Inaugural visit to the new partner university in Spain

The Department of Computer Science has been working with the Universidad Castilla-la Mancha (UCLM) since 2013 as part of several EU-funded projects. The two universities are now in the process of signing an Erasmus+ agreement that will allow two students per year to study at the other university for one semester. During her stay at the partner university, Nadine Kutz also met Spanish students to introduce them to H-BRS as a new exchange option. "I've known my colleague in Computer Science for over ten years now.  Now - shortly before the Erasmus+ agreement will be signed - it was important for me to finally see the campus for myself and get to know my colleagues in the Oficina de Relaciones Internacionales (ORI)."

The Universidad Castilla-La Mancha has the unique feature that around 70% of the Bachelor's degree course in Computer Science is taught in English. Many other courses are "English friendly", which means that course materials and exams are in English and the teacher can be addressed in English if there are any questions. This suits many students who may already have a basic knowledge of Spanish, but who do not reach B2 level, which is the minimum level required to attend a foreign language lecture.
 

The UCLM is located in the heartland of the Iberian Peninsula, in the Autonomous Community of Castilla-La Mancha, where Cervantes' tragic hero Don Quixote fought with Sancho Panza against windmills. Nowadays, the provincial capital of Albacete is connected to the high-speed train system, so that you can reach Madrid in 90 minutes, Alicante in 60 minutes or Valencia in two hours at a speed of 300 kmh. The city is not particularly large with around 175,000 people, but the university and city life are particularly informal and allow a deep insight into Spanish culture without the "over-tourism" that can be observed in other places in Spain.

"The new partnership is a clear benefit for our students - especially in the Bachelor's programs!" says Nadine Kutz. "A special tip that a Spanish colleague gave me for our students is the city festival in September. It's just before the start of the semester anyway, so it's worth arriving two weeks early!"

(Text: Nadine Kutz)