The Department of Sociology offers an undergraduate student exchange program with the University of Copenhagen in Denmark. The University of Copenhagen is the largest, most prestigious and oldest (est. 1479) university in Denmark and among the best universities in Europe. It offers a variety of social science courses in English—many designed specifically for students from North American and other European universities. Students may choose courses in sociology, anthropology, government, psychology, and economics.
This is Dartmouth’s only off-campus program in any Scandinavian country. It allows students to benefit from the experience of a large, urban university in a country with social, political and economic systems that are much different from those in the United States. Students will be able to take courses that often focus on these systems. In particular, the Scandinavian countries are noted for having the most egalitarian economic systems in the world, social democratic governments, generous welfare states, and in most cases very liberal cultural traditions. The program will enable students to become fully affiliated members of the University of Copenhagen with complete access to libraries, lectures, seminars and, of course, the beautiful city of Copenhagen, and surrounding environs!
Marketplace
Program: Dartmouth students go to Copenhagen only during the fall term. They select from a variety of courses in the social sciences. Students will be expected to take the normal course load of a full-time student. Because the University of Copenhagen is on a semester system, Dartmouth students will take three or four courses, depending on the number of credits granted per course at Copenhagen. Students choose social science courses from the University of Copenhagen’s course offerings that are taught in English. These are courses in sociology, anthropology, political science, psychology, and economics.
This is an exchange program—not an FSP or LSA—and is best suited for students who are looking for a truly independent experience. That is, the exchange is for students who want to be immersed in the local culture and with the local people rather than segregated largely with fellow Dartmouth travelers. No Dartmouth faculty will accompany students on the exchange. Hence, when problems arise students will have to solve them as best they can on their own. Of course, the University of Copenhagen, primarily through its International Office, will assist students in any way it can, but it is a large bureaucratic university and does not have the sorts of support for students, that Dartmouth has, such as through the Dartmouth Dean of Student’s Office. Moreover, students participating on the exchange should not expect the amenities that they have at Dartmouth (i.e., high-speed internet in dorms and class rooms, wireless computing, free long-distance telephone, easily accessible and inexpensive/free photocopying, free access to gymnasium facilities, open stacks in the libraries, university cafeterias and dining halls, etc.). The Danish university system is different from Dartmouth’s. Nevertheless, the opportunity to live and study in a country like Denmark is extraordinary.
Language: Most Danes speak English fluently. For this reason and because the program’s courses are taught in English, Dartmouth students will not require language training in Danish. Indeed, Copenhagen is a very easy city to manage for English speaking travelers.
Students at the University of Copenhagen
Academic Calendar: The University of Copenhagen is on a semester system, which starts the beginning of September and runs through mid-January. Classes are generally finished by mid-December with final exams in late December or early January. Dartmouth students make arrangements early in the term with their Danish professors to take final exams (or an appropriate substitute). Often courses require a major term paper (20-25 pages) rather than a final exam, so the possibility for scheduling conflicts between Copenhagen and Dartmouth is minimized.
Tuition, Fees, Housing, and Other Costs: Students pay Dartmouth tuition to Dartmouth for the term. Housing costs are separate and are paid to either the University of Copenhagen or a landlord. Students typically do their own food shopping and cooking so, depending on your culinary skills and tastes, the costs of food vary. However, it is important to remember that exchange rates fluctuate. This means that the cost in U.S. dollars for housing, food, public transportation, and other things may vary. Copenhagen is an expensive place to live when the value of the dollar is weak against the Danish kroner, as it has been recently. As of early 2008, the University of Copenhagen estimates the following monthly costs: Housing (3,000 Danish kroner/400 Euro); food and necessities (1,500DKK/200EUR); phone (200DKK/30EUR); books (200DKK/30EUR); transportation (250DKK/35EUR); pocket money (1,000DKK/140EUR). Hence, total estimated monthly expenses are 6,150DKK/835EUR, or about $1,230 per month.
Financial Aid: All those presently receiving Dartmouth financial aid are also eligible for this aid in the Copenhagen exchange program.
Ships in the harbor
Application Procedure: Applications are available on-line. Students apply for the program via the Off-Campus Program web site (http://www.dartmouth.edu/~ocp/). To apply, click on “Programs” located above the “Announcements” block. The exchange can then be found either by using the search engine, or listing all of the programs on the menu of options and then scrolling down to the “University of Copenhagen” and selecting the program. Once at the University of Copenhagen section, begin the application process by selecting “Apply Now.” Applications must be submitted with two letters of recommendation by February 1.
The program is open to all social science majors. Students who apply are required to have an overall grade point average of at least 3.0. At the discretion of the selection committee, there may be an interview by the committee in the winter term. If you will not be at Dartmouth during the winter term, your interview would need to be in fall term unless you make other arrangements. Selection is based upon the strength of the application, two letters of recommendation, and the number of spaces available in the program (which varies from one year to the next). Recommendation letters must be from Dartmouth faculty members who have taught you in class, a class dean, or both. Acceptance letters will be mailed by early March.
