Important Resources

You will be de-registered automatically after the end of the semester in which you submitted your thesis. However, there is also a possibility to exmatriculate yourself earlier. Please refer to FAU’s general regulations regarding exmatriculation. The form for de-registration can be found on the website of the Student Records Office. The form states: “You may choose whether you wish to be de-registered at the end of the semester (30 September or 31 March respectively) or on a specific date of your choice. However, it is usually sensible to be de-registered at the end of the semester, as this means that your health insurance will not expire (…)”
For more detailed advice and counseling in these questions, please contact the Student Records Office: https://www.fau.eu/study/current-students/student-records-office/

The growing diversity of students makes it necessary to raise awareness of stereotypes, to reduce discrimination and to promote the dialogue about diversity. The Diversity Committee consists of peer mentors for students who represent diverse experiences. Students of non-traditional ages, with a migration or international background, disabilities, caretaking responsibilities, different sexual orientations and gender identities, or who come from a non-academical family background, can connect with the Diversity Committee, especially at the beginning of their studies at FAU. The Diversity Committee helps students to get oriented at the FAU and create networking opportunities around the topic of diversity. The FAU website provides additional information about the Diversity Committee.

Depending on your pre-knowledge on English, it might be an option to attend specialized English courses at the Sprachenzentrum Kursangebot – Sprachenzentrum der FAU. All English courses are free of charge for FAU students. Registration starts about 3 Weeks before the beginning of the lecture period. There are fitting courses for students who are interested in more subject-related English courses. We recommend the courses at level 3 or 4 at our Language Center (these correspond to C1 level).

IdM stands for identity management and is used for

• Management of user ID
• Overview of all personal user accounts
• FAUCard
• and many other additional sections

• Our program requires attendance, punctuality and active participation in all obligatory classes, scientific skills courses und excursions.
  In our soft skills courses, lecturers can and will withhold certificates if students show up late.
• Please be on time for lectures, meeting points at field trips etc.
• Make sure to be present for the first lectures.
  Check campo for time and location in the first week.
• Make sure to refer to the MAP Office staff and not to senior students for organizational details and questions on examinations. Several regulations have changed during the past years.
  Take your chance to give fair feedback on lectures and thereby to improve MAP: electronic evaluations will be conducted at the end of each semester.
• We highly recommend you joining the LinkedIn MAP alumni group (https://www.linkedin.com/groups/5051053/) already at this stage to exchange on career paths and to identify internship opportunities.
• We highly recommend a private liability insurance policy. It covers many claims for unintended damages that you might cause other people or their properties (e.g. results of minor bicycle accidents, possible loss of apartment keys, but not results of car accidents!)
• First steps – information for international students aims to introduce you to life in Germany and answer some of the most important questions you may have when you first arrive. Further information about the online services of the FAU are also explained in this news article.

Email etiquette
Use only your official @fau.de email address for all communications related to your studies. Emails from other providers are sometimes directly sorted as spam or treated as such from professors who often get more than 100 emails per day.

FAU Career Service

The FAU Career Service offers a diverse range of professional events and consultation services for members of all of FAU’s faculties designed to support students, graduates and doctoral candidates when planning and starting their careers. This service is available for up to one year after graduation and includes:

Understanding your payslip

Even if you do not need to know German for your studies, we know from experience that you will find it easier to find accommodation and deal with bureaucracy if you do know German, e.g. when extending your visa, and to find a job during and after your studies.

We therefore recommend that you use apps like Duolingo or Babbel to get started.

FAU offers German courses at the Language Center / Sprachenzentrum free of charge. These are great courses, however, the University’s German courses are limited. Therefore, apply early and repeatedly to get one of the places. Once you get one, take the opportunity and take the course.

Certain German courses offered by the Language Centre are not free of charge. In the case of very specific courses (intensive courses for German FIT), the MAP program can partially reimburse the costs in consultation with the MAP Office. Please get back to our MAP Office staff.

In theory, it is possible for you to take a leave semester. However, the MAP Office recommends this only in exceptional cases. Please check details with the Student Records Office. They offer the request for leave on their website.

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.

