Engineering Summer Program in Germany

Advance toward your engineering degree in four years while immersing yourself in the language, culture, and industry of Germany. At the renowned Technische Universität Berlin, you’ll experience the culture and language of modern Germany while earning course credit and cultivating the skills you need to participate in the global economy.

The Engineering Summer Program in Germany consists of several weeks of study and exploration in the historic heart of Germany’s capital, following a short period of classwork at Calvin College. In addition to classes at Technische Universität Berlin in engineering and the German language, participants make frequent forays to visit historic sites around Germany.

Why study for a summer in Germany?

International experience prepares you to thrive in a highly-connected, global field and is particularly valued by engineering employers. Because employers value international experience so highly, we've made it a key part of the Calvin engineering program.

Almost every college and university, including Calvin, offers international programs. But at many schools, this comes at a significant cost: engineering students who participate in these programs usually can't graduate in four years. This means that they must spend a fifth year in college paying tuition and fees-and giving up a years' salary! This is a huge financial cost that puts international programs out of reach for most engineering students… meaning that they graduate without any type of international experience.

The Engineering Summer Program in Germany gives our students international experience while allowing them to graduate in four years. Participating in the Engineering Summer Program in Germany counts toward an "International" designation on your transcript, and it lets you list attendance at Technische Universität Berlin on your resume! Being able to list international experience on your resume is an important way to make it stand out—and in fact, international experience is a near-requirement in order to be considered for employment at many engineering companies.

Academics

Completion of the Engineering Summer Program in Germany earns credit for Calvin's ENGR 202: Statics and Dynamics. Students may also note their completion of Technische Universität Berlin’s German Language and Culture course on their resumes. Participation in this program also fulfills Calvin’s cross-cultural engagement core requirement.

The Engineering Summer Program in Germany also counts toward an international designation on your transcript. For more information about earning an international designation, see the engineering department's degree designations page.

Eligibility

Any engineering student interested in broadening their engineering experience and bolstering their transcript can apply to join the Engineering Summer Program in Germany.

Preference for this program is given to Calvin College engineering students who have taken German 121, Physics 133, and Math 172 and have a GPA of 2.5 or higher. (Applicants are encouraged to review the outline of first- and second-year classes in the engineering program to see how the Engineering Summer Program in Germany experience fits with course requirements.) The program is best suited for students who have just completed their first year in the engineering program, although in the case of limited space, preference is given to students between their second and third years in the program.

Cost

$8,252 (exact)

As a demonstration of its strong commitment to global connections and off-campus studies, Calvin has recently made the welcome decision to recalculate the fees for summer 2022 off-campus programs. The cost of tuition can now be applied to the direct costs of the program. As a result, the Engineering in Germany program, which was priced at a $8700 (including tuition price), will now cost $8252 (including tuition price), resulting in a savings to each student of $448. 

We are pleased to be able to make our program more affordable to more students and hope that each participant will be able to live wholeheartedly as Christ’s agent of renewal in this new place in the world!

This fee covers:

• Tuition for Calvin’s ENGR 202 course
• Tuition and course materials for Technische Universität Berlin’s German Language and Culture (three semester hours)
• Travel to and from Germany with the group
• Housing and associated fees while in Berlin and on tours in Germany
• A 10-day Germany Rail pass and Berlin Transit pass for travel with the group
• Entrance fees to museums and other sites visited by the group
• Weekly meals with the group
• A stipend to be used for meals outside the group
• Calvin Supplemental Medical Insurance fee
• Calvin Off-campus Programs fee

Items not covered by the $8252 fee include:

• Any meals, travel, housing, and related expenses incurred when not traveling with the group
• Housing in Grand Rapids prior to departure for Germany
• Travel to and from Grand Rapids, or to and from the airport in Grand Rapids
• Meals and snacks beyond the daily meal allowance
• Souvenirs

When does the program take place?

The first week of the Summer Program takes place on Calvin’s campus. At the end of that week, the group travels together to Berlin. Students stay in Berlin for 6 weeks, returning to the USA in late August.

For the summer of 2020, the dates are:

• Monday July 13, 2020: class starts at Calvin
• Friday, July 17: group travels to Germany
• Saturday, August 29: group returns to the USA

How do I apply?

All applicants must complete these steps:

1. Attend an information session about the Engineering Summer Program in Germany (held in October of every year). Contact Prof. Leonard De Rooy for details on the next information session.
2. Follow the instructions for registering for an off-campus interim and apply through the Horizons website as directed. (Please note that while the Engineering Summer Program in Germany is not an interim, you'll nevertheless use the interim application website to apply.)
3. Make a $700 deposit for the Engineering Summer Program in Germany with Calvin College Financial Services (request a receipt, which is needed in the next step).
4. Request a paper application form from Prof. Leonard De Rooy and submit it to him along with a receipt for your $700 deposit.

Your application is not considered complete until you have completed all of these steps.

Testimonials

"I feel passionately about this because my summer in Germany was one of the best experiences in college. Now, 11 years later it came in handy when I travel back to Germany for business, I still recall some of the German I learned. While interviewing to come work here it absolutely helped since we are a global company.  ."  

Amy Ball Schnoor – Summer 2012, Texas Instruments 

"Seeing and experiencing how the engineering principles we learned in class play in real life in various cultures helped me bridge the gap between the classroom and its real-life application." 

KangJin Lee - Summer 2018, Case Western Reserve University

"It was the best thing I did while at Calvin for engineering. Traveling while getting a four-year engineering degree is rare and sets Calvin apart."  

Scott Bokach - Summer 2014, Broadview Product Development 

Questions / contact