Exchange opportunities
Overview for M.Sc. Economics students
| Program | Duration & Location | Modules & ECTS Credits | Scholarships | Application Deadline |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| University-wide overseas programs | one or two semesters at a university overseas | Modules for the specialization phase (electives), typically 30–60 ECTS credits | Depending on program, e.g. Baden-Württemberg Scholarship, BAföG Abroad, DAAD | 15 October for fall 2024 /spring 2025 |
| HKUST | one semester; spring semester | Modules for the specialization phase (electives), typically 30 ECTS credits | There are many options available. The most important scholarships are: Baden-Württemberg Scholarship, BAföG Abroad, DAAD | 15 October for spring 2025 |
| ENTER program | one year at an ENTER partner university in Europe | All modules for the second year of the master's program, including the master's thesis, are completed at the partner university, typically 60 ECTS credits | Erasmus (EUR 390–600 per month) and other options | 31 January 2024 for fall 2024 /spring 2025 |
| ERASMUS+ | one semester at a chosen European partner university | Modules for the specialization phase (electives), typically 30 ECTS credits | Erasmus (EUR 390–600 per month) and other options | 31 January 2024 for fall 2024 /spring 2025 |
Programs in detail
University-wide overseas programs
The University of Mannheim offers a variety of overseas exchange programs which are not specifically targeted at a program or department – they are open to students from all fields. We recommend that you do extensive research on the economics programs at these universities before you apply, i.e. to see if they offer interesting modules at an advanced level.
Participants in an overseas program usually spend up to two semesters at the partner university. During that time, they typically take modules from the master’s program in Economics worth 30 to 60 ECTS credits.
You can find a list of all programs open to master’s students with more detailed information about each of them on the International Office’s website.
If your application is successful, you will be granted admission, tuition-free, to one of our partner universities.
Further information on the financial support available for your period of study abroad can be found here. Please note, in most cases you are required to apply for funding separately.
The application deadline is 15 October for the following academic year.
The International Office provides detailed application instructions – please read them carefully.
HKUST
The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) offers an excellent Master of Science program in Economics. The program aims to provide solid economic and analytical training to students in order to prepare them for pursuit of higher academic degrees or industry jobs.
The exchange partnership with the HKUST falls under the Overseas North category (application deadline: 15 October).
Please find detailed application instructions here.
ENTER double degree program
The European Network for Training in Economic Research (ENTER) is a collaboration between eight of Europe’s leading economics departments, located in Barcelona (Spain), Brussels (Belgium), London (United Kingdom), Madrid (Spain), Mannheim (Germany), Stockholm (Sweden), Tilburg (the Netherlands), and Toulouse (France).
Within this network, four universities have come together to offer a joint master's program:
Participants in the ENTER master’s program will spend their first year at their home university, while the second year will be completed at one of the partner universities (host university). During their first year, students follow the master's curriculum at their home university. In their second year, they study the master's curriculum at the host university and write their master's thesis there. Coursework is typically completed in English. After fulfilling the requirements of the joint master's program, students are awarded degrees from both universities. Each diploma will stipulate that the student has graduated from the joint master's program and will refer to the programs at the two institutions, which are titled as follows:
- Universidad Carlos III de Madrid: Master en Análisis Económico (Master in Economic Analysis)
- Universität Mannheim: Master of Science in Economics
- Stockholms Universitet: Masterexamen i nationalekonomi
- Université Toulouse 1: Master in Economics
Students from the University of Mannheim can apply for the ENTER program after completing the core modules from the first semester. The application deadline is 31 January.
A detailed description of the ENTER program, relevant dates, and procedures for students whose home university is the University of Mannheim, can be found here.
If you study at a different home university and have selected the University of Mannheim as your host university, please contact the exchange coordinator for more information.
