Partner Universities of the Month (February 2020)

This month we present Campus 02 - University of Applied Sciences for Economics in nearby Austria and the German-Jordanian University in the Middle East.

Castle hill in Graz (Image: w.steinklaeubl@inode.at Gemeinfrei auf Wikimedia)

Did you know that Graz also has a cathedral called “Dom”? Anyway, the Styrian capital is not only worth a visit for that reason. In Graz, tradition meets modernity: the best-preserved city center in Central Europe, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the honor of being called "City of Design" are just two of the many cultural highlights the city has to offer.

With a semester abroad in Graz you can not only discover the city, but also - due to its perfect location within the European capital district Vienna (150km away) - Bratislava - Zagreb - Ljubljana - three other countries.

Traveling by train, you might be able to take advantage of discounted tickets costing you less than 50€ for the trip from Cologne to Graz (“DB Sparpreis”). Intercity coaches are sometimes even cheaper. Going by car, the journey will take around 9 or 10 hours. Graz is also a great example in regards to accessibility – not only the public transport, but also many museums and event locations are barrier-free.

Although Vienna is the political capital of Austria, Graz is the capital of pleasure: the mild climate of Styria provides fresh fruit, vegetables and wine and makes gourmets get their money's worth.

Graz can also score points when it comes to universities. With around 60,000 students (distributed among eight universities) and 260,000 inhabitants, the city has the highest university density in Central Europe.

Students of the Faculty of Information, Media and Electrical Engineering as well as students of the Faculty of Computer Science and Engineering Science have the opportunity to spend a semester abroad at the "Campus 02 Graz - University of Applied Sciences " due to the university cooperation within the Erasmus+ program.

Graz Main Square (Image: Mgrueter Gemeinfrei auf Wikimedia)

The combination of tradition and modernity is also reflected on the "Campus 02" campus: study at the heritage-listed villa or at the new building complex, which is an architectural highlight. At "Campus 02", you will study in the heart of Graz, but still surrounded by nature.

With only 1,400 students, the private university is considerably smaller than TH Köln, but still offers a wide range of courses in the fields of automation technology, business informatics, accounting/controlling/marketing and information technologies, from which students of the cooperating faculties can choose.

By the way: the Styrian capital will experience a very special year 2020 in terms of culture: "How we want to live" is the theme of the Graz Cultural Year 2020. In addition to many familiar events and festivals, the city will address some of the pressing issues of our time during the course of the year: climate and environment, social interaction, digital living environments, urban and professional life of tomorrow.

Off to the desert (Image: Malte Flegelskamp)

Did you know that the Arabic language has 79 words for „love”? Not only because of its linguistic diversity it is worth discovering the Arabian culture.

Amman, capital of Jordan, is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cites in the world – traces of settlement date back to the Neolithic period.
The city, that has been called Philadelphia in Greek and Roman times, nowadays is among the most modern cities in the Arab world: it is a financial metropolis and the location for regional branches of many multinational companies. In all areas, the cosmopolitan capital is open to everyone.

Being built on 7 hills, the number of inhabitants has risen since the middle of the last century so that its surface now spreads over 19 hills. With around 4.4 million people around one third of Jordan’s population is living in Amman and its suburbs.

Stroll along the numerous suqs (markets) in the heart of the old town or enjoy the beautiful view from the citadel hill looking at the Roman theater being nearly perfectly preserved so that there’s still events taking place today.
If you’re not that interested in culture, Amman can also take you on a culinary trip around the world: you can choose between Shawarma stands, falafel takeaways, French bistros or Italian trattorias – Amman offers everything!

School Electrical Engineering and Information Technology​ (Image: GJU)

In case you’ve already made the decision that you want to study abroad in Jordan, you can do so at our partner university GJU – German Jordanian University.
The public university was founded in 2005 with the German concept of universities of applied sciences being the role model.
Due to this, the more than 20 programs from which the around 5,000 students from Jordan and all around the world can choose, are very practice- and application-oriented.

TH Köln students studying within the fields of Informatics or Engineering Sciences* have the possibility to apply for a semester abroad at GJU.

Malte Flegelskamp, student of ITT institute of TH Köln was an exchange student at GJU in the winter semester 2019/2020. You can find his testimonial in the download section.
A lot of other interesting things Malte experienced apart from university life, such as interesting  places you should discover and recommendations for your everyday life in the north of the Arabian peninsula can be read in his “studierenweltweit” blog (in German).

* You don’t study within the mentioned fields but nevertheless you’re interested in studying at the GJU? Email us!  outgoings@th-koeln.de