Transcript University of Southern Denmark

University of
Southern
Denmark
Odense, Denmark
The University of Southern Denmark was
established in 1998 through a merger
involving Odense University, the Southern
Denmark School of Business and Engineering
and South Jutland University Centre. On
January 1, 2006, Odense University College of
Engineering was incorporated into the
University of Southern Denmark, establishing
the Faculty of Engineering.
The university’s student population is
approximately 15,000, with about 3,000 of
those being international students. Faculties
of the University of Southern Denmark
include: Health Sciences, Science and
Engineering, Engineering, Social Sciences,
Humanities.
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Chemical Engineering
Electrical Power Engineering
Environmental Engineering
Mechanical Engineering
Software Engineering
Structural Engineering
Also, courses are offered in these
additional engineering areas
- Global Management and
Manufacturing
- Interaction Design
- Mechatronics
- Innovation and Business
- Product Development and
Innovation
The main portion of SDU’s Odense
campus is unique compared to the
environment you are used to at Iowa
State. Almost all students are gathered
under one roof, and this means that you
will meet lots of different students from
various courses every day. There is a
second part of the Odense campus,
accessible by bus or bike, where many of
the Faculty of Engineering modules are
currently taught. The engineering
buildings are somewhat separated by
discipline and lab, and you may have
courses in a variety of these buildings.
With about 180,000 inhabitants, Odense is the
regional capital of Funen and the third biggest
city in Denmark. The city is more than a
thousand years old and various museums tell
the history of Odense and of Denmark. Its
name comes from Odin, chief of the ancient
Viking gods. Odense lies within a short
distance of beaches and many leisure
activities are offered. Lively and youthful, the
historical city on Funen has a bustling social
scene and is little more than an hour away
from Copenhagen.
Curious about what there is to do in the town
of Odense? Visit this site:
http://www.visitodense.com/international/engb/menu/turist/tourist-odense.htm.
• The climate of Odense is in the temperate zone. The winters are not particularly cold, with
mean temperatures in January and February of 32 °F, and the summers are cool, with a
mean temperature in August of 60 °F. Denmark has an average of 121 days per year with
precipitation, on average receiving a total of 28 inches per year; autumn is the wettest
season and spring the driest.
• Due to Denmark's northern location, the length of the day with sunlight varies greatly.
There are short days during the winter with sunrise coming around 9:00 am and sunset
4:30 pm, as well as long summer days with sunrise at 4:00 am and sunset at 10 pm.
• Denmark is a very health and environment conscious society. There is a 200% tax on
automobiles, gas is very expensive and a toll over a bridge could run 50$. Therefore public
transportation and bicycling is the way most people get around in Odense. Bicycling is
widely popular and much respected on the streets within Odense. The Southern
Denmark University campus in Odense is spread out and the topography is very flat so
bicycling is easy, and students should expect to purchase a bicycle during their time in
Odense.
Cost of living while studying at SDU is personal to the student’s
expectations and needs/wants, however this is an estimate
provided by SDU about typical student expenses:
Please refer to the current
exchange rate to estimate
Cost of living (2010)
expenses based on Euro to US
Dollar. Students who have
Monthly living costs: On average €600-700 Euros per month in total
studied abroad at SDU report a
• Accommodation: On average €300 per month
higher average cost of living
• Books and teaching material: exchange students must buy most of the books needed for the
classes.
compared to what they were
Health insurance: 0! – after six weeks international students are covered by the Danish health
able to purchase in the U.S., so
insurance (for students staying more than 3 months)
you should plan on these higher
Price examples:
expenses for activities like
- 1 litre of milk
€1
- 1 kg of pasta
€1
entertainment and going out to
- Beer at a pub
€4
- Meal at a restaurant
€15
eat, or you can plan to do your
- Cinema ticket
€10
- Meal a McDonalds
€7
own cooking and seek out less
expensive entertainment
options.
