detailed information for foreign students
are part of the BGSE brochure that is given to every
student at the beginning of the program
The photos shows Burcu Düzgün from Turkey,
former BGSE student
The International Office of the University of Bonn and especially the Welcome Center have a variety of offers for foreign students. For example, the International Office offers German classes on different language levels. The courses are open to foreign PhD students, guest researchers and spouses of guest researchers at the University of Bonn. Another example is the International Club that organises student orientation activities as well as parties at the end of each semester, film nights, excursions, visits to companies, concerts etc. At the University of Bonn, there are many student associations covering a broad range of topics, e.g. cultural activities, politics and religion. You will also find societies dealing with individual cultures or countries and associations promoting intercultural relations.
Finally, the city of Bonn is known for its cultural diversity. Only one example is the International Meeting Center (Internationale Begegnungsstätte). The center organises cultural events, e.g. lectures dedicated to individual countries, concerts, film nights, slide shows and readings, as well as discussions on current problems of foreign nationals living in Germany.
The section "External Links" on this website lists a number of useful links for foreign students.
