Program Details: Duale Hochschule Baden-Württemberg - BUSINESS

Is this program for me?

Duale Hochschule Baden-Württemberg (DHBW) is a state university system that offers a practice-oriented approach to learning by making companies an integral part of the university system. There are 9 main locations throughout the state of Baden-Wurttemberg. Mosbach and Bad Mergentheim are considered part of the same campus even though they are about one hour apart. Students would study at just one of the two locations, even though they coordinate closely between the two campuses on various administrative tasks. The Baden Wuerrtemberg Cooperative State University (Duale Hochschule Baden Wurttemberg) is the first of its kind in Germany. It combines on-the-job training and academic studies. Regular DHBW students learn both theory and practice during their 3 year program through a unique rotation of academic study and job-training. Every 12 weeks, the students rotate between the classroom and worksite. GVSU exchange students do not participate in the job training component, but rather the 12 week academic program in either the fall or the spring. GV exchange students will be in a cohort class with both German and other international students studying at DHBW. Students will be taking all of the same courses with the same group of 20-30 students.

German language training is mandatory at the beginning of the program.

This program is geared toward students who have been admitted into the Seidman College of Business (SCB) Program for a business major or minor. Coursework is focused on the field of international business administration.

The Bad Mergentheim campus hosts approximately 500 students per semester. The Mosbach campus hosts 1500 students per semester. The campus only has 50% of its population at any given time. Due to the rotation system, half of the students are on their job placement while the other half are in the academic part of the program. Every 3 months, students rotate. The total student population for Mosbach is about 3000.

Excursions are organized through this program. Students studying in Mosbach will have several 1-day excursions which may include visits to: Frankfurt Stock Exchange or European Central Bank, a company visit, a day in Tuebingen which may include a tour of the Mercedes-Benz factory, a visit to Stuttgart with a visit to Porsche or Oktoberfest (fall only), as well as many team building/social events that are organized throughout the semester.

Host University Homepage

Exchange Student Website

DHBW

Location

GVSU students in business will study in either Mosbach or Bad Mergentheim, which are located in the German state of Baden-Wurttemberg. The two campuses are about one-hour apart, so students will choose their preferred location. Mosbach and Bad Mergentheim are smaller towns surrounded by well-known German metropolitan cities such as: StuttgartHeidelbergNuremberg, and Wuerzburg. Students will be walking distance to campus, to their apartment, grocery store, and the train station.

Travel Information

 Students generally fly into Frankfurt, however, there are many other ways of getting to Bad Mergentheim,  or Mosbach as well.

General Advice

DHBW provides detailed information on how to get to Bad Mergentheim and Mosbach from Frankfurt airport. Students can take the train directly from the airport. The trip takes about 2.5 hours to Bad Mergentheim, or 1 hour to Heidelberg. It may be longer depending on your connections. Students who are a bit concerned about taking the train can research the most direct route to avoid lots of connections.

Print the DHBW packet that will be given to you prior to your departure. Past students did not have a hardcopy expecting to be able to pull the information from their cell phone using wifi. This may not work – take hardcopies.

Also, we recommend you familiarize yourself with the train schedule and connections. You can find information in English at www.bahn.de.  You may notice that many of the schedules do not give you much time to connect to your next train. Do not worry if you happen to miss a connection. This may happen. There are usually information agents available to help you figure out the next train you can take. You do not need to purchase your tickets in-advance, you can purchase your tickets when you arrive in Frankfurt. If you are flying into a different airport, you should research the train availability from that airport.

Getting to Bad Mergentheim

DHBW provides detailed information on how to get to Bad Mergentheim from Frankfurt airport. Students can take the train directly from the airport. The trip takes about 2.5 hours, sometimes longer depending on the number of connections. Students who are a bit concerned about taking the train can take a train from Frankfurt to Wurzburg and then a direct train from Wurzburg to Bad Mergentheim. There are often short connections between trains. The train platforms are usually very close and are manageable in a couple of minutes. If you happen to miss a train connection, you can go to the information booth to get the schedule of the next train.

Getting to Heidelberg -Mosbach

From Frankfurt, students will take the train to Heidelberg, and to Mosbach. Detailed information will be provided by DHBW prior to departure.

Students should plan to pack as light as possible due to the need to utilize the trains to get to your destination.

The trains leave from the Frankfurt airport train station (Frankfurt Flughafen).

Visa Information

US citizens studying in Germany for more than 90 days must apply for a visa prior to entering Germany. For additional information, view the German Visa GuidelinesPlease note that the appropriate consulate or embassy must be consulted for the most up-to-date visa information.

DHBW
DHBW

Housing and Meals

Students will live in off-campus apartments which are walking distance to campus. The apartments are shared apartments with other international students. In Mosbach, students may share a 5 bedroom apartment with 6 other students. The apartments offer a shared kitchen, a shared bathroom, and limited access to laundry.

 

Courses

The academic structure of this program is unique. Rather than taking 4 or 5 courses over the full 12 weeks, courses are set up in blocks. Students will concentrate on one block (course) at a time throughout the semester.

Courses available at DHBW

DHBW Course Catalog

How will the courses I take at DHBW transfer back to my GVSU transcript?

If the course you wish to take appears on the "Existing Course Equivalencies" list, you do not need to secure course approval for that course. The courses on this list have already been approved by the academic department.

 Existing Semester Course Equivalencies

If the course you wish to take at DHBW is not listed on the course equivalency list, you will need to secure departmental approval for that course. 

 

Campus Information

Both Bad Mergentheim and Mosbach are very small towns. Students will have access to some on-campus activities. Many international students coordinate visits to nearby cities throughout the semester. Most shops and restaurants close around 8 p.m. throughout the week. It is common for students to hang out together in the evenings. The program is small with about 20-25 students each semester.

DHBW (Bad Mergentheim)

  

DHBW (Heidelberg -Mosbach)

  



Page last modified February 29, 2024