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In studies, there are a lot of terms and abbreviations that are not necessarily self-explanatory. What is meant in each case, we describe here:

The Uniaccount is the individual digital identity of the students and thus the central access to all IT services, especially to the Uninetz. For everyday operations at the university, an identification is required for students and employees with which various IT services, exam administration, etc. can be used. All students and employees of the University of Kassel are provided with a uk number for this purpose.

The uniaccount is also your central university e-mail address: uk000000@uni-kassel.de. 

All important information regarding the start of your studies will be sent to this e-mail address.
Therefore, it is absolutely necessary to activate the account immediately and, if necessary, redirect the university mail address to your private mail address.


Here you can find instructions for the UniAccount:

UniAc­count

Comes from Latin: Alumnus for pupil. Alumni are former students or graduates of a university. To maintain contact with them, there is the Alumni Service UniKassel Transfer.

Alumni

The General Student Committee (AStA) is the central body of the student body. It represents student interests on a political level and contributes to student life with continuing education, counseling and cultural offerings. All students are welcome to attend the public part of the meetings in the AStA kitchen.

Website of the AStA

The bachelor's degree is a first university degree qualifying for a profession and usually has a standard duration of study of six semesters (equivalent to three years). After the bachelor's degree, students have the option of pursuing a basic professional activity or supplementing this with a more advanced master's degree.

Financial support for studies, half of which must be repaid .

Student Services/BAföG

Under certain circumstances - e.g. study abroad, military service, serious illness, maternity leave, raising children or caring for close relatives - it is possible to take a leave of absence from studies. The leave of absence exempts the student from the obligations of the course of study, whereby the student status and the student health insurance remain unaffected.

Leave of absence

All students at the University of Kassel receive their own CampusCard at the beginning of their studies. To ensure that it remains valid, it must be validated each semester at the vending machine in the CampusCenter. It is:

  • Proof of study
  • Semester ticket
  • Library card
  • Electronic purse
  • necessary for printing and copying
  • Culture ticket

Campuscard

For each module that you successfully complete with an examination, you receive a certain number of credits (also called credit points). Information about the credits that can be earned in each module can be found in the examination regulations of the subject. 

The abbreviations(s.t.- Latin "sine tempore" = "without time". c.t. - Latin "cum tempore" = "with time") refer to the so-called "academic quarter" at the beginning of events.

Example:

12 o'clock c.t.= start of event: 12:15 p.m.
12 o'clock s.t.= start of event: 12:00 p.m.

Curriculum of the study 

The eCampus offers numerous services related to studying, such as registering for exams and events, changing contact information, and viewing re-registration and fee status.
eCampus

A point system used to indicate the amount of time spent at the university. The time spent on preparation and follow-up work is also included in the attendance time. 1 credit corresponds to 30 working hours, which are estimated to be spent on average by students. In full-time studies, approximately 30 credits per semester are assumed.

Exmatriculation: "Tender" from the university. Means, the membership at the university expires, the studies are terminated.

Exmatriculation

Matriculation: "enrollment" in the university. Beginning of studies.

Teaching and administrative unit of a subject. Departments of the University of Kassel:

FB 01 - Humanities
FB 02 - Humanities and Cultural Studies
FB 05 - Social Sciences
FB 06 - Architecture - Urban Planning - Landscape Planning
FB 07 - Economics
FB 10 - Mathematics and Natural Sciences
FB 14 - Civil and Environmental Engineering
FB 15 - Mechanical Engineering
FB 16 - Electrical Engineering/Computer Science
KHS - Kassel University of the Arts

Departments and Institutes

Fachschaft has two meanings:

  • In general, all students of a department are called Fachschaft (student council), to which one automatically belongs through enrollment.
  • The Fachschaft or Fachschaftsrat (=FSR) is mostly responsible for the students' subject-related concerns. For example, the student council organizes student council parties or introductory events for freshmen. The student representatives also advise students on social and organizational issues.

Semesters studied within a specific degree program are called subject semesters. The number of university semesters, on the other hand, records all semesters spent at universities  (universities of applied sciences and universities) in total. For example, if someone has already studied physics for two semesters and then switches to computer science, he or she is in the first semester of computer science, even though he or she is in the third semester of higher education. University semesters thus cover all semesters spent at one type of educational institution (university of applied sciences as well as university). Subject-related sem esters only include the time spent in the current course of study.

Student job at the university. On the bulletin board  you will find offered Hiwi jobs.

Written proof of student status.

Print certificates

 

The certificates are also available in E-Campus via Home > My studies > Student Services.

The International Office of the University of Kassel is the central service facility of the university in international affairs. It supports you in all questions regarding a study abroad, such as internships abroad and advises foreign students in Germany.

