University of Flensburg

St. Olaf's newest study abroad program is located in the city of Flensburg on the northern border of Germany with Denmark. The university is smaller than most German universities, but offers the full range of courses needed by St. Olaf students. Flensburg's proximity to Hamburg, Kiel, and the Scandinavian countries gives unique opportunities for cultural experiences with a part of Germany that is less well known in the U. S. than cities and states to the south.

The Universität Flensburg /University of Flensburg is the successor to the Flensburg Teachers' College, which was founded in 1946. Following World War II, the Teachers' College, located in the state of Schleswig-Holstein, continued the tradition of the "pedagogical academies," but with modern goals and objectives, based on academies, which were established by the former state of Prussia, providing the first professional training programs for teachers.

The educational profile of the institution was further expanded by the offering of a degree in company-based training and management, an innovative Europe-oriented major, which is being further developed in cooperation with the South Denmark School of Business. Another specialty is a course of study on "Appropriate Technology and Pedagogy for Rural Development in the Third World." In this program, both foreign and domestic students are given technical and pedagogical training for work in the rural areas of Third World countries.