Index

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

This answer might be very surprising for those of you who 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 specialization 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.

I am really struggling with my studies right now. What can I do?

The most important thing first: you are not alone! Almost all students are familiar with the experience of reaching a low point in their studies, feeling overwhelmed or not knowing what to do. The good news is that you can do a lot by yourself to feel better and experience success and satisfaction in your studies again. Here are some measures you can take right away:

…and talk about your struggles with fellow students. They may be feeling just like you and be glad that you bring up the topic. Everything is easier when you share it with others!

How are my average grades calculated in the Campo portal (FPO 2018 and onwards)?

All modules that are required to fulfill the ECTS requirements of a module group are included in the average grade for this module group, weighted according to their ECTS value. In doing so, the calculated grade value is not rounded up, but truncated after the first decimal place:

Example: module group M5 in the Master’s program (10 ECTS):

  • Performance with 5 ECTS: grade 1.0
  • Performance with 7.5 ECTS: grade 2.3

Average grade: (5 x 1 + 7.5 x 2.3) : 12.5 = 1.78

The average grade of 1.7 is included in the Master’s examination with 10 ECTS. The calculation of the master’s examination grade is based on 110 ECTS, since module group M6 is ungraded.

 

If you acquire more than the ECTS required for a module group, the examination office automatically selects the modules with the best grades necessary to fulfill the ECTS requirement of the module group when issuing the certificate. Additional modules are not included in the calculation.

If you have taken more than the required ECTS points in a module group and do not want the modules with the best grades in each case to be automatically credited, you can inform the Examinations Office before your certificate is issued which achievements should be included in your Bachelor’s or Master’s examination.

From the calculated overall grade of the Bachelor’s or Master’s examination, the second decimal place is truncated (i.e. not rounded), e.g. 2.35 becomes 2.3.

Can I use my conditional subjects for my Master’s course?

Yes, if you are satisfied with the grade you achieved in your conditional subjects you can use them for your module group “Free Choice Uni/M8” (according to Study Regulation/FPO 2018 and 2019). You cannot use them for any other group, as these other groups have to consist of Master’s level content, which the conditional subjects are not – by definition.

In order to have your conditional subject moved to the “Free Choice Uni/M8” section of your Campo account, just send an email to Mrs. Jahreis of our Examinations Office (helga.jahreis[at]fau.de) and ask her to do so.

I need a document stating the provisional end of my studies (confirmation for submission to immigration authorities). Where can I get such a document?

The authority for foreigners or non-residents (Ausländerbehörde/Rathaus) often requires a document in order to ensure your current status as a student (“ein aktuelles Schreiben der Universität über das voraussichtliche Studienende” or “Bescheinigung zur Vorlage bei der Ausländerbehörde/Confirmation for submission to immigration authorities”) in order to extend your study visa. You can download this document with the title “Bescheinigung zur Vorlage bei der Ausländerbehörde/Confirmation for submission to immigration authorities”  in the section “My Studies” – “Transcripts” in Campo.

The confirmation refers to the “individual duration of study pursuant to certificate of enrollment”. This means that if you studied during the official “covid semesters” (SS 20, WS 20/21, SS 21 and WS 21/22), these semesters are mentioned as such in your certificate of enrollment and count as zero. You need to submit your certificate of enrollment together with the confirmation at the Immigrations Office. Hence, the officers there will deduct the covid semesters from your duration of studies.

The confirmation also refers to the “approved extension in accordance with the examination regulations”. This means that, from the university’s point of view, all master’s students can get 2 additional semesters after the regular duration of studies of 4 semesters (4+2 = 6 semesters) if needed. In principle, this extension by two semesters is guaranteed. However, if you are a Non-EU student with a residence permit for study purposes, it is important for you to understand that the question of whether you can make use of this study extension or not depends on whether you can prove to the immigrations office that you are studying actively and successfully and qualify for a visa extension.

