Index

How can I withdraw from registered examinations?

      • You may withdraw from an examination which you are taking for the first time up to three working days (Monday–Friday, excluding public holidays) before the examination date. You can withdraw from examinations during this time period via the Campo portal without giving any reasons. Your registration for the examination is cancelled on withdrawal and you must re-register for the examination in the following semester if you want to take it then (see Section 10 ABMPO). You can withdraw from repeat examinations only if you have legitimate reasons, see section 2 below for more information.
      • You can withdraw before every examination after the three working day-deadline has passed if you have a legitimate reason. These reasons include illness, which must be confirmed by submitting a doctor’s certificate for the exam day(s). The medical certificate must include a description of your symtoms and a diagnosis (“ärztliches Attest mit Symptomen und Diagnose” in German) – more information can be found here, but every medical certificate containing symptoms and diagnosis is fine). A scan of the medical certificate and this form (“Notification of illness”) must be submitted via email to our Examinations Office (helga.jahreis[at]fau.de) immediately. After that, the original certificate must also be submitted (via post or in person) within 7 days. If you miss this deadline, the examination will be graded as unsatisfactory (see Section 10 ABMPO).
        Candidates may also withdraw before examinations in justified exceptional circumstances. If on the day of the examination you cannot attend an examination or you are unable to sit an examination for reasons out of your control (e.g. traffic jam, accident or cancellation of connections in public transport), you must report this to the Examinations Office (helga.jahreis[at]fau.de) immediately, otherwise the examination will be graded as unsatisfactory (see Section 10 ABMPO). The reasons for withdrawal must be explained credibly via email to the Examinations Office (with supporting documents etc.).
      • If you are unable to submit your medical (or other) certificate before the exam or on the day of the exam, the examinations office may grant you a courtesy period of 7 days after the exam date (at the very latest) to hand in the missing document. Please note, however, that students are not entitled to this courtesy period.
      • If you withdraw from an exam after the deadline for self-deregistration has passed, you will automatically be registered for the same exam in the examination period of the following semester.
      • If you fall ill during an examination, you may leave the examination. In this case, you must visit an official FAU medical examiner without delay (see Section 10 ABMPO). You can find an information sheet and a list of official FAU medical examiners here.
      • If you complete the examination as normal, you confirm that you are in good health and are able to sit the examination – you cannot submit an application for special consideration retrospectively (even with medical certificates).
      • If you do not attend a registered exam and do not submit a medical (or other) certificate to the examinations office in due time, the exam will be counted as a failed attempt. This is also the case if you only informed your examiner (which would be polite to do if you are taking a smaller course with few participants), but not the examinations office (which you must inform).

I need a letter of recommendation from a professor (to apply for a scholarship, summer school etc.). How can I get this letter?

First of all, it is important for you to know that you are not entitled to a letter of recommendation. Our academic staff is very busy and free to decide wether they want to issue you are recommendation letter or not. Please note that only professors can issue you a recommendation letters. Your study advisor or PhD students are not authorized to write recommendation letters.

Who should I approach about a recommendation letter?

It only makes sense to ask professors for a recommendation letter if you have studied with them for some time (i.e. have taken several, preferably smaller courses with them) and have had excellent grades in those courses (1,0 – 1,3). Of course, their courses must be related to the subject/purpose you need the recommendation letter for. Ideally, you already have a more personal relationship with your professor, e.g. you are doing your master’s thesis with them or work for them as a student assistant.

What do I need to prepare for the recommendation letter?

If you want anyone to do you the favor of writing you a recommendation letter, you need to make it as little time-consuming and easy for them as you can. This means that you should already prepare a pre-written text about your academic accomplishments, which your professor can easily adapt for their official version of the letter. You can find many styles of recommendation letters online to give you an idea. Please be aware that German recommendation letters are very fact-based and must not include any emotional statements. Please send this text template together with a current grade overview and cv to your professor of choice and ask them very kindly and politely if they are willing to write you a recommendation for the summer school X or scholarship Y. If they do, make sure to thank them because they took some time out of their busy day to help you with something that does not have any benefit for them.

I have to give a scientific presentation – how do I do that?

Prof. Andreas Maier has published a very useful video which explains the elements of a good scientific presentation. Please find it here.

I got accepted and am planning to move to Erlangen. How can I find accommodation?

Firstly, some bad news: In contrast to academic systems in other countries, German universities are not allowed to own and rent out dormitories. Therefore, the admission to our program does not come with a room in a student dormitory. You have to find accommodation on your own, which can be especially challenging if you are still residing abroad, your financial means are limited and/or you don’t speak German. The Erlangen housing market is extremely tense (not only for students), meaning that the offer is small and prices are high. Many students spend their first months in an airbnb or hotel, so please plan your financial budget accordingly!

Our FAU accommodation service will assist you in your search as much as we can but we can only offer you what is available on the market at a given time (again, FAU does not own housing facilities). Please find a compilation of online resources and tips for finding a dorm/apartment here.

