In October 2023, thirty-eight students of different specialties from Kharkiv Polytechnic started their studies under the DSG:2 double diploma program. This project has been implemented since 2022 by the National Technical University «Kharkiv Polytechnic Institute» and the Otto-von-Guericke University of Magdeburg (OVGU) (Germany). The second-year students of the NTU «Kharkiv Polytechnic Institute» were enrolled in the German university for the first year and, subject to successful completion of their studies, will receive two bachelor’s diplomas – from Kharkiv Polytechnic and OVGU. Eighteen future engineers will be studying fundamental knowledge in electrical engineering, five people have chosen mechanical engineering, and fifteen students are studying chemical engineering.
The DSG:2 double diploma program allows Ukrainian applicants who are living in Germany as refugees to simultaneously enrol in NTU «KhPI» and OVGU, and after successful completion of their studies, receive two diplomas: of the Ukrainian and German partner universities. This is a new stage of the DSG (Deutschsprachige Studiengänge) project for masters, which has been implemented by the National Technical University «Kharkiv Polytechnic Institute» and the Otto-von-Guericke University of Magdeburg for over 15 years.
We should note that today Kharkiv Polytechnic is the only Ukrainian university that offers applicants to enter the 1st year of bachelor’s degree in the specialities agreed upon by the joint program with OVGU.
«The DSG:2 program is aimed at facilitating and accelerating the start of studies for Ukrainian refugees at a German university. Once in Germany, our compatriots quickly realized that the school and higher education systems in Ukraine and Germany are very different. Sometimes this difference is fundamental, for example, the length and multidisciplinary nature of schooling. Therefore, the process of entering a university, which is simple and straightforward in Ukraine, turned out to be very difficult and often impossible for graduates of Ukrainian schools in Germany. We are proud that our long-term and successful cooperation with the Otto-von-Guericke University of Magdeburg has become the basis for the creation and implementation of such a large and comprehensive program to support our compatriots abroad,» says Denys Meshkov, coordinator of the DSG:2 program from NTU «KhPI» and head of the German Education Centre of Kharkiv Polytechnic. According to him, this project allows active, motivated and purposeful students to start their studies at a German university as soon as possible. It is carried out in specialities that are in high demand in the European and global labor markets, which also provides an additional motivational incentive for higher education applicants. According to Denys Meshkov, the successful implementation of the DSG:2 project in 2022 led to a significant increase in interest in the joint program of the NTU «KhPI» and OVGU in 2023. According to this program, students are enrolled in a German university on the basis of a German language certificate of B1 or higher, while all German universities require at least B2. The head of the German Education Centre of NTU «KhPI» says that while studying at OVGU, our students are obliged to improve their German skills during the first year of study at free language courses at the university.
«We are pleased to accept 38 students from NTU «KhPI» to study at three engineering faculties of the University of Magdeburg! They will receive a high-quality higher education together with their German colleagues and improve their German language skills,» says OVGU DSG:2 coordinator Professor Martin Volter. «To make Ukrainian students feel comfortable, we provide them with special support. This also applies to future masters who also participate in the DSG program. We will continue to develop the project, as students’ interest in it is growing. In 2023, for example, we have already registered about 200 people who want to join the program. After the end of the war in Ukraine, we plan to make some changes to the training of Ukrainian students, for whom most of the lectures will be held at their home university. All students of the double diploma program were provided with a one-time payment of 500 euros, and according to the developed student ranking and the results of their studies and language testing, they receive scholarships ranging from 934 to 1100 euros.»
Note:
The Double Diploma Program DSG:2 is a comprehensive educational support program for Ukrainian refugees who were forced to leave Ukraine and are now residing in Germany or other EU countries. Given the peculiarities of the European education system, in most cases Ukrainian refugees and school leavers do not have the opportunity to enter universities directly after graduating from a Ukrainian school. In order to participate in the DSG:2 program and be enrolled in a German university, a school graduate needs to enter the first year of study at NTU «KhPI» and start studying in a distance learning format. After completing the first year of study, the program participants are enrolled in the first year of study at a German university and begin their studies in Germany as full-fledged German students. The program includes moving to Magdeburg and living in a dormitory.
The project of the DSG:2 double diploma program, implemented by the National Technical University «KhPI» and the Otto-von-Guericke University of Magdeburg, was launched in June 2022. It is aimed at Ukrainian applicants who are in Germany.