For general advice on study related matters:

• Student Records Office: helps you with enrolment, re-registration, de-registration, application for reimbursement of semester fees, leave and regulations on study leave, application to change degree program, studying for two degrees, guest students and mature students, health insurance for students, reporting accidents, issuing confirmation of duration of studies, change of name (e.g. after marriage or change of identity), semester tickets for public transportation
• Student Advice and Career Service (ZSB): helps you with every step of the way before, during and after studying. They take the time to explore the various options open to you. However, we advise you to first consult the MAP Office with questions concerning your MAP studies, before contacting the ZSB.
• Student Service Center at Technical Faculty: individual advice around issues pertaining to foreign matters
• Faculty of Engineering for an overview of MAP’s host faculty
• Library – Science and Technology Branch (TNZB)
• Students’ councils of the Materials Science and Engineering and Chemical and Biological Engineering Departments
  Students’ councils (Fachschaften) are student organizations linked to departments or degree programs in which students represent their fellows’ interests, are contact persons for them and organize events. Although MAP students elect two students per year group to represent them, MAP does not (yet) have an own students’ council. MAP students are explicitly encouraged to get involved in the two mentioned students’ councils.
• FAU Examinations Office: is responsible for examination matters and  recognition of studies and examinations when changing study programs
• MAP section on StudOn for lecture material. It is encouraged to visit this site to download course material and carry out certain administrative activities relating to your course (registration of miniprojects, signing up for exams etc.)

For technical, electronic and IT support: 

• Where? How? Why?
  background information on the electronic FAU support
• Regionale Rechenzentrum Erlangen (RRZE): IT support
• FAU FabLab: Open workshop geared towards computer-controlled production. They offer facilities to lasercut, make stickers, print or embroider textiles, fix a seam or two, make printed circuit boards, populate them and find any mistakes, 3D-Print, and mill, turn and work with wood and metals.

To help you navigate being an international student in Germany:

• Language center for German and other language courses
• Central Office for International Affairs (RIA): can help you organize a stay abroad and offers a welcome program for international students
• First steps – Information for international students aims to introduce you to life in Germany and answer some of the most important questions you may have when you first arrive
• Housing – Student accommodation at FAU
• Studying in Germany in 10 Steps
• Online student A-Z: There is a lot to learn in your first semester including many foreign words, abbreviations and technical terms. Here is an A to Z of some of the most important terms which you will need during your time at FAU. Some useful links with information which should help you to adjust to student life and put you on the right track have been included as well.
• Stuve International: The Working Group for International Students bundles the problems and challenges of international students to ensure a better representation of the interests of international students within the student representation and at the university
• Translator service for international students: supports non-German-speaking citizens in communicating with public authorities, social institutions, schools or when visiting the doctor

For personal advice and psychological support:

• Career Service: advice for your professional life
• Psychologisch – Psychotherapeutische Beratungsstelle: Ms. Elizabeth Provan-Klotz. Students of the Faculty of Engineering are provided with on-site psychological services at the Counseling and Psychological Center for the Faculty of Engineering. Mental health services are provided to students in need of counseling, consultation and crisis intervention. The Counseling and Psychological Center helps with a wide-range of psychological problems including: exam and speaking anxiety, learning difficulties, procrastination and motivational problems, stress management, anger management, loneliness, low mood, feelings of guilt, anxiety, panic, self harm and suicidal thoughts, coping with a chronic illness or disability, relationship or family problems, identity problems; gender or sexual orientation issues, homesickness and problems in living away from family and friends, addiction and substance abuse, difficulties integrating into German university and society. Counseling is offered in both German and English.
• FAU’s Office for students with disabilities and chronic illnesses: offers confidential consultations for students with disabilities and chronic diseases in all matters relating to studying at FAU (admission to the degree program, accessibility, examinations)
• Office for Gender and Diversity: for any issue related to sexual harassment and discrimination
• The Women’s Representative: supports women at FAU’s Faculty of Engineering and provides a variety of events and support services for women at all stages of their education and careers including ARIADNE techmentoring program, doctoral thesis award, guest lectures, funding for travel etc.
• and additional video help for those in need of advice (IBZ)
• Familienservice: The FAU Family Service supports in all questions related to work-family balance. In case of a pregnancy, contact the MAP Office for questions and referral to the responsible University institutions! If pregnant, you should get acquainted with relevant risk assessments (“Anlasslose Gefährdungsbeurteilung von Studiengängen im Rahmen des neuen Mutterschutzgesetzes“), find further information on the FAU Website.
• Legal Advice for Students: The Studentenwerk Erlangen-Nürnberg provides numerous advice offers. For international students, the advice in legal issues might be very important.
• StudiCare: Online trainings for students under psychological stress (in German)
• Caritas Erlangen offers a service for psychiatric support (in German)
• “Heimwegtelefon” – home phone: For the way home in the dark, there is the “Heimwegtelefon” in Germany, should you feel unsafe. Volunteers work here and take calls nationwide so that you have someone to talk to. Geodata can be used to identify where the caller is at the moment, so that help can be sent quickly in the event of an emergency.
  Number: 030/12074182 (Sunday-Thursday 6pm-0am, Friday-Saturday 6pm-3am)

