Providing some international experiences and developing students’ international, cross-cultural competencies
has been on the agenda of higher education providers for a number of decades. Especially in Europe the
establishment of a common European labour market and the 1999 Bologna agreement as stimulated a steady
increase in the levels of cross-border mobility by professionals, students and academics. Higher education
institutions are encouraged to participate in exchanges and inter-institutional collaboration agreements based on
EU programmes such as Socrates and Erasmus. Planning schools have actively contributed to a host of
innovations in respect to internationalising the student experience such as joint projects with students from
different nations participating to joint diplomas/degree programmes.
This paper critically assesses the student learning experience of a pilot master degree that takes
internationalisation to an extreme level: Brandenburgische Technische Universität's Cottbus (BTU) Studium
Generale (so called "ReiseUni”) degree. First, we will briefly describe the programme structure in which
students travel and study at 8 different universities over a two year period. Underlying philosophy and aims of
the programme are contrasted with reactions from students and staff involved in the pilot. The programme
represents an entirely different approach to studying in a globalising world drastically decreasing the
importance of a home institution. The authors will examine whether this may represent a valid model for the
future in terms of providing meaningful economic and academic pedagogical framework for higher education
