Since summer 2016, the university has had its own student body for students on the joint degree programmes. After all, studying at two universities at the same time presents its own unique challenges.

Want to study French or Spanish to become a teacher? That’s not actually possible in Oldenburg. In Bremen, however, it is. For almost 20 years, a co-operation between the two universities has enabled students to take subjects not offered by their home university at the partner university. For trainee teachers, this is a fantastic opportunity – they benefit from the courses and expertise of both universities. Students from Oldenburg can study Geography, French and Spanish in Bremen, whilst those from Bremen can study Slavic Studies, Material Culture: Textiles and Dutch Studies in Oldenburg.

However, this also means having to coordinate two timetables, factor in commuting times and keep track of the different study and examination regulations – a real challenge, especially at the start of their studies. To make the start easier and to further improve conditions in future, students of the collaborative subjects set up their own student body in June 2016.

Sharing experiences

“Anyone studying a collaborative subject is automatically a member of the student body,” explains Etienne Légat. He himself is studying Art and Media as well as French to become a secondary school teacher and is one of the seven current members of the student council. All students of the collaborative degree programmes can vote for the members of the student council at the start of each winter semester. The members represent the interests of their fellow students in bodies such as the Institute and faculty councils or the study committees of the respective subjects and are...

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