Classrooms, technology
Classrooms for many of the faculties at
the University of Southern Denmark Odense are located either in the main
campus building or in the buildings
located nearby the central campus
buildings (accessible by road via bus or by
bike via path between campuses).
Every student at the University gets
computer and internet access. You receive
information on your username and
password along with your student card on
arrival. This makes it possible for you to
use the computers of your study at the
University. To find the location of the
computer rooms you have access to,
check the campus information.
Library
The University Library of Southern
Denmark gives access to books, journals,
newspapers, maps, notes, microfilm and a
wide range of electronic information
resources. The library has about 1,6
million volumes in all, subscribes to 3.100
paper periodicals and gives access to
about 50.000 electronic journals plus an
extensive number of electronic research
databases. The collections chiefly cover
the subject areas that are researched and
taught in at the University of Southern
Denmark, but almost all subject areas are
represented in the library's collections.
• The University of Southern Denmark generally guarantees housing to all
international students*, moving to Denmark to study. If you already live in
Denmark when you apply, you are last in line for accommodation.
• The housing guarantee only applies to applicants who apply for housing and
apply to become a student with a complete application by the housing
application deadline May 1/November 1.
*An international student is a student degree student coming to Denmark study
a degree offered in English, or an exchange or guest student coming to Denmark
to study.
• The process is as follows:
- Apply to become a student at the University of Southern Denmark by filling in
the relevant application form
- Submit a housing from along with the student application form. Alternatively
send the housing form after you have sent in the student application form.
Note, that housing forms without an accompanying student application form
are not processed.
Student halls are off campus
Danish students live in either private or rented
flats, rented rooms, or in student halls
(kollegium). International students get a room in
student halls or in private rooms. Note that all
student halls are off campus. The rooms vary in
size and are typically between 10-16 m2. At the
student halls, you pay according to the size of the
room.
Housing requests
If you wish the University to find accommodation
for you, you can note the specific requests you
may have regarding which student hall you wish
to be placed in. SDU tries to meet the wishes of
applicants, but they can unfortunately not
guarantee that your wish will be fulfilled.
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Terms: Please note that SDU only find accommodations for you once. If you decide to extend
your stay, you will either have to keep your accommodation or give it up and find something
new on your own.
If you leave Denmark for a period of time (eg. sabbatical leave, internship or exchange
stay) SDU does not find new accommodations for you when you return to Denmark. You will
then have to find accommodation on your own.
Furniture: Your room will be furnished with a bed, a desk, shelves, chair and a lamp.
Internet access: All housing has internet access – with very few exceptions.
License fee: In Denmark every household has to pay a media license if the house hold has any
electric appliances such as TV, radio, video, DVD, computer with internet access, mobile phone
or similar electronic devices that work as a television or radio receiver.
As a student in Denmark with your own room, you will be a household. You should therefore
expect to have to pay this fee while you are Denmark. You pay about DKK 180 per month
(approximately $35).
Contents insurance: In Denmark you are expected to have contents insurance. If you choose
not to take out insurance for your housing, you should be aware that there is no coverage for
you in case of theft and burglary.
Housing application deadlines : Autumn: May 1 & Spring: November 1
Student Shop: At the Student Shop, the staff can help
you with binding publications, renting a digital
camera, publishing on Dagsedlen and getting cards for
the swimming bath.
Book Shop: There is a book shop where you can buy
the necessary study books and articles and also order
books. The book shop grants a discount for students.
Swimming bath: Students can use the swimming
bath for free between 08.00-15.00 if it is not used for
lessons.
Room for quiet contemplation: On Campus Odense,
there is a room for reflection and meditation. Students
with the need for a mental break are welcome to use
the room.
Erasmus Student Network (ESN) in Odense:
ESN arranges various social activities for
international students, beginning with an
introduction to campus as well as to Odense.
Other activities are excursions, international
cafes, and parties. Getting involved in ESN is
an easy way to meet international students
and Danes as well. It is a network established
by students on a voluntary basis.
