FAQ - Bachelor "new" (from WiSe 2021/22)

The study advisors provide support and advice, among other things, with regard to enrollment at the beginning of the semester and also whether all required course work has been properly completed by the end of the program. In addition, they are responsible for the conclusion of learning agreements, recognition of achievements at another university in Germany and/or abroad, BAföG certificates, assessment of the correct choice of internship and all other matters directly related to the study at the Faculty of Political Science.

Responsible is the advisor of the respective field of study, to be found at   

Mentors are professors and academic councilors of the respective major. For all first-year students with the major at the Faculty of Political Science, there is a mentor who will be assigned to you. This mentor will be available to advise you throughout your studies and will support you especially in questions of the correct allocation according to the respective regulations of the major and/or minor subject of the Faculty of Political Science.

The distribution of mentors and the corresponding list can be found according to major and semester of enrollment here

Vollstawist (major and minor in state science)

According to § 7 para. 1 a) B-PO Sta 2021, "one failed O-Phase module* at a time can be compensated for by another O-Phase module from the same field of study that was passed with at least the grade "satisfactory" (3.0)."

If the major and minor are chosen from the subjects of political science (management, law, social sciences or economics) and thus the so-called "joint O-phase political science" is to be completed, the aforementioned regulation applies in two of the three subjects of political science (law, social sciences, economics), regardless of whether it is the major or minor.

For example, if you are studying economics as your major and social sciences as your minor and you have failed a module from economics, you can only compensate for this with another module from economics that was passed with at least the grade "satisfactory" (3.0). The same applies to your minor subject - here as an example social sciences -; here one of the social science modules which you have not passed can be compensated with another module from the social sciences which was passed with the grade "satisfactory" (3.0).

Of course, this compensation option also applies to the "third" political science subject, which in this example would be law.

Please note, however, that such compensation is only possible once in the respective subject and only twice in total. If, for example, you have had to compensate once in your major and once in your minor subject, further compensation is not possible in the third subject.

Halbstawi (major in state science and minor in non-state science).

For students who have not chosen their second field of study in the area of political science, the study of the political science field of study (major or minor field of study) extends to the three respective compulsory modules of the major subject as well as two further modules from the other political sciences. According to § 7 para. 1 b) B-PO Sta 2021, a failed O-phase module in one! of the three fields of study can thus be compensated once by another O-phase module from the same field of study, which has been passed with at least the grade "satisfactory" (3.0).

Therefore, we recommend that during the O-Phase you take the two modules that must be completed in addition to the compulsory modules of your chosen major from the same field of study.

Example: If you are studying Law as a major and Communication Studies as a minor, you must complete the three compulsory modules from the Law major during the O-Phase, consequently:

• Fundamentals of Law I (R GdR 01),
• Constitutional Law (R ÖR 01),
• Civil Law I (R ZWR 01)

as well as

two O-phase modules of the subject social sciences

and/or

two O-phase modules of the subject economics

It makes sense to take the other two modules within the same field of study so that a compensation is possible. If, for example, you do not pass a module in economics, you can compensate for this with the second module in economics, provided it is passed with at least "satisfactory" (3.0). This is not possible if you had taken the second module from Social Sciences instead. These cannot be compensated for with each other, or compensation can only be made within the same field of study.

Major in international relations and minor in government (full stawist).

Hier gelten gem. § 5 Abs. 1 a) B-PO-IntB die gleichen Bestimmungen, wie für Studierende mit Haupt- und Nebenfach aus den Studienfächern Staatswissenschaften (Rechtswissenschaft, Sozialwissenschaften, Wirtschaftswissenschaft).

Hauptfach Internationale Beziehungen mit einem nicht staatswissenschaftlichen Nebenfach

Allerdings ist dies nach § 5 Abs. 1 b B-PO Sta 2021 anders, wenn Sie Internationale Beziehungen als Hauptfach studieren und ein Nebenfach in einem anderen Fach als den Staatswissenschaften studieren.

