Lan­guage Over­view

Chinese is spoken as a native language by around 1.3 billion people worldwide. As the Chinese economy is becoming increasingly important in the world, knowledge of Chinese is an advantage for our students.

Learn Chinese at HNU

Our course is an introduction to the Chinese language and culture (2 SWS/ECTS).

The Chinese language is easier than you think. The focus is on pronunciation and listening comprehension. The characters are explained clearly in the first semester, but are not relevant in the exam.

Language proficiency level: A1.1

German is the mother tongue of around 130 million people worldwide and a second or foreign language for another 80 million. At HNU, we offer German as a foreign language as an elective or compulsory elective subject for our exchange students.

Ger­man as a for­eign lan­gua­ge

For those students who are spending one or two semesters here at the HNU, we offer a special German course. For beginners, this will equip them with survival skills in German (up to level A2 on the Common European Framework (opens in a new window); for those with more experience of German, this will offer them the opportunity to deepen their knowledge and understanding of the language so that they can converse with their fellow German students (B1 on the Common European Framework).

Courses:

• Pre-semester intensive course of 4 teaching hours per day over 2 weeks. (3 ECTS)
• Semester course of 4 teaching hours per week over one semester. (4 ECTS)

Current information about the German courses in this semester here (opens in a new window).

Language proficiency level:  A1, A2, B1

English is the most important commercial language for us. It is spoken by over 360 million people as their mother tongue and is the most influential language in the world.

In our courses, we place great emphasis on practising all language skills: Reading, listening, writing and speaking. In addition, negotiations and presentations are very important in English language training.

What is the aim of our English courses?

Communication is one of the most important cornerstones of the globalised business world and English is - currently - the main language for this. Companies and organisations looking for young employees at the beginning of their careers expect excellent English language skills. To meet these expectations, we offer courses leading to levels B2 or C1 (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages - CEFR). 

English is compulsory in all degree programmes at Neu-Ulm University of Applied Sciences. We expect all students to have a starting level of at least B1 on the CEF scale.

English as a key qualification

English is an integral part of almost all degree programmes at Neu-Ulm University of Applied Sciences (HNU). For these courses, you need English language skills at level B1 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). 

Information on the English courses of the respective HNU degree programmes can be found here (opens in a new window).

Language proficiency level: B1, B2, C1

The French language is not only spoken in France, but by around 300 million people in the Arab world and is one of the most important languages of negotiation in the European Union.

Learning French at the HNU

You can take French at level A1 as a compulsory elective subject (4 -> 5 ECTS or semester hours per week). Information on the French courses of the respective HNU degree programmes can be found here.

Language proficiency level: A1 

Italian is an important language for our students because of its proximity to Germany and the trade and tourism exchanges that take place there.

Learn Italian at the HNU

We currently offer a course with 4 SWS and 5 ECTS. 

Language proficiency level: A1

The Japanese language uses a complex writing system that is a mixture of the Chinese characters Kanji, the syllabic scripts Hiragana (used for simple words and grammatical applications) and Katakana (used for foreign terms).

Learn Japanese at HNU

We currently offer two courses of 2 SWS/2 ECTS.

Language proficiency level: A1.1 and A1.2

Spanish is spoken by around 590 million people worldwide as their mother tongue, making it one of the most widely spoken languages in the world. Our lecturers come from different countries such as Argentina and Chile.

Learn Spanish at the HNU

You can take Spanish as a compulsory elective or elective subject on all degree programmes.

Depending on your level of knowledge, you can start with Spanish A1, Spanish A2 or Spanish B1 (5 ECTS or semester hours per week). Information on the Spanish courses of the respective HNU degree programmes can be found here (opens in a new window).

Language proficiency level: A1, A2, B1

On the Business Administration (opens in a new window) degree programme, you can decide from the 2nd semester onwards whether you would like to improve your English or learn French or Spanish as a second foreign language. On all other degree programmes, you can choose Spanish as an elective or compulsory elective subject.

If you choose Spanish as your second foreign language on the Business Administration degree programme, you will have two consecutive compulsory courses in the second and third semesters of your degree programme, each comprising four semester hours per week (8 ECTS). Depending on your level of knowledge, you will take "Business Spanish B1" (if you have at least A2 according to CEFR with an average grade of 2.3 or better) or "Spanish A1+A2" (without prior knowledge). Together with English, Spanish is part of the "Languages" module.