Language courses

The UNIcert levels Basis I and II teach basic knowledge of the language. Depending on the language, the course UNIcert Basis (level A2 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages) lasts 8 to 12 semester hours per week (SWS), the course UNIcert I (level B1 of the Common European Framework for Reference of Languages) 4 to 8 SWS and the level UNIcert II (level B2 of the European Framework for Reference of Languages) 6 to 8 SWS.
If you have previous knowledge of a foreign language you can start directly at the corresponding level after a placement test. Holiday courses are offered in some languages. Please visit the Language Centre’s website or see the notice board at the Language Centre (Bismarckstraße 10, third floor) for further information.

The Language Centre does not offer level I courses for English. Students with the result ‘level 0’ in the English HaF (‘Hörer aller Fakultäten’ – students of all faculties) placement test can attend the ‘Level 0, English Preparation Course’. Students with the result ‘level 1’ can attend ‘Level 1: Introduction to Basic Academic English’. These courses aim to bring you up to the level required for the courses of UNIcert level II (placement result ‘level 2’). Students with the result ‘level E’ (= Elementary) are recommended to attend the courses at the adult education centre (Volkshochschule) (German).

The UNIcert level III courses are based on level C1 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages and can be completed in approximately 8 SWS. The content of the courses at this level is based on learning to deal with practical (ideally professionally relevant) situations. A requirement for attendance of the UNIcert level III courses is the successful completion of the UNIcert level II courses in that language or proof of an equivalent achievement (assessed upon application).

The following language skills are practised at UNIcert level III:

• Listening and reading comprehension: comprehension of demanding, long texts relating to the relevant study and professional fields, as well as current affairs.
  Speaking: spontaneous, fluent and flexible oral expression in standard situations relating to the relevant study and professional fields.
  Writing: clear, structured and detailed written expression regarding complex subject matters.

The UNIcert level III courses are available either as general foreign language courses or technical foreign language courses (e.g. economics, law, medicine, technology). Typical contents of the technical foreign language courses:

• Communicating in professional environments (e.g. situations that a medical student should be able to handle while working as an extern at a foreign hospital)
• Overview of the conceptual structure of a field and corresponding terms (e.g. typical structures of the French legal system with the corresponding vocabulary)
• Terminological structures (e.g. laws of terminology creation in natural sciences)
• Practice of subject-specific oral and written forms of communication and text types (e.g. legal advice for law students or functional description of devices for engineers)
• Reading technical texts
• Country-specific knowledge about specific fields with relevant vocabulary (e.g. administration of justice in the UK or US hospitals)

FAU’s Language Centre offers information on UNIcert training (German) and an overview of the courses offered (German).

Unless there are special admission requirements, the language courses within the framework of the UNIcert language course levels Basis, I, II and III may also be attended without the goal of sitting the examination where the student has previous knowledge of a language.

Due to high demand, registration is obligatory. Please register online via the website (German). You will need your student registration number to register. All information regarding registration and contact numbers in case of problems are available on the website.

Information on the placement test is available in English, French, Italian and Spanish and relevant dates are listed on the Language Centre’s website. It is recommended that you check the course catalogue in Campo several weeks before the start of the semester to check which courses are available.

Please read the information carefully before registering. Placement tests will take place one week before the start of the semester at the latest. You must register for the placement test.

All students enrolled at Friedrich-Alexander-Universität are exempt from paying fees for regular semester courses pursuant to the Fee Regulations of the Language Centre. Participants in an exchange programme (Erasmus, DAAD etc.) are also exempt from paying fees.

More information

If you are interested in UNIcert foreign language examinations, we recommend that you come in for personal consultation as soon as possible. It is important to gather information on the following points early on:

• formal examination regulation issues
• examination requirements
• accreditation of equivalent achievements
• choice of suitable courses/lectures and order of attendance

An individual consultation is also available to anyone interested in language courses for students of all disciplines without certification. Names and office hours of advisors can be found at the Language Centre Secretary’s Office.

Modules for teaching English for teaching degree programmes for primary education and Mittelschule are held by the Department Fachdidaktiken in Nuremberg (Lehrstuhl für Didaktik der englischen Sprache und Literatur). The remaining degree programmes for teaching English, French, Italian and Spanish are taught at the Faculty of Humanities, Social Sciences, and Theology (German) in Erlangen. For further information, see the websites on teaching degree programmes (in German).

The supplementary courses at the Department Fachdidaktiken (Nuremberg) for students of teaching degree programmes require students to acquire skills in one of several languages spoken by foreign employees. The relevant courses in Turkish, Spanish, Italian and Russian are taught at the Department itself.

Information on the Bachelor’s and Master’s degree programmes offered at FAU is available in the degree programme catalogue (German). The foreign-language philological degree programmes are offered by the Faculty of Humanities, Social Sciences, and Theology. Please direct enquiries regarding these degree programmes to the appropriate institute or department. In some non-philological Bachelor’s and Master’s degree programmes, foreign language skills are either strongly recommended as part of the core skills, or specified in the form of a UNIcert level or a compulsory elective subject.

Foreign language courses at the Faculty of Business, Economics, and Law in Nuremberg

As part of the degree programmes at the Faculty of Business, Economics, and Law (Nuremberg), the courses International Studies English, International Studies French, International Studies Spanish and International Studies Portuguese are offered. The International Studies courses consist not only of academic courses and lectures but also of practical language training orientated towards students of economics and social studies. More information is available at the Chair of International Studies in Nuremberg.

Institute for Foreign Languages and Foreign Studies (Institut für Fremdsprachen und Auslandskunde) at the University of Erlangen-Nürnberg

The University’s philological foreign-language degree programmes and language practice training should not be confused with the programmes for foreign-language professionals offered at the Institute for Foreign Languages and Foreign Studies at FAU in Erlangen. This institute offers vocational training and degrees for foreign-language professions. The final state examinations at the end of the Institute’s full training programme are the examinations for ‘Staatlich geprüfte Übersetzer’ (state-certified translators) and ‘Staatlich geprüfte Übersetzer und Dolmetscher’ (state-certified translators and interpreters). Students enrolled at the University who are not pursuing a qualification at the Institute can register as guest students for individual courses a semester at a time. For more detailed information, please contact the Secretary’s Office at the Institute.