For advice on leisure matters (culture, religion, sports): 

• List of supported student groups and initiatives by the Studierendenvertretung
• Religious groups:
  • Groups for students of all subjects, nationalities, denominations, and religions organized by Christians:
    • Welcome-Program: Germans offer hospitality for international students
    • International group
    • Evangelische Studierenden & Hochschulgemeinde / Internationals
    • Katholische Hochschulgemeinde / Internationals
  • For Muslims
• University sports program (Allgemeiner Hochschulsport)

Academic Support

Chairs:

Support in administration and various personal matters

MAP Office

UnivIS stands for University Information System. It provides information on:

• Contact information of FAU staff and lecturers
• Rooms

De-registration from literature reviews and miniprojects is not possible after a topic has been assigned to you.

Disabled and chronically ill students (i.e. physical or psychical disturbance for longer than 6 months or illnesses over more than one year which are needed to be treated by a doctor at least once in three months) have the possibility of a disadvantage compensation (e.g. longer exam times). The cases will be dealt with on an individual basis. For the disadvantage compensation, a card/certificate which officially proves the disability is not necessary. The disadvantage compensation is not indicated in the transcript of records. Further information is provided under “Compensation for disadvantages during examinations”

MAP lecturers are responsible for exam organization (date and time) and grade registration via campo.
Exception: MAP Office organizes the dates for the Basics exams due to the involvement of several lecturers.

Within one week and even within one day, several exams might be scheduled. Inform the MAP lecturer about other exams to avoid overlap.

The two parts of each basics examination count as separate examinations. You can decide if you take both parts on the same date or at different times.

1.0 / 1.3 = very good – excellent performance

1.7 / 2.0 / 2.3 = good – performance significantly above average requirements

2.7 /3.0 / 3.3 = satisfactory – corresponds to average requirements

3.7 / 4.0 = pass – has deficits but still meets the requirements

4.3 / 4.7 / 5.0= fail – performance has significant deficits and does not meet the requirements

• https://www.fau.eu/education/advice-and-services/examination-offices/examinations-office-faculty-of-engineering/#collapse_4
• https://www.fau.eu/education/advice-and-services/examination-offices/#collapse_2
• https://www.fau.eu/education/advice-and-services/examination-offices/taking-examinations-withdrawal-illness-and-adjustments-to-examination-arrangements/

The MAP program is regulated by the “Allgemeine Prüfungsordnung” (general exam regulations) and the “Fachprüfungsordnung” (subject exam regulations). Only the German version is legally binding.

In the first semester, you will take lab courses that are selected for you based on your previous qualifications.

To pass the module, you must actively participate in the experiments and submit the lab reports to the supervisor in a timely manner. Late or insufficient lab reports will result in a fail.

The students must familiarize themselves with the relevant documentation before the start of the experiments. If they are insufficiently prepared, the students will be excluded from the experiments.

The MAP Office does not have information on the failure of students.
Students who are subject to the failure rule will be exmatriculated (=deregistered from the university) at the end of the semester .
It is the student’s responsibility to assess whether he/she is in danger of failing the MAP program.

No warning will be issued by the MAP office!

We therefore strongly advise to:

• Familiarize yourself thoroughly with the examination rules of the program
• Regularly check all your examination results on campo 
• In case you have failed an examination:
  • go to the official post-exam review date offered by the examiners and check for possible mistakes in grading or grade calculation as well as to learn from your mistakes.
  • in case of miniproject reports or literature reviews, schedule an appointment to discuss the comments of the examiner.
• Ask the MAP Office in case of doubt regarding your individual situation.

What happens in case you are subject to the failure rule and have failed the program:

• Any official information is provided through the central examinations office (“Prüfungsamt”).
• Notifications about exmatriculation are sent after the end of the respective examination period (November/December for SS; May/June for WS).
• An objection to such notification can be filed within four weeks.
• After four weeks the exmatriculation becomes legally binding.