Erasmus+
The ERASMUS+ (European Community Action Scheme for the Mobility of University Students) program is a student exchange program, established by the EU in 1987. It forms a major part of the EU's “Lifelong Learning Program”. ERASMUS student mobility is based on “inter-institutional agreements” between home and host institutions. The master's program in Economics currently has such agreements in place with the following economics departments in Europe:
- Université Catholique de Louvain, Belgium
- Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB), Belgium
- KU Leuven, Belgium
- Aarhus Universitet, Denmark
- École Nationale de la Statistique et de l'Administration Economique (ENSAE), Paris, France
- École Nationale de la Statistique et de l'Analyse de l'Information (ENSAI), Reness, France
- Università Commerciale 'Luigi Bocconi' di Milano, Italy
- University of Pisa – Sant' Anna School of Advanced Studies, Italy
- Maastrich University, Netherlands
- University of Oslo, Norway
- Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Spain
- Université de Lausanne, Switzerland
- Universität Zürich, Switzerland
Participants in the ERASMUS+ exchange program usually spend one semester (preferably the third semester of the degree program) at the partner university. During this semester, they typically take modules from the master's program in Economics at the host institution worth 30 ECTS credits.
Students from the University of Mannheim can apply for the ERASMUS+ program after completing the core modules from the first semester. The application deadline is 31 January.
A detailed description of ERASMUS+ exchange opportunities, relevant dates, and procedures for students whose home university is the University of Mannheim, can be found here.
If you study at a different home university and have selected the University of Mannheim as your ERASMUS+ host university, please contact the exchange coordinator for more information.
Mobility-Online
In order to support you when preparing for your semester abroad, the International Office has created the Mobility-Online portal. The Discover section of the portal provides you with general information on further procedures. The Prepare section lists all of the tasks that you need to complete before starting your period of study abroad.
After you receive your letter of acceptance, you will be sent an email that contains information on how to access the portal. The Mobility-Online portal is only available for those students who are completing an exchange through the University of Mannheim.
For further information, please send an email to outgoingsuni-mannheim.de.
Learning Agreement
Before leaving Mannheim, you have to complete a Learning Agreement. The courses that you take during your period of study abroad are recognized based upon information provided in this document. Since recognition processes may vary between departments, please read through the departmental websites carefully or contact the respective departmental exchange coordinator.
Contact Sebastian Herdtweck, to clarify which economics courses at your host institution will be recognized by the Department of Economics. Please email Mr. Herdtweck a list of the courses you are interested in and links to the content of each course (e.g. pages from the course catalog, recommended literature, etc.). Approved courses can be included in your Learning Agreement, which then has to be signed by you and your exchange coordinators at the University of Mannheim and at your host institution. If you want to attend courses from other deparments you need to make a learning agreement with the respective department at the University of Mannheim and submit a copy to your departmental exchange coordinator.
If you participate in an Erasmus exchange and want to change courses, you are required to update your learning agreement using the form entitled “Changes to the learning agreement", which you can find in the Mobility-Online portal. Please submit a copy of the signed form to Mr. Herdtweck during the first seven weeks of your period of study abroad.
- The learning agreement for Erasmus+ and ENTER programs are available in the Mobility-Online portal. You will be given access to this portal once your exchange has been approved.
- The learning agreement for overseas programs can be found here.
Recognition of Credits
As soon as you have finished all of your courses, the host university will create a transcript of records for you, which will either be given to you or sent directly to the University of Mannheim. It is very important that the transcript contains the names of the courses you have completed, the number of (ECTS) credits earned per course, and your grades.
In order to begin the recognition process, please contact your departmental exchange coordinator. As part of the process, you are required to show the original version of your transcript of records to the university. This means that you must either submit the original transcript via post, submit a copy certified by the International Office, or make an appointment with Mr. Herdtweck to show him the original version. Furthermore, a confirmation from the International Office is required which states that you have submitted a report on your exchange.
Once you have asked the university to recognize your credits, the next steps are typically as follows:
- The University of Mannheim recognizes the courses listed on your Learning Agreement.
- The grades awarded to you by your host institution are converted into grades from the German grading system. You can find more information on grade transfer here.
- The Department will notify Student Services office that your courses have been recognized.
- You will be able to see the recognized courses and grades in your student account, and can collect a new transcript. The credits obtained at your host institution, which have been recognized by the University of Mannheim, are clearly marked as such on your transcript.
Rent Out Your Appartment
While you are on exchange semester, it is possible to advertise your room at the room-exchange dashboard in order to rent it out to somebody else, for example, an incoming exchange student. Information you are to provide is room’s type, location, monthly price, amount of the collateral as well as a period, for which room is free.