In der O-Phase müssen Sie folgende vier! Pflichtmodule absolvieren:

• Grundlagen des Rechts I (R GdR 01),
• Staatsrecht (R ÖR 01),
• Sozialwissenschaftliche Grundlagen: Internationale Beziehungen (SG IntB),
• Sozialwissenschaftliche Grundlagen: Statistik (SG Stat)

sowie

• Einführung in die Makroökonomie und Wirtschaftspolitik – wird empfohlen!

oder

• Einführung in die Mikroökonomie

Ein Ausgleich ist hier nur einmal und nur zwischen folgenden Modulen möglich:

• • Grundlagen des Rechts und Staatsrecht
  • Internationale Beziehungen und Statistik
  • Einführung in die Makroökonomie und Wirtschaftspolitik und Einführung in die Mikroökonomie

Da Sie nur eines der beiden wirtschaftswissenschaftlichen Module absolvieren müssen, empfehlen wir für den Fall des Nichtbestehens und eines möglichen Ausgleichs, beide Module zu belegen.

Für den Ausgleich gilt, dass dieser nur möglich ist, wenn das Ausgleichsmodul mit mindestens „befriedigend“ (3,0) bestanden wurde.

Weitere Hinweise:

Ein Modul besteht i.d.R. aus mehreren Lehrveranstaltungen. Die Bestehens-Regelung der jeweiligen Module finden Sie in den Modulbeschreibungen jeweils unter dem Modulprüfungscode #99. Einzelne Lehrveranstaltungen können hingegen nicht ausgeglichen werden; die Ausgleichsregelung bezieht sich ausschließlich auf die Modulebene.

Unter einem "gleichgewichtigen" Modul sind die damit zu erwerbenden Leistungspunkte (LP) zu verstehen. Danach kann ein Modul mit 6 LP nicht mit einem Modul mit 3 LP oder ein 9 LP-Modul mit einem 6LP-Modul ausgeglichen werden.

Mit "demselben" Studienfach ist gemeint, dass Module bspw. des Studienfachs Wirtschaftswissenschaft nur mit Modulen aus dem Studienfach Wirtschaftswissenschaft ausgeglichen werden können. Das gilt gleichermaßen für die Module der Studienfächer Rechtswissenschaft und Sozialwissenschaften.

_{*die Ausgleichsregelungen gelten explizit nur für O-Phasen-Module. Die sogen. O/Q-Phasen-Module können weder ausgeglichen, noch kann mit diesen Modulen ein Ausgleich erbracht werden. Für deren Nicht-Bestehen gelten die Wiederholungsregelungen der Q-Phasen-Module gem. § 15 Abs. 2, S. 5 B RPO 2019.}

This is a 6-LP module which can be taken in the Q-phase from another subject of political science (law, social sciences, economics).

For example, in the major field of law, a Q-phase module from the fields of social sciences or economics with a total of 6 LP/ECTS can be taken, completed and integrated. This module, which is generally "foreign" to the subject, is called a " Brückenmodul" (bridge module).

According to the framework examination regulations, a change of major and minor subject is only possible at the end of the 1st year of study upon application. The orientation phase must then be successfully completed in the 2nd year of study in another subject or a subject combination that is newly taken up.

The application for a change of subject must be submitted in writing to Department 1: Studies and Teaching.

"Vollstawisten" who only wish to swap major and minor after passing the O-Phase also submit an application for a change of subject. The number of semesters does not change due to the identical O-Phase.

Information and the application for change of major can be found here

With your application to SuL (Study and Teaching) you will receive a provisional certificate. You can request this by mail or by phone (+49 361 737 5100). This certificate is issued for a fee of 3 euros per certificate (however, the first certificate is free of charge). Please note the office hours; only during this time you can pick up the certificate. Payment can only be made on Tuesdays and Thursdays, as the payment office is only open on these days from 12 to 3 pm.

At the end of your studies you will receive an adjusted certificate. Before that, this is not yet possible. Only when you have taken all the required modules and achieved the required number of points can SUL issue you with an adjusted certificate.

