Index

English language courses

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).

Scholarships and grants for going abroad

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.

One-time travel grant 
With funds from the Bavarian State Ministry for Science and the Arts and the Ilse and Dr. Alexander Mayer Foundation, which is based at FAU, the university is awarding travel grants to support stays abroad (a one-time grant).The application for a travel grant is generally made in the year in which the stay abroad is planned to BEGIN.Applications can also be submitted if you are already abroad or your stay abroad has already ended by the application deadline.More info and application details:
https://www.fau.eu/education/international/going-abroad/financial-support/scholarships-for-travel-expanses/

Diversity scouts

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.

Leave and regulations on study leave (Urlaubssemester)

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.

De-registration (exmatriculation)

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/

Job search & application

If you are looking for a clear and concise overview of residence, social and employment regulations for international students in Germany, the flyer “Job regulations for international students” from the Service Point for Intercultural Competence presents these in an easily understandable manner.

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:

  • career advice
  • advice on applications
  • application workshops and seminars
  • career information and talks

For further information, please refer to FAU’s Career Service:

Ms. Stefanie Rösch, M.A. and Ms. Nicole Jakob
Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg
Room 1.037 and Room 0.046
Schloßplatz 3, Ecke Halbmondstr. 6
91054 Erlangen
+49 9131 85-26304
E-Mail: career-service(at)fau.de

Relevant links for your job search and application

Required documents to work as student assistant

  • document proving that you are a matriculated student (“Immatrikulationsbescheinigung”)
  • social security number (from health insurance/ “Krankenkasse”?
  • cover letter: Your cover letter may make the difference between obtaining a job/internship interview or having your resume ignored
    • devote the necessary time and effort to writing effective cover letters
    • ask a friend to help proofread your cover letter, (if the application documents are in German, the proofreader should, of course, be German or fluent in German)
    • Get professional advice and have your application documents checked by the FAU Career Service

Understanding your payslip

You can find a description on how to read your payslip on the website of Simple Germany.

Scientific skills – lab course

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.

 

 

Learning German

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.

Studying online

For online seminars and courses that take place entirely online, you can find advice on studying online from student Jennifer Shurka on the FAU website.

UnivIS

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

  • Contact information of FAU staff and lecturers
  • Rooms