6 must-reads before you apply
1) Annual workload
If you are applying for a pre-approval at a university that does not use ECTS, you will be asked to indicate the 'annual workload' - that is, the number of points students at the home university take per academic year in order to complete the programme within a standardized period (i.e. equivalent to 60 ECTS).
This is the conversion factor that DTU uses, when the host university's points are converted to ECTS.
- Please note that there are often different workloads at bachelor (undergraduate) - and master level (graduate).
- If you take both undergraduate and graduate courses abroad, you will need to register both annual workloads and at each individual course indicate whether it is undergraduate or graduate credits.
An annual workload example
If you take courses at Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) at bachelor level, the annual workload is 32 credits. It is therefore the 32 credits, you will need to put this on your application under 'annual workload'.
Find the annual workload
You will often be able to find the annual workload on DTU Beyond Borders under det individual university's information page. However, if the information is not available, you can look for the information on the host university's website.
2) Course level
If the courses you include on your pre-approval are master (graduate) courses, you must include documentation for the course level.
Graduate level and year 4 courses
Fourth year bachelor (undergraduate) courses (e.g. in the US or Asia) can be transferred as graduate level courses to your degree at DTU. If you are planning on taking 4th year courses, you will need to list them as graduate courses on your pre-approval application and upload supporting documentation on the 4th year level.
Please note that although 4th courses count as graduate level, the annual workload will still need to be counted as undergradudate credits.
Example of different workloads
At the University of British Columbia (UBC) the annual workload is as follows:
- 30 credits for undergraduate programmes
- 24 credits for graduate programmes.
For this reason, if you for example as a master student take the following two courses at UBC:
- One 4th year undergraduate course (X) worth 3 undergraduate credits
- One graduate course (Y) worth 3 graduate credits, you will need list is as follows in your pre-approval application:
X course – 3 undergraduate credits - graduate level (the merit system will automatically calculate this to be worth 6 ECTS)
Y course – 3 graduate credits – graduate level (the merit system will automatically calculate this to be worth7,5 ECTS)
3) Remember the flag model
If you are a BSc or MSc student, remember to keep the flag model in mind when choosing which group you wish to transfer credits to.
One course can be transferred to more than one group
In the pre-approval application it is possible to split courses between more than one group, for example a course worth 6.66 ECTS can be transferred as 5 ECTS towards technological specialization and 1,66 ECTS towards the electives group.
4) Choose engineering relevant courses
The mandatory courses
Courses that are to be transferred to mandatory groups must meet the learning objectives in your specific
programme specifications. It is your Head of Studies that evaluates these courses through the merit system.
The electives group
Courses that are transferred towards your electives group must be relevant for engineers, but it does not necessarily need to be very close to the learning objectives of your exact study programme.
As a rule of thumb, courses that are to be transferred to the electives group must fall within the content we offer at DTU. A course that does not look like a potential DTU course (e.g. a management course without a technological angle) may potentially be approved, if the course is considered to be generally relevant for engineering students. Whether or not a course can be transferred is always considered on a case-by-case basis.
5) Only for master students: Maximum 10 ECTS at undergraduate level
If you are a master student, you are allowed to transfer and complete a maximum of 10 ECTS at undergraduate level towards your graduate degree. If you haven't already taken these undergraduate points, you can use them abroad.
Please note that, as a graduate student, you can only transfer these bachelor level courses towards you electives group.
6) How many ECTS should I take abroad?
DTU expects you to be a full-time student while studying abroad and take 30 ECTS if you are away for a full semester (13 weeks period plus 3 week period). As an absolute minimum, you are required to follow and transfer 20 ECTS, unless it is a summer school stay. Please note that your host university may require you to enroll into in more 20 ECTS. If this is the case, you will of course need to meet this requirement.