A word of advice: Have a “plan B” in case you come to Erlangen and don’t find a place to stay within the first months. Do you have friends or family members in other parts of Germany where you could stay for a while? Can somebody borrow you money if the apartment you found turns out to be more expensive than you thought? Do you have enough savings for a return flight ticket if you want to go back to your home country? Please consider these aspects before travelling!

 

How can I register for exams from other branches of study which I want to use in my module group M3 oder M5 (rule for interchanging modules)?

As explained in the footnotes in your module catalog, you can interchange some modules between the other branches of study (which you have not chosen) and your own branch of study:

You can use a modul/modules with max. 5 ECTS from M2, M3 or M5 of the other branches of study or from M2 or M5 of your own branch of study for your module group M3 and another modul/modules with max. 5 ECTS from M2, M3 or M5 of the other branches of study or from M2 or M3 of your own branch of study for your module group M5.

If you want to take exams from the other branches of study you cannot register for them as part of the “tree structure” for your branch of study in Campo. Please register for the exams in Campo as “electives”, i.e. register them as part of your module group M8/Free Choice Uni. After you have passed the exams you have time until the very end of your studies to ask Mrs. Jahreis (helga.jahreis[at]fau.de) our Examinations Offices to move them to your desired module group.

 

What do I need to do if I want to transfer credits form previous studies/studies abroad to my Master’s in Medical Engineering?

Achievements from previous studies and studies abroad can only be accredited towards the Medical Engineering program if the have been evaluated positively by your accreditation officer for Medical Engineering.

In order to apply for accreditation of previously acquired credits and grades, please read the information on accreditation carefully and follow the process described here: https://www.medical-engineering.study.fau.eu/current-students/recognition-of-academic-achievements/

Whom do I need to contact if I want to move credits & grades from one module group to another?

Please contact Mrs. Jahreis of our Exminations Office (helga.jahreis[at]fau.de). Your study advisor cannot make any changes in your module/grade overview in Campo. It is only possible to move modules to a certain module group if it is in compliance with the rules explained in your module catalog (see the footnotes there). You can have your modules moved until the very end of your studies, before your final degree documents are issued.

What do I need to know as a Non-EU-Citizen when planning a stay abroad?

Our exchange programs are open to all students regardless of their country of origin, but if you don’t have an EU citizenship you need to be aware of the following:

  • You will need to apply for a study visa in the country of your host university and for the extension of your study visa in Germany if it expires during your stay abroad. If your German visa expires during your stay abroad you cannot re-enter the country. Please seek information about both visa processes in due time so that you know what you need to do and don’t miss any important deadlines.
  • Applying for two study visas also means that you have to submit proof of your financial means in both countries. The Erasmus scholarship is only a partial scholarship and won’t be enough to confirm that you have the required financial resources. You definitely need own savings. Please inform yourself early on at the respective embassies which amount you have to prove.
  • For stays in the United Kingdom, you will need a British health insurance (your German health insurance will not be accepted), which can be very costly.

Do I have to register for courses before the lecture period starts?

This answer might be very surprising for those of you if you come from different academic system, but here at FAU you usually don’t need to register in order to be able to participate in a course (this applies to lectures, which make up the biggest part of our Master’s curriculum, because they usually have an unlimited number of participants). You can use the first weeks of the lecture period to attend different lectures without making a commitment to any of them. You can find out about the lectures that are offered in a certain semester as well as their time and place by reading the module catalog for your branch of study and look up the respective courses in our online course platform Campo. You can just go and attend a lecture meeting one week and then continue to attend it if you like it or never attend it again. You neither need to inform your lecturer nor your study advisor of these decisions – they are completely up to you.

You only “commit” to a lecture to a certain degree when you register for its exam. The exam registration takes place a few weeks after the beginning of the lecture period, hence you have time to make up your mind. And even if you register for exams, you can still delete the registration until the end of the 3rd working day befiore the exam date, which means that you still have a lot of flexibility.

Only if you plan to attend a seminar (module group M4 in the Master’s program) or a practical course (module group M6 in the Master’s program), the rules are a little stricter. Since the number of participants for seminars and practical courses is limited, you have to pre-register for these courses (usually about a month before the lecture period starts). In order to find out about the modalities for registration (usually via our e-learning platform StudOn or via email to the lecturer in rare cases), please look up the course in our online course platform Campo and follow the instructions given there. Please note, however, that seminars and practical courses are only recommended for advanced students. You should only register for them if you have already acquired around 60 ECTS credits.

I have obtained more ECTS credits than I need for my degree. Which courses will be counted towards my Master’s degree?

This decision is up to you!

If you don’t communicate any preference to our Examinations Office, the modules with the best grades will be used by default to be counted for your degree and to calculate your final Master’s grade. The remaining modules will not be listed in your Master’s degree certificate, but in your transcript of records in the section “Additional achievements”. You can even move the modules which are marked as mandatory in your catalog to the section “Additional achievements” if desired.

If you have other preferences and want to have a certain module with a not so good grade, but which you find important,  listed in your Master’s cerificate, please inform Mrs. Jahreis of out Examinations Office (helga.jahreis[at]fau.de). You can make the decision until the end of your studies but you have to notify Mrs. Jahreis before your final degree documents are issued.