In the past, a few students have registered as foreign students at the University of Copenhagen independently of the Dartmouth-Copenhagen exchange program. Now, however, under Danish law, the University of Copenhagen is not permitted to allow foreign students to register outside the bounds of a formal exchange agreement if such an agreement exits between the University of Copenhagen and the student’s home school. Hence, it is now illegal for Dartmouth students to enroll at the University of Copenhagen other than through the Dartmouth-Copenhagen exchange program.
Housing: All Dartmouth students will be provided by the University of Copenhagen with housing in flats, family homes, student apartments, or converted dorms. Because housing in Copenhagen is in short supply, it is likely that students will be notified about the specifics of their housing situation only 2-4 weeks before their departure to Denmark. Students should apply to the University of Copenhagen for housing as soon as possible after being accepted into the program. The University of Copenhagen has only a very few dormitories and no dining halls. As noted above, students should not expect the same level of amenities that Dartmouth offers its students in the dorms (e.g., high-speed internet access, free long distance telephone, etc.). Nor should students assume that they will necessarily be living with other Dartmouth students.
Danish Parliament
Course Load: A course load for Copenhagen students is usually three courses, depending on the number of credits per course. Dartmouth students will carry a similar course load. Some departments may not allow you to take courses unless you have already had a course in their field prior to arriving in Copenhagen. For example, if you never took a sociology course before, the Department of Sociology at the University of Copenhagen may not let you register for their courses.
Transfer Credits: Students can receive up to three credits at Dartmouth for work completed successfully at Copenhagen. You will receive 1 credit at Dartmouth for every 10 ECTS worth of credits at Copenhagen. There are a couple of ways you can do this. (1) Take 3 classes each worth 10 ECTS or (2) take 2 classes each worth 10 ECTS and two classes each worth 5 ECTS. (ECTS is the way Danes count credits for courses.) If you take less than 30 ECTS, then you will not receive 3 transfer credits at Dartmouth. For instance, if you only take 25 ECTS then you will only receive 2 transfer credits at Dartmouth.
Obtaining Transfer Credit Approval: Dartmouth requires students to obtain written approval of courses they wish to take at other universities in order for them to receive transfer credit for these courses. This includes the Dartmouth-Copenhagen exchange program. This must be done before the course is taken. Do not wait until the last minute to do this. It involves obtaining the appropriate transfer credit forms from the Registrar’s Office, and seeking permission for transfer credit from the relevant department. Sociology courses are approved by the Sociology Department; government courses by the Government Department; and so on. At the department’s discretion, students must often provide a copy of the course syllabus from Denmark and share it with the department from which transfer credit approval is being sought. This may take weeks to do so do not wait until the last minute. Grades received at Copenhagen are not recorded on the Dartmouth transcript. Instead, Dartmouth only records transfer credits as TR. Courses taken TR can be used for distributive credit at Dartmouth, if approved by the relevant department.
Grades: In order for a course credit at Copenhagen to be transferred for credit at Dartmouth you must receive no less than a grade of 4. A grade of 4 is equivalent to a C at Dartmouth. The Danish system of grading uses a 7 point scale with 12 being the highest grade. The Danish system is as follows: 12/A = outstanding; 10/B = excellent performance; 7/C = good performance; 4/D = average performance; 02/E = passable performance; 00/Fx = inadequate performance; -3/F = unacceptable performance. Grading is generally tougher in Denmark than at Dartmouth. Rarely do students receive a 12 in their courses.
Student Health Services: All participating students will be required to carry adequate health insurance and to provide proof to the host institution that this insurance will cover the costs of health care for the full period of the exchange.
Tivoli Garden
Student Visa/Residence Permit: Students are required by Danish law to obtain a student resident permit. The International Office at the University of Copenhagen will assist students in obtaining this permit. Application for a permit must be made at least two months prior to the student’s departure for Denmark. In fact, students accepted to the program should begin immediately to arrange for their visas. You will be required to submit your U.S. passport to the Danish authorities as part of the visa application process, so if you wait until the last minute to apply for a visa you run the risk of having neither a visa nor a passport when it is time for you to go to Copenhagen! Please note that in the past students who have failed to get a student visa have been denied access to the libraries and experienced other difficulties. For more information about obtaining a student resident permit, contact any Danish consulate in the United States, such as the Royal Danish Consulate General in New York (tel. 212-223-4545 ext. 5) or see their web site at www.denmark.org.
On the web: Further information about the program can be found on the web at http://www.samf.ku.dk (the University of Copenhagen social science programs web site) and http://international.ku.dk (the University of Copenhagen International Office web site). These sites include a tremendous amount of information about the University of Copenhagen, the city of Copenhagen, course offerings, semester calendar, exams and exam scheduling, computing facilities, photocopying facilities, faculty, visas, health insurance, different academic departments offering courses in English, housing, costs of living, grading, and many other things.
Further Information: Professor John Campbell, Department of Sociology, 123 Silsby Hall.
2/2008
