International Relations- Germany

State of Baden-Württemberg

The University of Massachusetts and the universities in the German state of Baden-Württemberg have a 40-year history of providing opportunities for student and faculty exchange and collaborative research. Baden-Württemberg has a strong tradition of teaching and research with six of the nine Baden-Württemberg universities recently given the "excellence" ranking in one or more categories in the latest round of the nation-wide evaluation known as the "Excellence Initiative". This is more universities than any other German state to hold this ranking, making it a popular destination for students who wish to study on exchange in Baden-Württemberg.

Our long-standing partnership with Baden-Württemberg began with, and continues to involve the exchange of students- UMass students studying in Baden-Württemberg and Baden-Württemberg students studying at UMass. In addition, this partnership has enabled the University to build a UMass/ Baden-Württemberg Science and Technology Exchange. The purpose of this program is to foster science and technology collaboration and encourage cooperative research relationships that link the Massachusetts and Baden-Württemberg with industry.

In June of 2005, more than one dozen UMass faculty members visited universities in Baden-Württemberg to meet with their counterparts in science and technology. Similarly, in 2006 the University of Massachusetts hosted faculty researchers from universities in Baden-Württemberg and companies with German connections.

Learn more about the Baden-Württemberg exchange program at UMass Amherst.
Learn more about the 2005 Baden-Württemberg Science & Technology Exchange initiative lead by UMass Amherst.

Baden-Württemberg Universities:

State of Hessen

In 2004, the University of Massachusetts and Germany's Hessen State Ministry of Higher Education , Research and the Arts signed a memorandum of understanding to create a framework for student exchange, to encourage faculty and administrative contacts and promote the mutual discovery of knowledge. Students from all five campuses take advantage of the popular Hessen International Summer Universities program. These four-week courses are held at five universities throughout Hessen and are designed for students who want to learn more about the German and European dimension of their respective subjects. Classes are taught in both German and English, giving students the opportunity to participate based on their language abilities.

In 2007, the President of the University of Massachusetts and the Minister of Higher Education in Hessen signed the implementing protocol for the system-wide relationship, creating opportunities for University of Massachusetts students to study in Hessen and for Hessen students to study at the University of Massachusetts. Massachusetts is one of only three US states to have a state relationship with Hessen.