BiBoG

Europe is increasingly growing closer together and as a result the need for intercultural expertise and bilingual competence is increasingly felt among the younger generation of Europeans for whom crossing borders is easier than ever before. This ever-growing connectedness across borders is especially true with regard to the countries of Germany and Italy, which not only possess a long and shared history, but especially in the last few decades, have engaged in a lively and expanding economic and cultural cooperation. Not least of which can be observed in the academics – particularly in the humanities, where a whole slew of German-Italian research institutes tells the tale of a flourishing connection between both scientific communities.

This connection has inspired the Universities of Bielefeld and Bologna to deepen their existing cooperation and develop an international study programme in History (abbreviated as “BiBoG”). This double-degree programme does not only combine the strengths of both partnering institutions but aims to provide a more rewarding learning opportunity to the students than a more short-term student exchange could provide for aspiring researchers. The study programme can be attended as part of the masters course in history and entails longer phases of study in each university city, and as such, offers a more profound opportunity to get to know the host countries’ academic culture and language. The acquired expertise and obtained double degree from both institutions helps to a great extent with respect to enhance one’s profile on the European labour market.

Building upon an existing groundwork of institutional cooperation and cultural exchange between Bielefeld University and the University of Bologna, the binational study programme will further strengthen this foundation. During the course of their studies, the students will spend a considerable amount of time at both institutions. After four semesters, they can submit their master’s thesis and then obtain the master’s degrees from the two universities as long as a faculty member at each institution supervises the thesis. To this day it is the only such cooperative programme in History between a German and Italian higher institution of learning which is fully funded by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD).

The programme is supported by scholarships granted by the DAAD: Students participating in the programme can apply for a monthly grant of EUR 825 while studying abroad in Bologna plus the reimbursement of travel expenses (fixed rate of EUR 250) and a contribution of monthly insurance charges of EUR 35. (for current specificities concerning the Covid-19-pandemic, please read the latest application announcement)

The programme is aimed at graduates, who have successfully completed an undergraduate degree (German Bachelor of Arts / Italian Laurea) in History. It offers the opportunity to:

• continue one’s academic career with a research-oriented master’s programme
• gain a deeper knowledge about the German and Italian cultures, as well as enhancing their intercultural skills
• extend their existing language skills in German and Italian and thus provide themselves with improved opportunities for a possible career path in a European context.

Unique qualities of BiBoG:

1. Supervision and support

   Students of the BiBoG-programme receive thorough and considerable support for the entire duration of their studies. This entails the individual scientific advice and discussion with faculty from both Bielefeld University and the University of Bologna. Furthermore, students enrol in specific language and cultural instruction classes. To further familiarize themselves with their new surroundings, a special preliminary course introduces the historiographical traditions of the respective universities. To successfully accomplish all these tasks, an extensive exchange of teaching personnel between both partnering institutions is carried out.

    

2. Language courses

   In Bielefeld, students take part in the seminars of the University’s own Language Centre which offers courses in Italian for the proficiency levels A1 to C1 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). On top of that, BiBoG students can attend the course “Italian for historians”, which teaches a subject-specific vocabulary. In Bologna, students can attend the language courses offered by the renowned CLA-Institute (Centro Linguistico di Ateneo). All mentioned language courses are free of charge.

Application process

1. Interested students may apply by contacting the programme’s coordinators either in Bielefeld or Bologna. An undergraduate degree in History (Germany: Bachelor of Arts / Italy: Laurea or an equivalent degree) with a grade of 3,0 or higher is necessary in order to apply. Applications are evaluated after an obligatory interview. Application papers must be submitted before Sept. 10 with the programme starting in October of each year.

   The following documents must be submitted:

   • cover letter/statement of purpose (up to, but not more than two written pages),
   • résumé,
   • bachelor certificate
   • bachelor's thesis evaluation

   and sent to the email address: bibog@uni-bielefeld.de as a pdf-file.

2. Once the application is successful, students can enrol in Bielefeld University’s master’s programme in history via Bielefeld University’s enrolment process.