FAQ

Logistical Questions

Where will the students be staying?

The students will be staying at a hotel on campus of the University of Minnesota, Twin City. The campus facilities are closed during the time period of the summer school in August and therefore, student dorms cannot be used. Once the exact hotel is identified, it will be updated on this webpage.

Where will the students get their meals?

As the campus facilities are closed, students need to buy their own food in shops and restaurants nearby. Most probably, the lunch will be provided during lunch breaks, but breakfast and dinner need be bought individually.

How is the flight booking handled?

ZHAW students need to book and pay the return flight to Minneapolis, Minnesota by themselves. Please wait for flight bookings until the organizers have confirmed the conduction of summer school 2025, which will be communicated in February 2025.

Do I need to travel back to Switzerland straight after the summer school, or is there an option to extend the stay in the USA and travel back later?

Yes, you can extend your stay and continue with your vacation or other travels, back-to-back to the summer school.

Is it compulsory to participate in the weekend activities/excursions?

Yes, this is an integral part of the curriculum and team building activities.

Do you have additional questions to be clarified, which are not covered here? Do not hesitate to reach out to Patricia Heuberger at patricia.heuberger@zhaw.ch.

Content Questions

Do I need to pass the assessment exams in order to participate in the summer school?

Yes, this is a prerequisite. If you are a student in its first academic year (full time) or second academic year (part time), you might need to book your flight with a decent cancellation policy. Students not having passed the assessment exams are not allowed to participate.

For which module groups can the 4 ETCS credits be counted?

The credits can be booked into the elective modules group (Wahlplicht Module) of semester 5th (full-time studies), or 7th semester (part-time studies). You will receive a participation confirmation after the summer school, which will be sent to the study administration. They make sure the 4 ECTS credits will be booked into the correct module group. It will be communicated later to which module group exactly the 4 ETCS credits can be booked.

If I had already topics covered by the summer school curriculum during my previous studies; is it still worthwhile to participate?

Yes, it is. The curriculum is set-up in way that you will work in teams to tackle a challenge and solve a concrete problem.

Do you have additional questions to be clarified, which are not covered here? Do not hesitate to reach out to Michael Wüthrich at michael.wüthrich@zhaw.ch.