Exams

MPO stands for ModulPrüfungsOrdnung (Module Examination Regulations ) and describes the modules of your study program. It tells you which and how many modules you have to take, whether there are prerequisites for taking a module, which ones count towards your final grade, how many courses you have to attend in order to complete a module, and which exams are ultimately required. It is the most important document for the organization and successful completion of your studies. Our explanations for the MPO will help you to get through it better!

At the beginning of your studies, you should deal with it as precisely as possible. Here is a brief overview of the most important points for the German Studies Bachelor (major):

There are basic, in-depth and focus modules. All basic and specialization modules are compulsory. In the focus modules you can always choose between two modules. In order to be able to complete the advanced and specialization modules, you must have completed the basic modules beforehand. In the literary studies modules, you must take a course from older German literary studies at least once.

You must have written a total of three academic papers in your studies. One of these must be written in a focus module.

In addition, you need 20 credits from the acquisition of key competencies. Integrated key competencies are automatically credited to you with the completion of certain modules. The ten remaining additive key competencies can be credited to you, for example, by attending certain courses, participating in student organizations, e.g. the student council, or leading a tutorial, as well as attending language courses at the International Study Center. 

You must complete an eight-week internship. This can be done at home or abroad. Study abroad and study-related training can also be counted as an internship. In order to pass the internship module, you must submit a written report, which is not graded, but only assessed as pass or fail.

The writing of the bachelor thesis can take place in the sixth semester at the earliest. Prerequisites are at least 80 credits in the major, 30 credits in the minor and 12 credits in key competencies as well as the completed internship. You can still earn the remaining credits after registering for the bachelor thesis.

You receive integrated key competencies when you have completed a specific module. Additive key competencies, however, you have to acquire outside of your regular courses. This means, for example, that you can attend a workshop, learn a foreign language or get involved in the student council. 

• How many courses does a module consist of (and do I have to attend a tutorial?)?
• What learning content does the module deal with?
• For which courses of study can the module still be used?
• How long does the module last and how often is it offered?
• In which language is the module offered?
• Are there any prerequisites for participation?
• What form of teaching and learning is involved?
• What is the approximate workload: 
  
  SWS=Semester Week Hours (time spent on site in the respective course); student self-study (the amount of work you have to do with the respective course outside of it. This means e.g. the time spent at home, for revision or similar)?

• What kind of exams can I take?
• How many credits do I get for it?
• Modules 1-5 are basic modules
• Modules 6-9 are in-depth modules
• Modules 10-13 are focus modules

Further information and details (such as sample module certificates, sample timetables and the module handbook listing the individual modules) can be found in the MPO of the subject German.

• Since modules 1,2 and 4 have no prerequisites for participation, a maximum of the three can therefore be started (alternatively, only modules 1 and 2 can be started).
• Module 3 can be added from the 2nd semester onwards.
• Example timetables can be taken from the MPO.

In some cases, the German program has prerequisites for taking seminars. However, the following modules do not have this:

• Module 1
• Module 2
• Module 4

In some cases, there are prerequisites for taking seminars in the German program. For this, some modules or internships must first be successfully completed in order to be able to take further modules.

• Module 3 can only be taken from the 2nd semester onwards.
• Module 5 requires the successful completion of Module 1
• Module 6 requires the successful completion of Module 3
• Module 7a requires the successful completion of Module 4
• Module 7b requires the successful completion of Module 4
• Module 8 requires successful completion of Module 2
• Module 9 requires successful completion of block internship
• Module 10 requires the intermediate exam L3
• Module 11 requires the intermediate examination L3
• Module 12 requires the intermediate examination L3
• Module 13 requires the intermediate exam L3

Within a module, coursework may be required as a prerequisite for admission to the module examination. Study achievements can be provided in oral, practical or written form.

Each module examination or partial examination must be registered within the specified period via HisPos (See: Prüfungsverwaltung -> Leistungen an- und abmelden).

• The respective type of examination can be found in the module handbook.
• The type of examination is freely selectable depending on the seminar offered.
• In the course of the studies, three scientific papers MUST be written (one of them in the focus area).
• Within a module, coursework may be required as a prerequisite for admission to the module examination.
• In the case of group work, individual performance must be delineable.
• The following modules count for 24% of the overall grade of the First State Examination (for second subjects Art or Music only 20%).
• If the student misses or withdraws from the exam without a valid reason, the exam will be considered unsatisfactory "0 points". The reason must be reported immediately in writing to the chairperson of the module examination committee and must be made credible.

• A module examination is passed if it has been assessed with at least 5 points. 
• A cumulative module examination is passed if the average score of the partial examinations is at least 5 points. 
• Failed module examinations and partial module examinations of a failed module can be repeated twice. 
• If a compulsory module is definitively not passed, admission to the First State Examination in German for the Teaching Profession at Gymnasiums is excluded.
• In the case of a final failure of a compulsory elective module, the compulsory elective area can be changed once.

The intermediate examination in the German subprogram is achieved with 37 credits. The following modules must be successfully completed in order to pass the intermediate examination: 1,2,3 and 4.

94 credits in the German subprogram (30 refer to subject didactics and 6 for the subject didactic practical school studies. A total of 240 in the L3 study program.

a. L3/ Module 1: Fundamentals of Linguistics and Literature I.

b. one of the following modules:

1. L3/ Module 5: Older German Language and Literature.
2. L3/ Module 6: Word/ Sentence/ Text/ Conversation/ Meaning
3. L3/ Module 7a: History of Literature I
4. L3/ Module 7b: Theories and Methods of Literary Studies I

c. two of the following modules:

1. L3/ Module 8: Didactics of German Language and Literature.
2. L3/ Module 10: Literature and Media
3. L3/ Module 11: Text and Discourse
4. L3/ Module 12: Focus on Linguistics
5. L3/ Module 13: Focus on Older and Modern Literary Studies

In the case of electives, the modules with the highest number of points go to

The master program is based on different modules, these modules are also linked to certain conditions. 