Since the application deadlines for the consecutive Master's programs already start before the end of your studies and you may need an adjusted transcript for a possible admission, we offer you in exceptional cases the preparation of an adjusted transcript on the basis of your already completed achievements. However, this only applies to the subjects of political science, i.e. international relations, management, law, social sciences and economics. An examination and certification of study subjects of other faculties of the University of Erfurt does not take place, for this you must contact your respective faculty.

If you would like to receive a preliminary grade report shortly before completing your Bachelor's degree, please contact Ms. Birgit Schöppe birgit.schoeppe@uni-erfurt.de ;they will then provide you with further instructions and the documents to be submitted. Please note that the preliminary grade report is only available for full Stawists.

If you would like to apply for a disadvantage compensation (writing time extension, examination with aids or similar), please contact the Department of Studies and Teaching (SuL). For the application, a consultation hour or an individual appointment can also be arranged, so that you can inform yourself about all rights and possibilities.

This link will lead you to the contact persons, further information as well as to the document to be filled in.

You can find all the information at this link:https://sulwww.uni-erfurt.de/PublicServices/PruefungsAngelegenheiten/Krankmeldung.aspx

The module examination is to be taken systematically with attendance of the corresponding course in a module. Once you have taken this module examination, you can only withdraw from the examination before it starts. For this purpose, the examiner must be given comprehensible and credible reasons for which you are not responsible (i.e. for which you are not responsible or over which you have or had no influence). Whether or not these justify your withdrawal and whether or not the withdrawal is accepted is solely at the discretion of the respective examiner.

The BA Examination Committee cannot make its own decision as to whether or not to grant a withdrawal, but can only urge the respective examiner to reconsider his/her decision.

According to § 15 Abs. 2 S. 5 B-RPO-2019 (Bachelor-Rahmenprüfungsordnung) only one failed module of the Q-Phase can be repeated once in a following semester. This excludes the possibility of repetition for grade improvement.

Please note that the renewed completion of a failed module requires a renewed enrollment along with enrollment in the module examination.

If you need a letter of recommendation or an expert opinion for applications (e.g. for scholarships, MA programs, etc.), then you should contact teachers of the faculty at least four weeks before the deadline for the submission of such letters (deadline), with whom you have already taken seminars and who can therefore also make well-founded statements about your academic achievements and your profile. If you do not find any lecturers who are able to write a letter in this way, please contact your mentor personally, who will then write such a letter according to your file.

Please understand that teachers have many tasks and therefore, if the four-week deadline is not met, the timely writing of the letter of recommendation cannot be guaranteed.

Module exams (#99) must always be taken separately to the modules/courses to be taken in order to be admitted to the exams at the end of the semester. These are defined in the respective module descriptions. Accordingly, written examinations usually have a duration of 90 minutes. Oral/practical examinations have a duration of 15 to 30 minutes per candidate and subject area. Written papers are usually at least 8 pages long (12,000 characters).

According to § 10 B-PO-Sta-HN, another political science subject (in addition to your major and or minor subject from the political sciences) can be studied to the extent of a major or minor field of study. The determination is made as part of the Q-Phase examination at the end of the program (mid-September if completed in the summer semester, mid-March if completed in the winter semester).

The certificate is issued by the Dean's Office of the Faculty of Political Science and not! by the Department 1, Studies and Teaching. This certificate will not be handed out together with the transcript, but will be sent separately. An informal application to the dean's office is sufficient for this purpose staatswissenschaften@uni-erfurt.de indicating the specific subject enrollment and which other subject was completed as a major and/or minor.

Please remember to include your current mailing address, which should be valid for at least two months after graduation.

a) Will the work I have done abroad be recognized? And will my achievements from another study program be recognized?

