The benefits of studying abroad are obvious: it offers students the opportunity to get to know another culture, as well as to improve their language skills and broaden their horizons. One of the most important results of studying abroad is intercultural competence, which enables students to mediate between cultures. Moreover, the step abroad provides a high degree of flexibility and autonomy, which are both crucial traits one needs for future career prospects.

The M.A. Program in Inter-American Studies includes a compulsory semester abroad at one of the international partner universities in North and South America. This stay abroad contributes to the M.A. Program´s objective to train experts in international processes of culture, society, and communication. Through its cooperation with the University of Guadalajara in Mexico, the M.A. Program IAS offers its students a special opportunity to study abroad. Within the scope of the ISAP program of the DAAD, every winter term three scholarships are awarded, which help IAS students finance study abroad.

Currently the following agreements exist with universities from North and Latin America:

• Universidad de Buenos Aires (Argentina)
• Pontífica Universidade Católica, Rio de Janeiro (Brazil)
• Universidad Andina Simón Bolívar, Quito (Ecuador)
• Universidad de Guadalajara (Mexico)
• Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú, Lima (Peru)
• John Hopkins University, Baltimore (USA)

The current scholarship program "International Studies and Training Partnership (ISAP)" of the DAAD, is offered between the University of Guadalajara, Mexico and Bielefeld, Germany. This program allows students from Bielefeld and Guadalajara to spend a semester abroad at the respective partner university and to support the exchange students financially.

More information about the scholarships can be found here .