First and foremost, it should be said that we We are very supportive when students take exchange semesters and / or do an internship during the studies.Nevertheless, students are required to notify the responsible Specialisation Office or Programme Office . It is an amazing opportunity to use and improve the learned in the world outside the school context.
Exchange – How and when?
The International Office offers students who are interested in staying at a partner university in Switzerland or abroad, comprehensive advice and support in the preparation and organization of the exchange semester. If you are interested in doing a semester at a partner university, please get in touch with the team of the International Office. Their office is in 5.C01; opening hours: Tu – Th: 13.00–17.00.
When to apply: 1st semester (October)
Please be aware, that you have to apply for the exchange program very early. Usually, the deadline is already in October. So it's only a month after you started your first study year. Check with the international office for the exact date.
When to go: 4th or 5th semester
The best moment for an exchange in the 3-year Interaction Design BA-course is the 4th or 5th semester. To learn more about the consequences of an interruption, please see below.
Presentation after your semester abroad
Please be aware that every returning student presents her/his experiences from the semester abroad. An inspiring presentation of 30 minutes length is expected. Through this little event, the fellow students can also benefit from the impressions and are hopefully encouraged to go abroad and gain valuable experience at a partner university as well.
Past exchanges
Here's a list of previous exchanges for inspiration.
| Year | Country, City | Institution | Student |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Spain | Elisava Barcelona | Svenja Steurer Jene |
| 2019/20 | Canada | Concordia University | Mélanie Abbet |
| 2019/20 | Hongkong | Transcultural Collaboration 2019, Academy of Visual Arts, HKBU | Duy Bui |
| 2019/20 | USA | Pacific Norhwest College of Art Intermedia | Edna Hirsbrunner |
| 2019/20 | Argentina | Universidad Nacinal de las Artes | Lilian Lopez |
| 2019/20 | Sydney | University of Sydney School of Architecture, Design and Planning | Janina Tanner |
| 2019/20 | Hongkong | Transcultural Collaboration 2019, Academy of Visual Arts, HKBU | Colin Schmid |
| 2019/20 | Canada | Emily Carr University | Michelle Schmid |
| 2019/20 | Germany | Internship : Daylight Design | Mara Weber |
| 2017/18 | Hongkong | City University | Ramona Sprenger |
| 2017/18 | Canada | Emily Carr University | Colin Lüönd |
| 2015/16 | Copenhagen | KADK, Det Kongelige Danske Kunstakademis Skoler for Arkitektur, Design og Konservering | Martin Dušek |
Presentations with insights from previous exchanges can be found on the server under DDE > BDE_VIAD > 05_EXCHANGES.
Mutationsmeldung
Students are required to notify the responsible «Vertiefungsleitung» in case of absence (e.g., exchange semester, interruption of studies, withdrawal). They must also confirm their resumption of studies before the end of the previous semester. Deadlines: 30 November (for the spring semester); 31 May (for the autumn semester). Tuition fees are owed in case of late notification.
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In case of taking one exchange semester and one internship semester, we usually acknowledge the ECTS points successfully completed from the exchange university. But a seamless transition back to your regular IAD semester class is not possible, as you are missing on ECTS points for the time of the internship. In that case, you would have to re-entry one year below your regular IAD semester class you started with.