Before your semester abroad, it is absolutely necessary to conclude a learning agreement (more on this below from c)) with the responsible subject coordinator (see list of subject coordinators below). In this agreement, the subject coordinator certifies that the content and workload of the courses to be taken abroad are equivalent to the modules at the University of Erfurt and can therefore be recognized. Please note that this agreement is the basis for the subsequent recognition of the work done abroad and that without this agreement it is possible that the work will not or cannot be fully recognized.

Procedure (please note that the order of procedure must be strictly adhered to and only complete applications for a Learning Agreement will be processed):

• After you have chosen a host university abroad, before you start your semester abroad, look for modules from this host university that you would like to take and have recognized for your studies at the University of Erfurt.

• Note these modules of the host university and be sure to indicate for which modules of your studies the recognition at the University of Erfurt should take place. For this purpose, you must enclose the comments or the description of the modules of the host university in printed form with the Learning Agreement, so that it can already be assessed before the start of your semester abroad whether the modules at the host university correspond in content and scope to the modules in Erfurt.

• The Learning Agreement will be reviewed and signed by the appropriate subject coordinator.

• Submit the - as far as possible - completely filled out Learning Agreement, including the module descriptions, to the BA Examination Committee via Ms. Liska Kübel (LG 1, R. 0054) in due time before the start of the semester abroad. In addition, you can submit a short justification why you believe that the modules are eligible for recognition.

• If you find out at the beginning of your semester abroad that a module at the host university does not take place or does not meet your expectations and you (have to) take another module, then inform the subject coordinator immediately by email. If the coordinator agrees, this corresponds to a change in the Learning Agreement. The change form must be submitted to the International Office.

• Upon your return, submit the Learning Agreement and evidence of successful completion of modules abroad, as well as email correspondence regarding changes, if applicable, to the BA Examination Committee.

If you follow this procedure, further personal consultation between you and the subject coordinator or the BA Examination Committee is not normally necessary. However, if you are unsure whether a particular module can be recognized in Erfurt, please contact your subject coordinator at an early stage.

b) Will my language exams and international language certificates be recognized?

The recognition of language examinations and international language certificates is carried out by the Language Center.

You can find more information about this here 

c) What is a Learning Agreement (LA)? And how does it work?

A Learning Agreement is a study contract between the student abroad, the university in Germany and the university abroad. These three parties agree in the learning agreement which modules can be completed at the host university and later recognized at the home university.

The Learning Agreement is divided into two tables. In table A you have to fill in all the courses you want to attend. You fill out this table before you start your semester abroad.

In Table B, these courses must all show up again. Those that you do not want to be recognized, mark as "Additional credit: no recognition desired". For all others, enter the module you want to use them to complete in Erfurt. This is done chronologically after the end of your semester abroad.

To fill in the table, you need specific codes (for the host country and the faculties). The table and the links to the specific codes of the host countries and faculties can be found within the Learning Agreement form in the footnotes.

For more information and the process of the LAs, please visit the university website under the link https://www.uni-erfurt.de/international/ins-ausland/studium-im-ausland/ihr-weg-ins-auslandsstudium/learning-agreement-/-anerkennung/anerkennung-mit-ects

d) When should I start my LA if I want to go abroad next semester?

By the end of the previous semester that you complete before your semester abroad at the University of Erfurt, the LA should be completed. In principle, it is advisable to complete the LAs as early as possible. You must take into account the respective semester breaks of the individual host universities, which will therefore no longer be available for the issuance of the LA. In addition, many host universities usually have their own deadlines that they have to take into account.

So if you are going abroad in the coming winter semester, you should start preparing your Learning Agreement in April, as some universities have a summer break starting in June. This applies analogously to the summer semester.

By the end of the previous semester that you complete at the University of Erfurt before your semester abroad, the LA should be completed. You must take into account the respective semester breaks of the individual host universities, which will therefore no longer be available for the issuing of the LA. Thus, it is advisable to do the LAs as early as possible. In addition, many host universities usually have their own deadlines that they have to take into account.

e) I have not yet received information from my host university with the courses for the next academic year. How should I fill in the LA?