1.0 / 1.3 = very good – excellent performance

1.7 / 2.0 / 2.3 = good – performance significantly above average requirements

2.7 /3.0 / 3.3 = satisfactory – corresponds to average requirements

3.7 / 4.0 = pass – has deficits but still meets the requirements

4.3 / 4.7 / 5.0= fail – performance has significant deficits and does not meet the requirements

The MAP program is regulated by the “Allgemeine Prüfungsordnung” (general exam regulations) and the “Fachprüfungsordnung” (subject exam regulations). Only the German version is legally binding.

In the first semester, you will take lab courses that are selected for you based on your previous qualifications.

To pass the module, you must actively participate in the experiments and submit the lab reports to the supervisor in a timely manner. Late or insufficient lab reports will result in a fail.

The students must familiarize themselves with the relevant documentation before the start of the experiments. If they are insufficiently prepared, the students will be excluded from the experiments.

What money is available?

Within the MAP budget there is a limited amount of money available to support students who wish to undertake additional educational activities during the course. The exact amount received will depend on the type of planned activity and the available funds. No student is automatically entitled to the money – it will only be granted if a clear need is demonstrated. The MAP speakers and administrators will decide fairly on a case-by-case basis on receiving a written application from the students.

What is the money for?

The grants are provided in order to support academic activities not already supported by MAP. These should be outside of the lecture period of the semester, apart from in exceptional cases. Preferably, such events should involve active participation and development of personal skills and for events meeting these criteria all students will be supported at suitable levels if they wish to attend. On the other hand, for seminars and conferences where the attendees are essentially passive, funds for only a small number of attendees will be granted. This is particularly the case for international research conferences as these have a limited value for a Masters-level student and in terms of the huge travel and registration costs are not efficient uses of the money. There are of course exceptions, for instance when the international conference has a session or workshop for undergraduates or masters students or if the MAP student has submitted an abstract to the conference e.g. from their Masters work.

Who can get it?

All current MAP students will be considered for a grant, based on the type of activity proposed (active or passive involvement) and its academic and professional relevance.

You may apply for a MAP educational grant also as MAP alumni if you:
1) Intend to present the results of your MAP Master’s Thesis
2) If the conference takes place within 6 months after handing in your Master’s Thesis

How to apply for it?

Support can only be granted after formal application to the MAP Office. A full written application is required at least 2 months before the event. The application form (including information on required supporting documents) is available on the StudOn template section: https://www.studon.fau.de/studon/goto.php?target=cat_1511543

What happens next?

The MAP Chairs and administrative team will consider each application fairly and if necessary discuss with the student for clarification. The student will be told how much of the applied-for funds will be granted. Students should be aware that until this written information is received by them, no money is guaranteed. Hence, where international flights are involved, an early application is encouraged.
If support is granted, the student must sign a declaration stating that he/she:

• will provide pictures and a short report (200-250 words) of the event in return for the financial support
• agrees that these pictures and the report can be published by MAP for the purpose of promotion
• will use the MAP logo on power point presentations, posters etc.
• is aware that it is his/her responsibility to provide all required documents for the refunding within 4 weeks after his/her return at the latest

You can find information about studying abroad and internship possibilities on the FAU website and the DAAD website.

Register time abroad and win a travel scholarship worth 500 euros

You’re studying at FAU and planning a stay abroad as a free mover or at a summer or winter school? Or are you working on your Master’s thesis in another country? Maybe you are taking a language course or doing a work placement or internship abroad? FAU believes such experiences are extremely valuable and is happy to encourage them, for example by offering scholarships.
The MAP Office would appreciate if you could keep us up to date about any time you spend abroad by filling in the registration form, helping us provide you and future students with the best possible support. And the best thing is: all entries submitted throughout the year are entered into a prize draw in November for the chance to win one of five travel scholarships.
Please contact the FAU International Relations Office directly if you have any questions.

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:

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

Failure regulations

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.

• 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)

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

• Advanced Processes – Prof. Maro Haumann
• Biomaterials and Bioprocessing – Prof. Aldo Boccaccini
• Computational Materials Science and Process Simulation – Prof. Michael Engel
• Nanomaterials and Nanotechnology – Prof. Mathias Göken

• Each student has discussed / will discuss his/her individual timetable with one of the MAP Chairs or MAP lecturers
• Changes in your fundamental subjects are only possible with written agreement of one of the MAP Chairs or the MAP lecturer who assigned one’s Fundamentals.
• Written examinations (“Studienleistung”)
• Pass/Fail subjects
• Exam dates are scheduled by the lecturer

General information

An internship of at least twelve weeks is a mandatory part of the (Additional Qualifications) curriculum. Internships that exceed this time period are explicitly supported by MAP.

