Centre for Language and additional Skills

Centre for Language and Additional Skills

The Centre for Language and Additional Skills (ZSZ) supports students in their academic and personal development with a wide range of courses that complement and enrich their core degree programmes. In addition to helping students acquire and develop language skills, the ZSZ fosters intercultural, media-related, methodological, social and personal skills – all of which are essential for success in students' studies, in their future careers and in international collaboration.

Latest information on the winter semester 2026–27

You can already find our full programme of courses in the School of Humanities’ new course catalogue for the 2026/27 winter semester, and it will also be available in the course catalogue from 1 October. Enrolment takes place online via CoronaNG; please refer to our guide to online enrolment.

Advice day for language courses: Monday, 12 October 2026, 9.00 am–12.00 pm and 1.00 pm–4.00 pm in the Department Pavilion

Introductory session on ASQ / Philosophy / Foreign Languages: Monday, 12 October 2026 at 1.00 pm in Lecture Hall H4/5

Staggered start to enrolment on Monday, 12
October 2026 from 4.00 pm: courses in English and Business English
from 4.30 pm: all other language courses
from 5.00 pm: all other ASQ courses (Philosophy, etc.)
Enrolment closes on Friday, 16 October 2026 at 12.00 pm

All those who have been allocated a place will be automatically transferred to the Moodle online courses via a daily synchronisation by CoronaNG.

If you have not yet been allocated a place following online enrolment, please contact Ms Andrea Schramm for foreign language courses, or Bettina Meyer-Quintus for all other courses, to discuss possible solutions.

Courses start from 19 October 2026 

Exam week is from 1 to 5 February 2027; the final week of teaching is from 8 to 12 February 2027.

We wish you a successful semester!

Your team at the Department

 

Quick links

Moodle learning platform

Our key priorities in teaching:

Reinforce skills. Broaden horizons. Foster understanding.

The Centre for Language and Additional Skills is Ulm University’s central institution for linguistic, intercultural and interdisciplinary education. We support students, PhD candidates and other members of the university community in developing their skills in a targeted manner and preparing themselves for the demands of an international scientific and professional environment. 

Our courses combine a scientific foundation with practical skills development. They promote linguistic expression, intercultural sensitivity, critical thinking and personal development, whilst opening up new perspectives on cultural and social contexts. We create learning environments where understanding flourishes, different perspectives come to the fore and personal growth is fostered.

Our aim is to reinforce our learners’ ability to take action and prepare them for academic, professional and societal challenges.

The Centre for Language and Additional Skills offers a range of courses that combine language training with the development of cross-disciplinary skills. Students from all disciplines can learn or improve their foreign language skills and specifically refine their communication skills for their studies, scientific work and careers. 

In addition, we offer courses on transferable skills and future skills. These include, amongst others, scientific writing, presentation techniques, Intercultural Communication, project management and teamwork. In this way, we foster skills that support successful lifelong learning, international collaboration and career entry. 

Our programme is tailored to the requirements of an international University and is continuously adapted to social, scientific and professional developments.

We offer the following subject areas and areas of expertise:

  • Personal skills and working methods
  • Media and social skills
  • Philosophy and society
  • Foreign languages, German as a Foreign Language (DaF) and intercultural competence
  • Language and culture (basic, intermediate and advanced levels)
  • Technical language
  • Regional Studies / Literature
  • Presentation Skills / Conversation / Argumentation in a Foreign Language
  • Intercultural Communication / General and Comparative Cultural Studies
  • Communication Studies / Rhetoric

Our commitment to quality

For us, quality in teaching and continuing education is an ongoing process of improvement. Our courses are based on the latest findings from research into language, education and higher education, as well as on tried-and-tested teaching methods. 

Regular evaluations, close collaboration with subjects and feedback from our participants form the basis for the continuous development of our programme. Highly qualified teaching staff, innovative teaching methods and an atmosphere conducive to learning ensure that our teaching meets the highest standards. 

Our aim is to create scientific and practice-oriented learning programmes that enable the sustainable development of skills and meet the demands of academic study, professional life and society.

Our field of research

As a scientific institution, we take a practical approach to issues in modern language teaching and learning research, as well as university teaching methods. Our interests include, amongst other things, the conditions for successful language learning, the development of communicative and intercultural skills, and innovative teaching and learning formats in higher education.

However, the main focus of our research is on topics at the intersection of language, communication, education and social change. 

The research area of interdisciplinary language and literary studies examines language and literature within their diverse cultural, historical and social contexts and interdisciplinary relationships.

The Ulm Language Studies programme offers an exemplary insight into this field of research.

More about research at the ZSZ