Karl Franzens Universität—Graz, Austria
Founded in 1585, Karl-Franzens Universität is the second largest institution of higher learning in Austria, with some 25,000 students. It has faculties of humanities, law and social sciences, medicine, theology, and natural sciences. With six Nobel Prize winners to its credit throughout its history, the University of Graz sets a very high standard in teaching and research. The university can boast of a superb research library and excellent support facilities. You can visit their web site, which may be accessed at least partially in English, at http://www.uni-graz.at/E/.
UALR students can participate in semester, year-long, or summer programs in Graz, Austria. Because UALR has an active exchange agreement with Karl-Franzens Universität, students can study abroad for a semester or year in Graz while paying UALR tuition and fees (tuition and fees at the host university are waived for exchange students). While most students travel to Graz to improve their German-language skills, some coursework is also available in English. For a list of courses offered in English, please visit the Karl-Franzens Universität website.
The Office of Programs Abroad determines eligibility and admission to the program; in most cases, a minimum of six semester hours of German language credit and a GPA of 2.5 is required for program admission.
Graz and Styria
A city of some 250,000 inhabitants situated astride the Mur River about 120 miles from Vienna, Graz is perhaps Austria’s most livable city. Numerous parks and green areas add to its beauty. Founded over 850 years ago, Graz is rich in cultural and historical attractions, with excellent opera and theater companies and widely diverse museums. Graz can also boast of one of the best preserved central city cores in all of Europe, which led to the city being named in 1999 as a UNESCO World Heritage site, one of only 533 such natural and cultural heritage sites worldwide. In 2003 it has served as the Cultural Capitol of Europe. Graz is the capital of the province of Styria, which has diverse landscapes ranging from Alpine valleys to wine country and the hilly, castle-studded borderland that adjoins Hungary to the east and Slovenia to the south. For more information on the city of Graz, please visit http://www.graz.at
