Studying

The lecture period in the summer semester 2020 will definitely start on 20 April 2020. The lecture period for the summer semester has been extended until 7 August 2020.

The summer semester 2020 will count as a regular semester under exceptional conditions, with special arrangements in place. It will not be shortened and it will not be a ‘zero semester’.

We will take steps to ensure that any delays in study progress do not cause any disadvantage to the students concerned. The Bavarian universities will also work to ensure that nationwide regulations for the welfare of students (BaföG, health insurance, child benefit, etc.) apply.

Lectures and classes can initially only be held online until the coronavirus pandemic is contained to such an extent that the Bavarian state government can allow face-to-face teaching again. Any online courses which have been planned completely may also continue to run throughout the semester even if attendance in person is possible again.

The deadline for enrolment for the summer semester has initially been postponed until 19 April and will be adjusted again if necessary.

Students who are intending to travel to Germany for their first semester in summer semester 2020 or students who returned to their home country in the lecture-free period and are now ‘stuck’ there due to travel restrictions are facing a particularly difficult situation. We will do our best to help you as much as we possibly can.

If you are anxious about missing part of the semester here, please rest assured that you are of course entitled to use any of our digital teaching resources, provided you have access to the internet where you are.

If you have any individual problems, please contact the Student Advice and Career Centre ibz@fau.de. Our colleagues there will be happy to help you.

In order to enable students to start or continue studying as freely as possible, teaching and examination formats must be adapted to the changed conditions. However, these adjustments are currently not covered by the degree programme and examination regulations, meaning that the examination procedures could be challenged legally.

Since amendments to all degree programme and examination regulations with the available resources would be neither feasible nor purposeful – the changes would have to be reversed after the removal of the restrictions – the University is planning a ‘COVID19 statute’ to maintain teaching and examinations as flexibly and free of interruption as possible. These statutes are currently being finalised and are due to enter into force soon. Information on this will be passed on to the relevant committees via the Deans of Studies.

The Student Advice and Career Service and the Examination Offices are closed to the public. Staff can, however, still be reached by e-mail or telephone. Students can now see to their affairs without having to come in person (for example submitting the Master’s thesis by post).

Whilst the libraries are closed, it is not possible to return books and other media.

The University Library has drawn up detailed FAQs on all questions relating to borrowing, fees and renewals. This tells you how and when you can renew your books and other media. During the closure, you will not be charged for failing to return items on time.

The Language Centre is currently looking into different options for offering language teaching as far as possible in the summer semester and staff are confident that they will be able to offer students a good service for the majority of courses.

Staggered registrations for the various languages and teaching locations are starting from the beginning of April. Please register as usual using the Language Centre’s registration system. Here you can also find information about placement tests. You will be notified as soon as possible as to whether and in what form your course will be held.

As instructed by the Bavarian State Ministry of Science and Arts, FAU has cancelled all face-to-face classes planned for the lecture-free period until 19 April 2020 with immediate effect. This applies to all classes and teaching units organised by FAU, in other words also excursions, field exercises or laboratory courses.

The following are excluded from the cancellation:

• Individual students working in a laboratory on research projects or as part of their Bachelor’s or Master’s thesis, as these activities are classed as research.
• Students of medicine or dentistry who are currently completing their clinical rotation (praktisches Jahr) or clinical elective (Famulatur) in a clinical facility.
• Teaching in other institutions, such as school placements. Please consult the relevant organiser for further information in such cases.

The University Administration will of course process all incoming requests for employing a part-time assistant, no matter whether they are for new positions or an extension of an existing position. Remuneration will also continue to be paid via the State Finance Office.

However, in view of the emergency situation facing us at the current time, we would ask you to be patient and bear with is if it takes longer than usual for employment contracts to be drawn up.

If the place where you are intended to work as an assistant is currently not staffed, you can initially scan the signed employment contract and send it electronically. However, the original contract still has to be submitted at a later date.

Office P3 (HR Services for Part-Time Academic Staff) are currently happy to accept requests for employment together with all necessary employment documents concerning a new position for or continued employment of part-time assistants. The four week deadline for submitting employment documents still applies.