Program Terms:
Spring Semester & Academic Year
Overview:
Thurgau University of Teacher Education (Pädagogische Hochschule Thurgau/PHTG) offers practical training and further education based on scientific research for teachers of all primary and secondary levels (I and II), as well as early childhood expert degree courses. At present, more than 700 teachers-to-be and students of the Early Childhood Master’s degree are registered at PHTG. Moreover, there are over 4,000 registrations for continuing training courses every year. This translates into approximately 13,000 training days attended by teachers from all over Switzerland and abroad.
PHTG opened its doors in 2003 – as the first university-level institute in the Canton of Thurgau. It unites the entire teacher training faculty under its roof, a tradition that is nearly 180 years old in Thurgau. With around 800 students PHTG is a small community with a friendly atmosphere. The campus offers modern facilities, such as a library providing students with a quiet environment for research and study and a New Media Center offering the latest audio-visual equipment, as well as science labs, art studios, athletic fields, and gyms. PHTG is located in Kreuzlingen, a border town in the northeast corner of Switzerland, minutes away from the city of Constance, Germany by foot or public transportation, and only an hour from Zurich, Switzerland’s biggest city. Due to its central and unique location on the shores of Lake Constance, Kreuzlingen is an attractive, yet, by Swiss standards, very affordable town. (Source: Pädagogische Hochschule Thurgau website)
Academic Details:
The undergraduate programs at PHTG are centered around training for teaching pre-primary (Kindergarten) or primary school education (grades 1 to 6). Courses concentrate not only on teaching skills and practical training but also on many individual subjects (including music, arts & crafts, and foreign languages).
The primary language of instruction at PHTG is German, however, PHTG also offers a range of courses taught in English, mainly during the spring semester. Information on the courses that are offered in English can be found under the Useful Links for Exchange Students section at the bottom of the page. It is important to note that students with little or no knowledge of the German language will be requested to attend a German course throughout the semester or take part in an intensive German course at the beginning of their stay.
What makes the PHTG partnership especially unique is fact that students will not only be able to attend classes at PHTG but also the University of Constance (Universität Konstanz). PHTG is Switzerland’s only university that has partnered up closely with a top-class university in the EU – a cooperation made easy due to the immediate vicinity of the German city of Constance, which is just across the border, easily accessible by foot or public transportation. For their subject-specific modules, secondary school level I students can attend the broad range of lectures and events of the University of Constance. Secondary school level II students can do their course with an Euregio profile.
The academic calendar for PHTG is not aligned with that of UH Mānoa. For example, the spring semester generally begins around the middle of February and ends towards the end of June, with examinations taking place at the end of June through the beginning of July. As for the autumn (fall) semester, students can expect to begin around the end of October and remain enrolled until the end of January, with examinations taking place around the first week of February. (Source: Pädagogische Hochschule Thurgau Information Fact Sheet)
Exchange students can gain up to 30 ECTS-credits by attending the English-taught courses. In general, one course taught at UH Mānoa is typically 3.0 credits, while in Europe, that same course will be considered 7.5 ECTS-credits. In order to be considered full-time at PHTG, exchange students will need to take four courses that are worth 7.5 ECTS-credits each (Source: Pädagogische Hochschule Thurgau website).
Housing Details:
The International Office provides all incoming exchange students with a fully furnished room in a modern and centrally-located shared apartment. Photos of the apartments can be found on the university’s website. Students preferring individual accommodation can contact the International Office. Exchange students are also provided with a bicycle, which may be used free of charge during their time in Kreuzlingen. The price for renting the shared apartment offered by the International Office is a little more than 400 CHF per month. The shared apartment has a large balcony with a shared bathroom and shared kitchen, as well as Wi-Fi and a washing machine in the building. (Source: Pädagogische Hochschule Thurgau website)
Eligibility:
- Sophomore standing
- 2.5 cumulative GPA
- Students with little or no knowledge of the German language are requested to attend a German course throughout the semester or take part in an intensive German course at the beginning of their stay (subject to availability), as the language of instruction at PHTG is mainly German. Courses taught in English are offered mainly during the spring semester.
