In German universities the academic year is divided into the Winter Semester and the Summer Semester. Officially, the Winter Semester begins in October and lasts until March, the Summer Semester from April to September. As far as teaching is concerned, however, the Winter Semester ends in February and the Summer Semester in July. The rest of the time, the vacations, is reserved to the preparation of academic papers and reports, preparation of examinations and work on practical projects. Most courses of study at the University of Bielefeld begin in the Winter Semester. When the main course has been completed successfully, it is possible to go on to obtain a postgraduate degree, e.g. a doctorate.
At German universities there are no fixed class groups and no course system. In many courses of study there are also no prescriptions as to the number of study hours per week. There are certain lectures and classes which are obligatory, but mostly students are free to choose which they wish to attend. Performance is checked by means of academic papers and reports, tests, written exercises and examinations. These are laid down in the examination regulations of the individual faculties.
Further information on studying in the Federal Republic of Germany can be obtained from
Comprehensive information about German universities can be found at::
It is often rather difficult for foreign students or applicants for a place of study to obtain information on studying in Germany. It is advisable to turn to the International Office of the prospective university.
The duration of studies depends in the first place on the course of study selected, bachelor or master. At Bielefeld University the bachelor courses normally take three years; and, unlike the pre-diploma or interim examination, this first degree is a complete and independent qualification. The master is an academic degree at an intermediate level between the bachelor and the doctorate, and is equivalent to the Magister, the Diploma or the first degree for state school teachers (Staatsexamen). The master course, for which the bachelor or equivalent is prerequisite, is designed to take one or two years, according to the subject.
For foreign students, the preparatory language course (at the University of Bielefeld a maximum of two semesters) can add to the length of study times accordingly (cf. information on DSH).
Under some circumstances work already done at an institution in the student's home country may be taken into account. A decision on this must be taken by the examinations board of the faculty in question, who will consult the International Office.
In lectures the subject matter is presented by a university teacher in the form of a prepared talk. The task of the students is restricted to listening and taking notes. As a rule there is no discussion. The purpose of the lecture is to give students an overview of a particular topic. The student must then work on the subject matter of the lecture individually, for instance in the tutorial which accompanies the lecture.
The seminar is a class for a restricted number of participants in which scientific problems are presented and worked on in depth. As a rule, seminars are divided into basic course and main course.
Deutsch
Studying in Germany