Internship in research OR industry

This module aims to develop our students’ research- or industry-related knowledge and transferable work skills and capabilities. Students are required to organize the internship independently. However, the MAP office and professors involved in MAP are always happy to provide support and advice.

Crediting of relevant prior work experience

If you have prior MAP-relevant work experience, this can potentially be credited.
Please contact the MAP Office in written

• stating that the respective experience did not already count towards your Bachelor’s degree and
• attaching the related proof documents (most importantly: work certificate clearly stating your name, employment duration with dates, tasks performed)

Work permit

According to your student visa, you are allowed to do a mandatory internship. The internship required by MAP, due to being mandatory, does not even fall under the regulation of international students being allowed to work 140 days/year (https://www.fau.eu/international/international-applicants/important-information/employment-and-placements/)

Internship certificate

The internship certificate stating duration, tasks etc. needs to be handed in and approved by the MAP Office after internship completion.

Confirmation that internship is mandatory

A personal copy of a signed confirmation that the internship is mandatory (Bestätigung Pflichtpraktikum) can be received from the MAP Office. Please let us know by email.

General information

If the student chooses to gain Additional Qualifications in research or industry, an additional miniproject of 10 ECTS is taken during the 3rd semester.

Step by step

1. 1. For registration of the MAP miniproject please use the registration from which you can find in the MAP StudOn templates section (login needed). The registration of your miniproject needs to be confirmed by your principal supervisor by signing the registration form as stipulated. At this stage, you don’t have to inform the MAP office.
      Once you have finished your miniproject, please hand in your report directly to your supervisor for grading, either an electronic version or the original paper version, depending what your supervisor prefers (please check beforehand!). At the same time, you need to upload your report as PDF file and insert some further information (such as final project title) in the on the MAP StudOn curriculum section (login needed, please choose the specific semester there).
      After your supervisor has graded your miniproject and has added the grade and his stamp (or that of his chair/institute) on the registration form, please hand in the original document to the MAP office.
      The last section on the miniproject registration sheet will then be filled in by the MAP office staff. We will also forward your grade to the examination office for registration.
      Another possibility is, to ask your supervisor to send your graded miniproject to the MAP office. For legal reasons, the scanned version can only be sent to the MAP Office by the supervisor in person.
   2. The number of working hours given (250 – 300) are to be understood as a guideline for a miniproject with 10 ECTS. The work load does not only refer to the time you do practical lab work but as well to the time you spend on preparing and studying at home or in the library.
      Thus, it depends a lot on the nature of your project, how much time you will actually spend with practical work in the lab. Your supervisor might be able to better judge this time frame, depending on the topic and the expected development.
   3. Before you can register for your Master’s thesis, you need to have successfully fulfilled all requirements of the MAP primary course, which is the case once you have achieved 90 ECTS.
      Any additional courses – either the full 30 ECTS block of the Additional Qualifications or individual courses – need to be graded and registered either on campo or with the MAP Office before you hand in your Master’s thesis. After this date, the Examinations Office cannot accept any further course achievements for your transcript.
      Especially if you plan to do an second miniproject within the Additional Qualifications, we strongly recommend to have it finished before you start with your Master’s thesis, as you need to consider some time for grading as well.

General recommendations

Forms and templates

All forms and templates are available at our MAP StudON section (login needed).

De-registration or prolongation of deadline

In line with the stipulations set by the Central Examinations Office, a prolongation is only possible under very specific circumstances and with the required proof documents (e.g. doctor’s certificate). A withdrawal is not permitted after topic allocation.

Failure/ late hand in

It is your responsibility to find a new miniproject with a new supervisor during the next semester.

The MAP program is regulated by the “Allgemeine Prüfungsordnung” (general exam regulations) and the “Fachprüfungsordnung” (subject exam regulations). Only the German version is legally binding.

In the first semester, you will take lab courses that are selected for you based on your previous qualifications.

To pass the module, you must actively participate in the experiments and submit the lab reports to the supervisor in a timely manner. Late or insufficient lab reports will result in a fail.

The students must familiarize themselves with the relevant documentation before the start of the experiments. If they are insufficiently prepared, the students will be excluded from the experiments.