Ask for the course catalogs of the previous semesters if the current catalog for your semester is not yet available. Due to the fact that you still have the possibility to change your LAs on site, it is therefore advisable to orientate yourself to a course catalog from the previous year.

f) Should I also list the language courses on the LA?

With the new examination regulations, language courses are now taken/recognized via the PO ZS ENi 2020 of the Language Center, which in this respect is also responsible itself and with its own examination board.

Since a separate LA is generally completed for each subject area, language courses would have to be taken separately.

g) I am going abroad for a whole year. Do I already have to declare all courses for the two semesters abroad before the stay abroad?

You should enter all the courses you would like to take for the stay abroad in your LA before the start of the semester abroad. It should be noted that you can change the courses and the LAs again on site. However, the University of Erfurt and the host university require a confirmed overview of the courses you want to take and complete during your stay abroad before you start your stay abroad.

h) Do I have to enter all the courses I want to take at the host university or only the courses I want to have recognized at the University of Erfurt?

In table A you have to enter all courses you want to attend. In table B these courses must all be visible again. Those that you do not want to have recognized, mark as "Additional work: no recognition desired". For all others, enter the module that you want to fulfill with them in Erfurt.

i) Can I have a course from abroad that earns more ECTS points than the module in Erfurt recognized? And how do I find out how many ECTS this would be in Erfurt?

The points you should propose for Erfurt depend on your examination regulations. You can also combine two courses from abroad into one Erfurt module if this fits in terms of content. The BA Examination Board has published information on its website about the number of points to be recognized: www.uni-erfurt.de/staatswissenschaftliche-fakultaet/fakultaet/gremien/ausschuesse-an-der-staatswissenschaftlichen-fakultaet/pruefungsausschuss-ba

j) I would like to have a graded course from abroad recognized for a non-graded seminar in Erfurt. Is this possible?

This is usually possible. It is always advisable to have a course from abroad recognized, which earns more ECTs abroad than required at the University of Erfurt. This way the recognition of the modules is quite secure. However, the recognition is secured through the learning agreement before you start your semester abroad, so you can be sure in advance that your courses can be recognized.

k) Is recognition of courses from abroad obligatory, even if the grade is poor?

The recognition of the courses from abroad depends on whether you have to have these courses recognized or not. If you have already accumulated enough courses and ECTS and you have achieved better grades in these modules than in the modules from abroad, it is not obligatory to have these courses recognized. However, if you depend on the ECTS number you have taken during the semester abroad, you must have them recognized.

l) How many ECTS points do I have to achieve per semester abroad?

As a general rule, the receipt of a mobility-promoting scholarship may be accompanied by obligations / target values to achieve a certain number of ECTS points. Please ask your scholarship provider accordingly. Incidentally, this depends on your partner university. Therefore, before you create the LA, you should get in contact with the partner university and find out how many ECTS have to be taken at this university in one semester at least.

m) How committed am I with the Learning Agreement? Can I also make changes later?

The LA is a contract which can still be changed in the course of time before the start of the semester abroad. Due to the fact that the host universities and host colleges often only have preliminary course plans, it is often necessary to change the LAs after the deadline, because often certain courses are no longer offered or have a different name. However, by completing the LA by the deadline, a change is still possible. It becomes difficult if no LA has been made by the deadline.

n) I would like to change my LA. How do I do that?

If you need or want to change your LA before the start of the semester abroad, this is done by creating a new LA and then having it signed again by the responsible coordinator:in and the examination board and then sending this to the partner university and the International Office as a scan.

After the start of the semester abroad, contact the responsible coordinator and discuss these changes by e-mail. No new LA can then be concluded, but the changes are reported to the International Office using the change form.

o) How do I know whether courses from abroad can be recognized?

The confirmation and assurance that the courses you have taken abroad will be recognized is provided by the LA. By signing a contract with the host university and the UE that these modules will be taken, the UE also gives you confirmation that you can have these courses recognized in Erfurt.

