Outgoing Students

Are you planning to spend a semester abroad during your studies? Here you will find all the important information on how to organize an exchange semester or exchange year. Gain international experience and supplement your Bachelor's or Master's degree in Political Science with an unforgettable time at one of our partner universities.

There are various options for organizing an exchange. Stays abroad at partner universities within Europe are organized via the Swiss-European Mobility Programme (SEMP). University-wide Agreements of the University of Zurich or Faculty Agreements of the IPZ make it possible to apply for an exchange at partner universities worldwide. It is also possible to complete an internship abroad or to complete individual modules or entire minor programs at other Swiss universities (CH-Unimobil program). Within the framework of a strategic partnership, there is also the possibility of Module Mobility at the University of Konstanz. If there is no partnership with the university of your choice, you can also organize your own exchange.

Many IPZ students plan a stay abroad as an integral part of their studies. You can find introductory information in our current information presentation (PDF, 12 MB).  We organize an annual outgoing information event at the beginning of the autumn semester. The event is announced on IPZ's website Study Program News. Please also consult our FAQ.

You can find an overview of all partner universities of the IPZ on our interactive map. Further information on the partner universities can be found in UZH's Mobility Online Search Portal.

At least two exchange places per academic year are available for each partner university. In most cases, it is possible to go on an exchange for a semester or a whole academic year at one of the universities participating in the program. As the number of exchange places is limited, it is always best to choose two alternatives. If the first priority at your preferred university does not work out, this increases your chances of being able to go abroad.

For Bachelor students, the second year of study is particularly suitable for the exchange. The first year of study must be completed at the IPZ. You can also spend a semester abroad in the third year of study. However, various individual clarifications are necessary to ensure that your BA thesis is supervised. Normally, this is written as part of a specialization in the Fall Semester and the subsequent BA thesis course in the Spring Semester. However, we also offer a few specializations that start in the Spring Semester. Please coordinate well with the mobility coordinator and your supervisor.

For Master's students, the 3rd and 4th semesters are ideal for a semester abroad. Early planning and consultation with the supervisor of the Master's thesis is very important. All compulsory courses in the field of methods must be completed at the IPZ. As these only take place once a year, careful planning is essential. The majority of Master's students therefore choose their 3rd semester for their stay abroad. At the host university, they mainly complete elective modules. However, it is also possible to go abroad at another time.

A stay abroad always has an impact on the course of your studies. It is therefore important that you plan this well and consider early on how the modules you have booked abroad could fit into your course of study. In this way, you can try to avoid prolonging your studies due to your stay abroad. For this purpose, we have provided you with study planning tables in which you can enter modules you have already completed, modules you have booked and modules you are planning to take abroad. This will give you an optimal overview of your course of study:

• Study Planning Table Major BA Political Science
• Study Planning Table Minor BA Political Science
• Study Planning Table Mono MA Political Science
• Study Planning Table Major MA Political Science

We would be happy to advise you in person, via video call or by telephone. Please contact mobility@ipz.uzh.ch for individual appointments. Your inquiries will be answered promptly from Tuesday to Thursday. The mobility coordination is not available on Mondays and Fridays. 

To prepare for your mobility consultation appointment, fill out your study planning table as far as possible (including name, matriculation number, completed and planned modules at the IPZ, modules planned abroad) and already start thinking about your desired universities. Send this information to the mobility coordinator before your appointment. In this way, your questions can be answered specifically and you will receive the best possible advice tailored to your individual situation. For capacity reasons, we are unfortunately unable to offer general advice without this specific preparation. 

Please note: Some partner universities have defined admission requirements for visiting students and require, for example, a minimum GPA, certified language skills, a certain number of ECTS credits already completed or a minimum duration of study. You should therefore check the websites of the universities of your choice in advance!

Responsibilities

You can address all subject-specific and content-related questions to the IPZ mobility coordinator. The Global Student Experience team is the first point of contact for all interdisciplinary and organizational questions relating to the exchange (e.g. Mobility Online or scholarships).

Selection Criteria

The mobility program is an opportunity for all students to broaden their horizons, deepen their knowledge of topics, get to know new perspectives and gain international experience. It is important to us that the choice of partner university and program matches your personal profile and your study focus. This should be made clear in your letter of motivation and convince us in a personal conversation.

As IPZ students who go abroad, you represent the IPZ, UZH and your country. You will be perceived as ambassadors and thus make a decisive contribution to the perception of our department, our university and Switzerland at our partner universities. Therefore, not only a formally complete application submitted on time and your grades and knowledge are decisive for the allocation of exchange places, but the overall impression counts. We look forward to receiving your application and getting to know you!

Instructions

1. Application Registration: Submit your application in due time (application deadline for the fall semester and the following spring semester is January 15 before the start of your stay; application deadline for the second round (remaining places) for the spring semester is July 15 before the start of your stay) in the Mobility Online portal and indicate your choice of host university. It is advisable to indicate three priorities.
2. Complete your Application: Upload all the necessary documents to Mobility Online. Among other things, a personal letter of motivation is required. If you indicate more than one priority, you can address all three priorities in your letter of motivation. The letter of motivation should above all express how the study period abroad would enrich your studies from a subject-related perspective. You should discuss your planned choice of course at the host university with the mobility coordinator at the IPZ. To prepare for this conversation, please send the module descriptions for your desired courses, as well as your detailed course of study (completed study planning table with course selection abroad, as well as all modules already completed at the IPZ) to mobility@ipz.uzh.ch.
3. Submit your Application: As soon as everything is complete, submit your application on Mobility Online in time for the deadline.
4. Review of the Application & Information about the Allocation: Your application will now be reviewed by the Global Student Experience and the mobility coordinator at the IPZ. You will be informed of your allocation via the e-mail address provided in your application. If your allocation is successful, you must accept it on Mobility Online within the period specified in the information e-mail (5 days). Acceptance of the exchange place is binding.
5. Nomination at the Host University: After you have accepted your allocation, you will be nominated by the mobility coordinator of the IPZ (for SEMP and subject-specific agreements) or the Global Student Experience team (for university-wide and interdisciplinary agreements). The nomination deadlines vary depending on the partner university. 
6. Application at the HostUniversity: After successful nomination, you will be informed about the next steps in the application process by the mobility coordinator of the IPZ or directly by the host university.  In most cases, a further, independent formal application and submission of the necessary documents is required within a clearly defined deadline. These deadlines vary depending on the partner university.
7. Confirmation of Application: You will be accepted by the host university and in most cases receive a formal "Letter of Acceptance".

Once you have been informed by the host university about the details of the course booking and the associated deadlines and formalities, revise your provisional study plan for your stay abroad if necessary and discuss your planned module selection with the mobility coordinator at the IPZ on the basis of your current study planning table. The more detailed and better the planning in advance, the easier it will be to have the credits earned abroad recognized afterwards.

The next step is to complete your Learning Agreement (LA) on the basis of this agreement, obtain the necessary signatures and upload the fully signed document to Mobility Online. You have up to two weeks after the start of lectures at your host university to do this.

After you have successfully completed your mobility stay, submit the official Transcript of Records (TOR) to the IPZ mobility coordinator as soon as you receive it. On the basis of the transcript, a credit recognition agreement will be drawn up, taking into account the previous study plan and the Learning Agreement, and forwarded to the Dean's Office of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. The Dean's Office makes the final decision on the recognition of the credits earned abroad and converts the grades.