PALS English - Navigate your Way to Success
Professional support for international students in English-medium Master's programmes

PALS – Programme for Academic and Language Socialisation – is the first orientation offering at TU Darmstadt that is specifically tailored to the communicative and academic needs of international students studying in English at the master's level.

PALS English Programme

Information for international students

International students in English-medium master's programmes face particular challenges that can affect their study experience. Although for many the English language seems familiar at first, differences in the education system and diversity in the linguistic context often lead to academic difficulties. PALS is an orientation course that will guide you and help you overcome these challenges.

You will get to know the German education system to better understand expectations and learn how to use your strengths most effectively to boost your academic performance. You will learn to let your skills and resources shine in this exciting, multilingual, intercultural context. We offer a programme that you can tailor to your individual needs to take control of your success – for your master's degree and beyond.

Would you like to have us by your side? Enrol in the PALS course so we can help you unlock the full potential of your M.Sc. studies at TU Darmstadt!

Student Testimonials

“I am truly grateful for the opportunity to attend PALS. It helped me adapt to my new study environment and boosted my confidence in interacting with both fellow students and teachers. I also discovered various essential websites and tools that I was previously unaware of. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed my PALS classes, which provided a welcoming and friendly atmosphere, along with wonderful classmates who made the experience even more enriching.” – Sarala Timalsina (LSCM M.Sc. student and PALS WS2425 alumnus)

“It’s a wonderful opportunity to know German academic culture and educational system systematically. During PALS workshops, the teachers encouraged me to ask questions, express my feelings. I, as a first semester international student, not only overcame my fear of speaking English but also learned how to effectively communicate with Germans/ people with diverse background. Moreover, I made some friends during PALS workshops. I highly recommend first semester students attend this program. PALS will help you open up a new world.” – Chunyang Leng (LSCM M.Sc. student and PALS WS2425 alumnus)

  • Studying in Germany: How are courses structured? What is expected of me in courses? What is the best way to study for exams? What skills do I need to study successfully?
  • Academic work: How do I deal skillfully with academic literature? How do I cite correctly? Where can I find the best sources?
  • Communication with teachers: How can I communicate effectively with my teachers? Who can help me if I have questions? How can I formulate questions effectively?

Course duration: From the kick-off at the beginning of the semester until the wrap-up at the end of the semester.

  • The participants will get 3 Credit Points upon course completion.
  • In addition to the professional linguists from SPZ, PALS is created in collaboration with/co-taught by teachers from the participating faculties and includes their direct input. Hence, it guarantees customised and subject-specific knowledge.
  • Atypical, light-load and relaxed workshops offering more than the usual classroom experience: Exercises, activities, games and a space to socialise with peers from multiple international masters programmes and teachers from your own faculty.

Course Duration: Course duration: 28 April 2025 to 07 July 2025

View the course workshop shedule on Skills Portal

Who can enrol in PALS?

  • For this summer semester 2025, PALS is open to International students in any semester of English-medium Master's degree programmes.
    • M.Sc. Aerospace engineering
    • M.Sc. Materials Science
    • M.Sc. Entrepreneurship & Innovation Management
    • M.Sc. Logistics & Supply Chain Management

Prerequisites:

  • Admission to one of the aforementioned English-medium Master's programme at TU Darmstadt
  • English language certificate C1 or equivalent

to the Skills Portal

to the application Portal TUCaN

Do you have any questions or suggestions? Please feel free to contact us at

Projects PALS English

Information for Departments

PALS serves as a compass for students and guides them through the beginning of their master's studies to improve their academic success in the long term. The project promotes communicative skills (English as a lingua franca) and academic orientation during studies. The syllabus is geared towards the needs of the departments as well as raising international Master's students' awareness of the task requirements and assessment criteria. This holistic qualification programme will have a modular structure and can therefore be tailored to individual needs. Portfolio work will enable participants to track their own development and independently manage their own academic success and prospects of success.

Project team:

  • Language Resource Centre: Dr. Christoph Merkelbach and Melanie Lipinski
  • Department of International Affais: Dr. Saltanat Langohr and Biljana Stefanovska

PALS is a LeNA-funded pilot project that started at TU Darmstadt in 2023. In its first phase, a project-related inventory of existing master's degree programmes and support services for international students was carried out. Moreover, the survey of lecturers in English-medium Master's degree programmes at TU Darmstadt was evaluated, which provided important information about the departments' needs for sustainable academic success. Further important insights were gained through focus groups with international students.

  • The first PALS course pilot phase was carried out during the winter semester 2024-25 in cooperation with Dept. 1 .
  • The course will run again for the summer semester 2025 in cooperation with Dept. 1 , Dept. 11, and Dept. 16.
  • Current project funding has been secured until the end of 2026

Funding

PALS English is a joint pilot project of the Language Centre and the Department of International Affairs. It is funded by the central QSL funds ‘LeNA – Lehre neu aufstellen’.