However, it is up to you whether you want to have these courses recognized in the end.

p) At my host faculty, the number of ECTS credits for one of my chosen courses has been changed. Do I have to indicate this change also in the "Changes" version of the Learning Agreement?

The changes can be indicated in the second part (During) of the Learning Agreement. This can be entered after the start of the semester abroad. However, exchange students will also receive a mail regarding this, in which all options are presented.

q) How does it work with the semester off?

It is recommended that you take a leave of absence during the semester abroad at UE. Advantage: no deduction from the standard period of study, no payment of semester fees.

You can still receive child benefits, since you can present a certificate of study from a foreign university. The recognition of study achievements is also possible in the semester of leave. BAFöG-entitled students can apply for BAFöG abroad, which is also possible with a leave of absence.

To apply for a leave of absence, fill out a leave of absence application by the re-registration deadline (website SuL). The International Office must confirm the study-related stay abroad. So that you do not all have to come to the International Office, we have made this confirmation available for download in your workflow of Mobility Online.

If you decide not to go abroad after applying for a leave of absence, you can change the leave of absence to a re-registration in the SuL department.

r) Do I have to re-register at the University of Erfurt despite having spent a semester abroad?

This depends on whether or not you have requested a semester off. If you have applied for a semester of leave, you do not have to re-register. However, if you have not requested a semester of leave, you must re-register with UE and transfer the tuition fees by the deadline.

s) What is the Erasmus+ OLS language test? And is this mandatory?

Regarding the language test, the OLS was mandatory but will be phased out in June 2022. A new tool will be introduced for the upcoming semesters abroad, where participation in the test will also be mandatory. Depending on the language level requirements of the host universities abroad for exchange students, a language certificate is mandatory. This varies from partner university to partner university and must be arranged individually with the host university.

t) Is it necessary to choose courses that cover a complete module of the study regulations for studying abroad?

If possible, you should propose a full Erfurt module as a counterpart to the courses at your university abroad; sometimes a course is also possible. This can sometimes be one point more than in your target university and sometimes one point less. The examination board of the Stawi-Fak has a table on its website, what is possible at most.

u) Can I take my open ECTS from the Studium Fundamentale abroad? And if so, what do I have to pay attention to for recognition?

Each open ECTS can be taken in the semester abroad, thus also the entire ECTS within the framework of the Studium Fundamentale. However, the LA must ensure that the modules you wish to take can also be recognized as part of the Studium Fundamentale.

Please send an overview of the required certificates from the Department of Political Science and a stamped envelope with your current address as well as a copy of your Thoska ID to Ms. Sandra Nier (Room 0069: New as of 06/2021).

We will send you the performance certificates by mail as soon as possible. Please note that we only manage the performance certificates from the Faculty of Political Science, please ask there for performance certificates from the Language Center.

Since WS 2019/20, the original Leistungsscheine are sent directly to Studium und Lehre, so we can no longer send them to you! Certificates of achievement for internships are only available for internships that were taken up to and including SS 2020!

Thank you for your understanding

Students who wish to enter the MEd program Regelschule or Berufsbildende Schulen must prove successful completion of the modules SG Demo "Theory of Democracy", SG SysD "The Political System of Germany" and SZ GpB "Fundamentals of Political Education" for entry into the subject Social Studies.

For the major subject Social Sciences, the following applies additionally: For the admission to the MEd program Regelschule, the internship module BF SPS R "Practical School Studies - Regelschule" (instead of the social science internship module BF PR "Professional Field") as well as the module SPäd 260 BWG "Fundamentals of Educational Science" in the area of Studium Fundamentale must be proven. The latter is to be taken via the course catalog, here under "Further Studium Fundamentale offerings".

If you have a minor in Social Sciences and are aiming for the MEd Regelschule: Corresponding modules on practical school studies and educational science basics must be taken and completed within the framework of your respective major.

Information on the internship module BF SPS R "Schulpraktische Studien - Regelschule" can be found here:

https://www.uni-erfurt.de/erfurt-school-of-education/praxisphasen/praktika/schulpraktische-studien-vos-bos