Index

Excursions

  • You need 2 excursions with (at least) 0,5 ECTS each
  • The MAP Office offers each semester at least 1 excursion

Basics

  • Compulsory interdisciplinary lectures which provide the “basics” of the focal subjects
  • Written exam at the end of the 1st semester, comprising the content of Basics I lectures
  • Basics II lectures will take place in the 2nd semester
  • (Alternative: Combined exam at the end of the 2nd semester)

Additional Qualifications (AQ)

Program structure

The MAP program consists of two parts:

  1. The primary course of 120 ECTS (mandatory for all students).
  2. The Additional Qualifications with research focus (with additional research qualifications) or with industry focus (with additional qualifications for business and industry) – optional for all students. We recommend participation in the complete set totaling 30 ECTS points.

Further details on the structure and the content of the additional qualification modules can be found on the MAP website and in the module handbook.

Organizational details

Registration for taking additional qualifications:

The MAP curriculum foresees the modules of the AQs in the second and third semester. Therefore, you should decide before the second semester whether you would like to take part in the AQs.

You can download a process and grading sheet (“Laufzettel”) in the download section of StudOn (you need to be logged in in StudOn), which will be used to register and document the AQs. The AQs consist of the following modules:

Elective Course

  1. MAP students obtain the permission to participate in the respective lecture and to take the exam (signature of the lecturer on the process and grading sheet). As there are so many options for the elective course, we are currently not in a position to offer our MAP students to register for the elective course on campo themselves. Since there is the possibility to attend lectures that are not part of the MAP program, registration via campo is not possible in some cases. Please contact the examiner with a request to manually register you for the examination in campo, or register in the list “Registration for Examination for Elective Courses” on StudOn in the section for your matriculation group and we will forward your registration to the Examinations Office. Keep in mind that your entry in StudOn is a binding registration for the exam. To ensure that you fulfill all the prerequisites for attending the course, ask the lecturer to give you a permit to attend on the routing slip at the beginning of the course.
  2. You will take the examination for the elective course as described in the module handbook, that means no special exams for MAP students. Please be aware that for courses which are offered for different study programs at the same time, the lecture / exercises might be the same, but the exams might look different. In this case, you need to decide under which exam number you will participate in the exam and ask the MAP Office to add your name to the respective exam list on campo.
  3. MAP “fundamentals” courses cannot be counted as elective course in the Additional Qualifications.

Miniproject (max. 6 months to work on)

  1. The second miniproject can be started only after the first miniproject has been finished. MAP students are required to obtain a certificate that the first miniproject report has been submitted and fulfills the requirements (“4.0-Bescheinigung”).
  2. Your supervisor inserts the starting day and title of the second miniproject and confirms by his / her signature and a stamp on the process and grading sheet.
  3. Your supervisor inserts the day you submit your second miniproject report and confirms by his / her signature and a stamp on the process and grading sheet.

Soft Skills

  1. As a rule, one soft skills course is offered per semester by the MAP office. Registration for these courses can be done via StudOn.
  2. Special soft skills seminars offered by the MAP office are only offered if at least five MAP students participate.
  3. The MAP office confirms successful participation in the soft skills seminars by signing and stamping the process and evaluation sheet.
  4. Alternatively, the soft skills courses offered by the Faculty of Engineering can be chosen. The Faculty of Engineering offers various (English) seminars on job application, interview training, presentation and communication skills. Registration starts 4 weeks prior to the course; obligatory attendance once registered. Should you not be able to attend, cancel your participation as soon as possible!
  5. Courses from the Virtuelle Hochschule Bayern (VHB) are usually also eligible. Please check with the MAP office in advance to see if a course is offered to see if the course can be credited as a soft skills course.

Internship

  1. Minimal time: 12 weeks corresponding to a fulltime position or equivalent.
  2. MAP students need to document participation via a certificate of the company. This certificate should at least include, where the internship took place, the period / time frame and the content of the internship. The MAP office will confirm the successful participation in the internship by signature and stamp on the process and grading sheet.
After completion of all modules of the additional qualifications, you need to hand in your process and grading sheet at the MAP Office. The MAP Office team will validate all modules and submit the information to the Examinations Office.

Until when to finish the AQs?

The deadline to submit the completed process and grading sheet of the AQs at the MAP Office is the date of submission of your Master’s Thesis. Until this date, you will need to have passed all modules (documented via the process and grading sheet). We highly recommend to submit your second miniproject not later than the day you start your Master’s Thesis to ensure that the grading will be finished before the deadline. Neither the MAP Office nor the Examinations Office can accept grades or confirmations that are submitted later than your Master’s Thesis. Such modules cannot be counted for the AQs nor will they appear on your final transcript of records.

Recognition of the AQs

When the complete set of modules of the AQs is finished and submitted on time, you will receive an official certificate for the AQs. This certificate will include all modules and the amount of ECTS points obtained in the course of the AQs. If you have completed only single modules of the AQs on time, those modules will be added to the transcript of records as “additional modules”. The grades of the AQs will not count to the final grade of the Master’s examination. The final grade of the Master’s examination is only calculated by the grades of the primary courses.

Registration of single modules of the AQs

If you cannot finish the 30 ECTS points of the AQs, all passed modules will be checked and submitted to the Examinations Office by the MAP Office. These modules will appear on your final transcript of records.