The ESN office is located on “Stenten” by the
Student ShopStudenterbutik. ESN’s notice
board is placed at “Gydehutten”, opposite the
Library. You can contact them by phone during
office hours: 6550 2706 or by
email: [email protected].
• It is important that you arrive in time for the Orientation Day
that is held a couple of days before the semester starts. At the
orientation day, you get practical and important information
regarding academic matters, life in Denmark etc.
• International students are met by the Welcoming
Committee at the train station 5-7 days before the
orientation day. Refer to your admission information for
specific dates and details. The Welcoming Committee
can help you with the following:
- key to your accommodation (if you asked the
university to find you accommodation)
- how to get to your housing in Odense
- they give you your welcome envelope containing
important practical information
- questions you may have
To and From Institution
• Transportation: You can take the
train to any of the campus cities
from Copenhagen airport.
• Arrival: If you are new to
Denmark, you are met on arrival at
the train station. You receive
arrival details after you have been
accepted.
While in-country
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Bicycles: If you like to ride a bike, we recommend that you buy a bicycle and take advantage of the many bicycle
paths and do as many of the Danes do: ride a bike.
You can buy a new bike at stores like Bilka, Kvickly from about €200. If you are looking for a good bike, go to a bike
shop. You can also buy a second-hand bike. Look in the local paper or “Gul og Gratis”. Ask a Danish student to help
you read the ads.
Buses: You can take city buses around town. You can buy single tickets and a monthly card that gives you free
access to all the city buses. There are also buses between cities. Generally buses make stops by the train station
Trains: You can take the train to most major cities in Denmark and of course travel to all over Europe. You can
book tickets through the travel planner for Danish trains. You can book a seat for an additional DKK 20 (€2.7).
If you travel with a city bus to the train station in connection with your train ride, you can use your train ticket for
the bus as well. The exception is if you booked your ticket and printed it out from the internet.
Reductions: You can travel at a considerably reduced rate if you purchase the so-called “orange tickets”. For
more information contact DSB.
If you are between 16-25 years old, you also have the possibility of purchasing a DSB WildCard. With this card you
can get reductions on train tickets bought for DSB trains. The reduction is 50% if you travel Mondays – Thursdays
and/or Saturdays and 25% if you travel Fridays and/or Sundays. The card costs about DKK 200 a year.
CPR.NO. = Central Personal Registration Number
Any person staying in Denmark for more than three months, must register at the National Register and get a cpr.no.
when they have received their residence permit. Citizens of one of the Nordic countries must register at the National
Register after six months. They do not need to apply for residence permit first. About a week after you have been at
the National Register, you receive your cpr. no. which consists of your birth date plus four random digits. To open up a
bank account, you must have the Danish cpr.no.
Students have the opportunity to travel during holiday breaks.
When is the best time to go? (semester vs. year-long vs. summer)
Format of courses (credits/modules, grading, lectures/labs)
Engineering lectures are given in groups of 20-25 students and are based on dialogue rather
than one way communication. The style of learning is very different in Denmark. Instead of
reports, quizzes mid-terms and finals, students are generally given a semester long project,
and the instructor takes the role of a guide as you problem solve your way through the
project. At the end of the semester there is one final exam that makes up all the grading.
Learning approach
The Engineering Education Model of the
University of Southern Denmark (DSMI)
DSMI applies to all engineering study programs
Through a project based and holistic approach to education, DSMI focuses on the
development of the students’ academic, personal and learning competences. The key idea is:
Problembased
learning
in
teams
Involvement
Responsibility
Creativity
Efficient learning
Collaborative
Grading scale is based on a number, instead of a
letter grade:
12: An excellent performance
10: A very good performance
7: A good performance
4: A fair performance
2: A minimally adequate performance
00: An inadequate performance
-3: An unacceptable performance
To view course descriptions for the modules
listed above, refer to the following link:
(Click on your program of interest, and then find
the link to courses within that specific discipline)
http://www.sdu.dk/Uddannelse/Exchange_Pro
grammes