If you cannot access the confirmation in Campo it is due to the fact that you did not acquire enough credits in relation to your duration of studies, meaning that you are not studying actively and succesfully (enough). If this is true for you, please contact our General Study Advisory Service and ask for an individual letter.

 

Where can I find more information regarding examination and registration dates?

The registration periods for module examinations can be found on the homepage of the Examinations Office.

Registration for these examinations exclusively takes place via our online portal Campo. Please note that exam registration is only possible during the official exam registration period (see above).

What is my standard period of study?

Master

The standard period of study in the Master’s program is 4 semesters. You will automatically get an extension for a 5th and 6th semester if you re-register on time. After that, study time extensions for a 7th or 8th semester are possible, but you have to file an application and give justified reasons for it. The examinations commitee of the Faculty of Engineering decides whether the extension is granted or not.

If you want to know more about deadline extensions or extending the standard period of study, click here.

How do I register for an exam if I don’t find it on the Campo platform?

First of all, exam registration is only possible during exam registration period (usually three weeks in the middle of the lecture period – you will be informed by your lecturers and your study advisor). For most of your exams you will be able to register online via our Campo platform. However, there are some exceptions:

  • For courses offered at VHB (Virtual University of Bavaria) by lecturers who are not members of FAU, you cannot register via the Campo platform. Please read the course information on the VHB website (it’s mostly in German – please use google translate or ask a German-speaking friend). It will tell you whether you have to register online via the VHB website, via email with your lecturer or in a different way.
  • For most courses outside the Medical Engineering curriculum, you won’t be able to register via the “study planner with module plan” in Campo. This will mostly be the case for courses which you want to take within the module groups “Flexible Budget Faculty of Engineering”/M7 and “Free Choice Uni/M8”. In order to register for these exams, you have to select “Register for electives” in Campo and use the search function. This works best if you search for the exam title or the exam number:
    • Option 1: Search for the exam title, which is in most cases identical or very close to the title of your module/course.
    • Option 2: Ask your lecturer in the next lecture session or in the StudOn forum to give you the exam number. Please avoid asking your lecturers for the exam number via email in order to save them from being bombarded with emails!
    • If you cannot find your desired exam via option 1 or 2: Please contact your study advisor.
  • There are some courses which are part of the Medical Engineering module catalogs but don’t appear in the Campo exam registration. This is mainly the case for seminars and practical courses. Please ask your lecturer how you can register for those achievements. If you have to register with them personally (i.e. not via the Campo system), they will issue you a paper certificate (“Schein”) after the successful completion of the module, which states your name, the course title, the amount of ECTS credits and your grade. Please send this certificate to Mrs. Jahreis of our Examinations Office (helga.jahreis[at]fau.de) in order to have your coursework registered in the Campo system.

I have already acquired all ECTS points that are necessary for my master’s degree. Can I still take exams?

Yes, even if you have already obtained the required 120 ECTS points for the master’s degree, you have the possibility to take additional modules and exams in order to improve your overall grade (as long as you stay within the study period of six semesters, which is granted to all master’s students).

Please contact Ms. Jahreis of our Examinations Office (helga.jahreis[at]fau.de) when your 120 ECTS are complete and let her know that you would like to take more exams in the current semester and therefore don’t want her to issue your degree certificate yet. It is no problem if the exams you want to take take place in the second examination period, i.e. if the exam dates lie in the subsequent semester. You are still allowed to take them without having to re-register for the subsequent semester.

If you want to extend your studies by another semester to take additional exams (and will stay within the 6 semester limit), you can do so so by re-registering and informing Mrs. Jahreis of your plans.

After you have completed your additional exams, please inform Mrs. Jahreis that you would like her to issue your degree certificates now and let her know which exams you want to use for your master’s degree and which ones should only be listed in the “Additional Achievements” section of your transcript of records (i.e. without counting towards your degree).

In case you failed some of the addional exams, you can ask Mrs. Jahreis to deactivate them. (This is only possible since you already have acquired the necessary 120 ECTS in this scenario).