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4.FAQs about courses

Find courses | Course registration | Course entry | ECTS

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1. The first place to look is in the module handbook for your degree programme. Module handbooks often contain example study plans for the degree programme. They also contain a list of lectures and seminars for the degree programme, prerequisites and information on examinations.

2. Ask your fellow students for their advice. Often their experience can be of great help to you. Student associations for each department or subject are always happy to help.

3. Check departmental and chair websites. For specific information on your degree programme including module handbooks, study plans, examination regulations and current announcements, you should refer to the information for students on the website for the chair or department by following the links from your faculty website.
4. Use the Student Advice and Career Service at FAU, link to website: here
Degree programme and examination regulations: Click here for further information
Lecturers usually prepare their lectures and seminars in the lecture-free period. You will therefore find the courses in StudOn from the beginning of May onwards, in the first one or two weeks of the semester.

Please contact the lecturer in the first instance if you have any questions relating to the content or organisation of the course. You can find their contact information under the ‘Info’ tab, where you will also find general information about how lectures and seminars are organised at FAU.
Learn how to find and sign up for courses in our learning module "How can I find and register for my courses?"
If you need a password for your StudOn course...
  1. ...go to the first lecture. It’s very likely that the password will be provided during the lecture.
  2. ...ask your fellow students. Course passwords are often the same as in the previous semester.
  3. ...check your e-mail. The lecturer may have already sent you the password in an e-mail.
Usually, this means that you are out of luck this time. Find out when the next registration period for the course starts so that you don’t miss it.
If participating in the course is really important to you, we recommend trying to contact the lecturer.
You may also try attending the first lecture of the semester and asking the lecturer in person. Lecturers can often tell if there are any places left on the course during the first lecture.
Exerpt from the FAU Glossary:
‘In the past, the workload of a teaching unit was expressed in weekly hours or semester hours (SWS), irrespective of whether the teaching unit was a lecture or a seminar.

Today, the amount of preparation time is also taken into account. This means that the overall workload can be calculated which is much higher for a seminar than a lecture. The units for measuring the workload are called ECTS credits. Course achievements can be compared and transferred to another university, including universities in another country, using ECTS credits.

A Bachelor’s degree is worth 180 ECTS credits. One ECTS credit corresponds to 25–30 hours of work.
 
More information is available on the FAU website.'
Please note: This is just a guide, as the number of hours’ work depends on several factors such as the degree programme, students’ learning ability or type of class.