German language courses

Who are we

The Laboratory of Modern Languages (LLM) is the USI University language centre. It offers German language courses from A1.1 level up to C1.2 level of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). Each course aims to develop oral and written comprehension and oral and written production skills. The courses are free of charge for all USI members. For further information and registration, please refer to the information below.

Laboratory of Modern Languages

Laboratory of Modern Languages lecturers

Language courses open to external users

USI Alumni, students enrolled at other Swiss universities and external users may be admitted to courses on a fee-paying basis only if places are available. Fees and registration procedures can be found on the LLM website:

• Language courses open to USI Alumni and students of other Swiss universities;
• Language courses open to External users.

Why is it important to learn German?

• German is one of Switzerland's four national languages;
• German is the first language of over 60 per cent of the population;
• Multilingualism is fundamental in Switzerland;
• A good knowledge of German broadens your study and career opportunities in Switzerland and abroad;
• An officially recognised certificate is a requirement for admission to universities in German-speaking Switzerland and other German-speaking countries such as Germany, Austria and Liechtenstein;
• The knowledge of the language could be a requirement for university mobility programmes;
• A good knowledge of German is essential for professional integration not only in German-speaking cantons but throughout Switzerland. For example, the Federal Act on Medical Professions (LPMed) requires all future doctors to have the necessary language skills to practise their profession.

Official German language certification

The Goethe-Institut examination centre operates at the Università della Svizzera italiana, for information please click here.
Head of the Goethe-Institut Examination centre of Italian-speaking Switzerland is: Claudia Moor

USI German language lecturers

Luisa Donner

Claudia Moor

Ursula Wolf

German language supervisor

Susanne Stigen Pescia

LANGUAGE COURSES ORIENTATION QUESTIONNAIRE

To discover the language courses offered by the university and the language requirements for your study programme, you can complete the “Language Courses Orientation Questionnaire”.

Click on the button.

Orientation Questionnaire

Attention: completing the questionnaire does not constitute official registration for the courses. To register, go to "Online Registration"

German language courses at USI. Location and schedule

The courses take place on the Lugano and Mendrisio campuses. The timetables and classrooms will be communicated to students a few days before the start of the course.

Entrance test

All higher-level courses require knowledge of the material covered in other courses. A final decision on admission can therefore only be taken after the entrance test organised on the first day of the course.

End-of-course test

Various assessment procedures are planned during the course, including an end-of-course test.

CEFR level

Knowledge of the CEFR levels allows you to assess your initial language skills and to enrol in the language courses best suited to your needs.

CEFR self-assessment grid from A1.1 to C2.2

QCER online language assessment test

Conversion CEFR assessment test score

• 0 - 18: A1.1 / 19 - 48: A1.2
• 49 - 73: A2.1 / 74 - 96: A2.2
• 97 - 121: B1.1 / 122 - 144: B1.2
• 145 - 169: B2.1 / 170 - 192: B2.2

Study path

The table shows the possible language paths according to the starting level and the development of skills over two years. The language offer includes:

• Intensive 60-hour pre-semester courses before the start of the semester in both Autumn (Pre-SA) and Spring (Pre-SP), the first two weeks of September and the first two weeks of February.
• Semester courses of 28 or 56 hours with 2 or 4 hours per week during both Autumn Semester (SA) and Spring Semester (SP) with the same number of hours of self-study.

Workload

At levels A, B and C, practical semester-long courses are offered, each lasting 56 hours (28 hours of in-person classes and 28 hours of independent study or 56 hours in-person) and for some levels also pre-semester intensive courses of 60 hours, and aimed at the balanced development of the four language skills. To progress to the next level, the completion of at least two courses per level is required. By way of example, to achieve level B2 it is necessary to attend courses B2.1 and B2.2, for a total of 112 hours (56 hours in-person and 56 hours of independent study), in addition to at least the same number of hours of practice. Only upon completion of this pathway is it possible to access courses at the next level, namely C1.1. The overall duration of each level corresponds to approximately one academic year. Attendance is compulsory in order to ensure adequate development of all four language skills.

Registration

Places are limited, please only register if you are serious about attending more than 75% of the course.

Withdrawal

Good course planning requires accurate data on the number of participants. In the event of an unforeseen withdrawal, it is the candidate's responsibility to inform the Laboratory of Modern Languages before the start of the course by writing promptly to [email protected].

Frequently Asked Questions

Reading the Frequently Asked Questions section helps to resolve doubts quickly at any time. To make it easier to find answers, the questions are divided into different topics.

Click on the FAQ button.

FAQ

ECTS LANGUAGE COURSES

ECTS All Faculties

ECTS Bachelor in Communication

ECTS Bachelor in Lingua, letteratura e civiltà italiana

SCHEDULING AND ONLINE REGISTRATION FOR GERMAN LANGUAGE COURSES

Withdrawal

For a good planning of the courses it is very important to have precise data on the number of participants. In the event of an unexpected withdrawal, it is the candidate's responsibility to inform the administration before the start of the course by writing to [email protected].

To explore course offerings and register for a course, select the USI campus where you study/work:

Lugano Campuses

(Faculty of Biomedical Sciences; Faculty of Communication, Culture and Society; Faculty of Economics; Faculty of Informatics; Faculty of Theology of Lugano)

Mendrisio Campus

(Academy of Architecture)