Failure regulations

If you fail one module of the AQs you do not fail the MAP Program. Any successful modules will be shown on your transcript of records as “additional modules”.
Further details regarding the elective course
  • When to take the elective course? The elective course can be taken during any of your study semesters.
  • Deregistration from the elective course? You can deregister from your elective course during the usual deregistration period by informing your examiner. After having passed the exam once, you cannot deregister anymore. If you want to change your elective course after your first trial you can do so.
  • Splitting of 5 ECTS? You can take two 2,5 ECTS courses. However, the transcript then may not exactly state the names of the two courses you have chosen.
  • Which “Modulkatalog” counts? If an elective course is offered for different study programs, different “Modulkataloge” might be offered. In this case, the exams have different exam numbers. You choose the Modulkatalog that you want to be examined by. Be aware to select the exam / Modulkatalog that offers the needed ECTS points.

Further details regarding the internship

  • Be aware to apply early on for an internship.
  • The MAP Office will provide a letter of support upon request. Many companies only provide internships if they are mandatory for the study program. We will confirm that the internship is part of the AQs and therefore requested by the MAP Program.
  • Compulsory professional internships do not count towards the 120/240-day rule. Students are allowed to carry out these activities beyond this regulation.

Program structure

Please refer to program structure explained in detail on our MAP website.

Student ticket for public transportation

What is the 38€ ticket?
A Germany ticket discounted by €20 for all trainees, volunteers and students in Bavaria.
The 38€ ticket can be purchased as a monthly cancelable subscription at the local transport association (VGN in our case). The verification will probably take place with the student ID.
The ticket will be offered in the apps “VGN Fahrplan & Tickets” and “Nürnberg Mobil”.
FAU and the AK IT der Stuve Erlangen-Nürnberg provide more information.

Semester dates

In General:
Winter semester: October – March
Summer semester: April – September

For exact dates, as well as the respective lecture periods, please see also:
https://www.fau.eu/study/current-students/semester-dates/

StudOn – MAP section

StudOn is FAU’s platform for online learning and course management. Students can register for courses via StudOn and access or store seminar handouts, reading lists and general information. In addition, StudOn is used for submitting homework and reports. StudOn allows direct exchange between students and lecturers in forums, chats and Wikis. StudOn is also used for online examinations. Students can log on with their University user account:www.studon.fau.de
MAP section on StudOn

The main MAP page (login necessary) provides information like

  • Curriculum: courses of the MAP Master’s program with the respective lecture notes (responsibility of lecturers)
  • Matriculation groups: course administration, general information and information on social events

and additional sections of interest

  • Overview of upcoming events with relevance for MAP students (e.g. research presentations, colloquia, career-related events etc.)
  • Job, internship and PhD opportunities
  • Information on scholarships
  • Forms and templates
  • Opportunities for different research projects (miniprojects, master thesis etc.)
  • Compilation of relevant information for MAP students (student wiki)

Leaving FAU

When you finish your MAP studies, please make sure that the MAP Office can still be in contact with you in the future. Please send us your current private e-mail address. FAU’s Rechenzentrum provides instructions in German language on how to set the properties in your IdM to forward emails that you receive on your FAU address to your private email address in the future. You can also apply for an FAU alumni email address. For statistical reasons, please let us know where and in which position you are taking up your first job after graduation.

Please be aware of visa regulations after your studies. If you liked to stay in Germany beyond your time as a student and have not found a job jet, you need to apply for the job-seeker-visa. The website of Bundesportal (an official website of the Federal Republik of German) and e. g. My German University provide more information.

Exchange students: Before you leave FAU/Germany, there are a few things you need to do to ensure that you do not encounter any problems later and that you are able to continue your studies successfully at your home university. The FAU website provides an informational section on leaving FAU.

Health and liability insurance

Health insurance
The Federal Ministry of Education and Research provides this document with information for foreign students.
Students enrolled at a state or state-approved university in the Federal Republic of Germany are required to have statutory health insurance. This also applies to students enrolled at universities in Germany who are not usually resident in Germany. The FAU-Website provides more information on this aspect. For further information on health insurance for students, questions or consultation feel free to contact Mr. Andreas Schaller:
Andreas Schaller campus consultant
Mobil +49 151 – 12 65 91 38
Andreas.Schaller@tk.de
https://www.tk.de/kontakt/Andreas.Schaller
Liability insurance
In Germany a lot of people have a lot of insurances. However, there is a big discussion about which ones are really necessary and which ones are not. It is mandatory for everyone to have a health insurance and, in case you own a car, an insurance for damages you cause with your car. All other insurances are voluntary.
As an international student temporarily residing in Germany, most offered insurances are not necessary. The only one which is strongly recommended is a liability insurance (German: “Haftpflichtversicherung”). This insurance pays for each damage which you cause to anything in your private life (if it was not by a car), for example if you accidentally damage someone else’s glasses or any valuable device or object in their apartment. The annual fees for such an insurance range from about 40 to 80 Euros, which makes them relatively affordable.
Often times, your bank institute offers an additional liability insurance when you open your bank account, so it is worth considering this option when you do. There are also dozens of other companies offering liability insurances. By signing the rental contract you undertake to care for the condition of the accommodation, furniture and the keys you were given. In case of losing your apartment or building key but the building has a master key system, you will be held liable for the entire system being changed. This can result in considerable costs. We strongly recommend having a liability insurance for situations as such, as it covers many types of damages to a third party or their property. Please ensure that your liability insurance covers damage by water, the exchange of master key systems and similar things.

German bank accounts

Many German banks offer student accounts free of charge. A comparison of different banks can be found e.g. on the following pages:
Comparison of Student Bank Account Offers (English)
Comparison of Student Bank Account Offers (German)