Module 1 - 4: are so-called compulsory modules, i.e. these modules must be completed. Per module you have to attend 3 events (seminar, lecture etc.) to complete the module. Of these 3 courses you have to pass 1 examination and 2 study achievements (ungraded). In total there are 12 courses for the modules 1-4. In these 12 courses you have to take 6 courses in Linguistics and 6 courses in Literature/Media Studies. 

Modules 5, 6, 7 and 8 can be chosen freely in terms of their focus (linguistics or modern/older literary studies/media studies).

Module 10 is the master's degree module; this includes a course as an accompanying seminar for the master's thesis. 

Study achievements are ungraded and serve the active participation in the respective course. The course work provides the basis for the examination. Only when you have completed the course work are you qualified for the examination. Depending on the lecturer, you can, for example, take minutes of a meeting or give a presentation and actively participate in the seminar. 

Examinations in the Master's program are freely selectable. You can either write a term paper/project paper of 15-20 pages, a 30-minute colloquium (oral exam) or a research-related presentation. However, not every lecturer offers every examination performance. You will be informed about the examination requirements for a specific seminar during the first seminar session. 

Within your Master's program, however, you must have written 3 scientific papers (term paper/project paper). All other examinations are, as mentioned above, freely selectable. 

Failed module exams can be repeated twice. You cannot repeat module exams that you have already passed (i.e. with at least 4.0). 

YES! There are guidelines and formal instructions that you should follow. Each institute has its own guidelines, especially concerning the citation. You can find more information here.

Even if your studies revolve around the German language, your exams will not only consist of homework. Especially at the beginning of your studies you will have to write some exams. Nevertheless, you should keep in mind that it is obligatory for you to complete three scientific homeworks! You have to write two in the basic modules and one in the focus modules. Of course, you may write more, depending on your MPO.

A small tip: If you are unsure about the first term paper, write it in a module that does not count towards the exam grade - this way you can try it out first and be on the safe side. You can find out which modules are included in the MPO guidelines!

You can register the topic of the master thesis in the 3rd semester at the earliest. You must have successfully completed a total of 5 modules (with at least 4.0). Which 5 modules these are is not prescribed in the examination regulations. You can, for example, have completed modules 1-5 or modules 2,6,7,8, and 3. The order does not matter. 

You are free to choose your first examiner who will supervise your master's thesis. However, the first examiner must be authorized to examine the master's thesis.

Either you choose your first examiner according to the topic or subject (either language or literature) you want to write your Master's thesis about, or according to the first examiner himself/herself. However, it is advisable to ask in time if the respective examiners still have capacities to supervise your master thesis. 

You are free to choose the topic of your Master's thesis, however, depending on the examiner, at least the rough subject area (e.g. literature or language) is predetermined. In any case, you should discuss your chosen topic with your examiner. Your examiner will also be able to tell you whether your chosen topic is relevant to research and whether the topic can be completed in the time available (18 weeks). Therefore, you should make an appointment with your examiner in good time. As a rule, you will have to write an exposé on your Master's thesis topic, which you can then discuss with your examiner during the consultation hours. The professor can also give you tips for relevant literature. It is best to make a note of potential questions about your topic in advance so that you can clarify them in the consultation hour. Once you have officially registered your topic, you can only change your topic once within the first 6 weeks after registration. This also applies to purely linguistic rewording. 

After you have found your topic and a suitable examiner, it is time to register your master's thesis. For this purpose you have to fill out a form, which you can also find on the institute's website, and have it signed by your examiner. You then have to hand in the completed form at the examination office of the department 02 (KW5, room 3003). Your first examiner will usually suggest a second examiner to whom you then only need to have the form signed. The examination office will then check your application and usually contact you in writing by mail if the registration worked or if there were any problems. 

If your registration for the Master's thesis has worked, you will receive a confirmation by mail from the examination office to the address you have entered at the university (here you should also make sure in advance that the address you have entered is still current). The confirmation will again summarize the title of your master thesis, the date of your admission and also (very important!) the date when you have to hand in your master thesis. 

The registration for the master thesis is independent of time and not bound to deadlines, i.e. you can register your master thesis during the semester as well as during the lecture-free period.

You have a total of 18 weeks to write your master's thesis from the date of registration of your master's thesis to the date of submission. Of course, you can work on your Master's thesis in advance, especially if you are not sure whether you can complete your topic in 18 weeks. It is advisable to work in advance if you want to work empirically in your Master's thesis and, for example, create an online survey or similar. Especially here, it is usually not clear in advance how much time the creation and evaluation will take. It is best to gather your literature before you register and get an overview. Since you will be discussing the topic with your examiner during office hours, you will have to acquire knowledge on the topic anyway.

Before you hand in your Master's thesis on time, you should definitely have your work read through by acquaintances, friends or family members. These people do not necessarily have to be familiar with your chosen topic. In any case, you should have your spelling checked, either by competent people you know (e.g. other fellow students) or professionally, by certain agencies. It is best to have your work read in chapters, then the effort for the reader is less and you do not have to go through all pages at the end. 

You have to hand in three bound copies of your master thesis and a digital copy on CD to the examination office. So plan enough time for printing and binding.