International Office

The University Computer Center (HRZ) of the University of Kassel. The IT Service Center (=ITS) provides advice on technical issues such as the Uni Account, e-mails or the eCampus. Here you can find the IT Service Center

Fellow students.

Teachers are responsible for a specific course in a specific semester. Teachers are directly assigned one or more courses. They have the organizational responsibility for this specific course.

Ex. of teachers: Professors, lecturers, scientific or pedagogical assistants.

Course = teaching unit in a specific subject (lecture, exercise, seminar).

Synchronous teaching means that teaching and learning take place simultaneously (i.e. "live") .

Asynchronous teaching focuses on the presentation and preparation of teaching content and materials (e.g., in lectures and for conveying theoretical content). These can be provided via slides, learning objectives and materials for students to study on their own (e.g. via OLAT).

Hybrid courses allow students to participate flexibly in courses that are held in the lecture hall or seminar room. In this case, the teaching takes place on site, but is also made available to participants at home, for example, via a web conference.

All events can also be offered as zoom events, depending on the instructor.

Directory of all courses offered in a semester.

LSF

 

You can also find the course catalog via eCampus: Vorlesungsverzeichnis - eCampus Universität Kassel

Unique identification number of all students. It is stored in eCampus and printed on the front of the CampusCard.

Several courses that are related in terms of methodology and content.

Detailed description of the modules of the program in terms of duration, learning objectives, ECTS (credit points), types of exams and prerequisites and more.

With the eLearning platform Moodle, students and lecturers can easily and conveniently exchange materials, dates and information about their courses. Moodle is operated together with the Service Center Teaching (SCL).

Moodle

In order to compensate for the additional difficulties caused by a health impairment, in particular also in preparing for and coping with examinations, affected students have the right to adapted examination conditions. This is to ensure that students with and without health impairments (or disabilities) can participate in examinations on an equal footing, with the same chances of success.

Compensation for disadvantages

In subjects or courses that are in high demand, the number of students admitted is limited (Latin numerus clausus - "limited number"). The school-leaving grade that is sufficient to obtain a place changes at each application stage - depending on how many prospective students with which grades are competing for a place and what other selection criteria are taken into account.

Selection results for degree programs with restricted admissions

A compulsory module is a fixed component in the course of study of a particular degree program.

Professors are university teachers, often holding a chair, who independently represent a subject area in research and teaching. However, not all teachers at a university are professors.

The examination offices of the departments administer the examination results of the students. They are responsible, for example, for questions concerning registration and deregistration for study and examination results. In the BA and MA programs, they issue certificates.

Decisions regarding questions of examination law are made in the respective examination boards. The examination offices support the examination board in this work.   You can find out which examination office is responsible for you on your study program page.

The teacher training programs L1, L2 and L3 conclude with the First State Examination. Regarding these study programs please note

Number of semesters provided for the duration of a degree program according to the subject examination regulations. For Bachelor's programs, this is usually six semesters; for Master's programs, it is usually four semesters. For other degrees, such as state examinations, etc., the information on the standard period of study can be found in the examination regulations. The standard period of study is particularly important for checking entitlement to BAföG. A student's actual period of study may fall short of or exceed the standard period of study.

Each semester, re-registration is automatic via payment of the semester fee.

Semester fee

Key competen cies are understood as knowledge and skills that go beyond the subjects studied. Key competencies help to respond appropriately to new specialized knowledge and new work requirements.

Key competencies are "acquireable general skills, attitudes, and knowledge elements that are useful in solving problems and acquiring new competencies in as many content areas as possible" (H.Orth) or in other words"competence: ... cognitive abilities and skills to solve specific problems, as well as the related [...] dispositions and abilities to use the problem solutions successfully and responsibly in variable situations." (F.E. Weinert)

This results in action skills to meet individual and societal demands.

Briefly:

  • Key competencies can be acquired
  • they include emotional, motivational and social aspects as well as value attitudes and behavioral dispositions. (Cognitive elements are not sufficient)
  • they are important in various social as well as professional fields
  • they are derived from the requirements of the working and living environment and thus relate to the present and the future

Independent preparation and follow-up of courses.

"Study semester". The winter semester runs from Oct. 1 - March 31 and the summer semester from April 1 - Sept. 30.

Se­mes­ter and teaching­ver­an­stal­tungs­zei­ten

The semester contribution, this is not a semester fee, but a flat-rate compulsory contribution that all students at a German university have to pay to the respective Studierendenwerk before each semester. It consists of contributions to the AStA, to the Studierendenwerk and an administrative fee. This is not only important for enrollment, but also for re-registration.

Travel pass for public transport. It allows free use of bus and train (with the exception of ICE and IC) in the area of validity of the NVV and partly beyond.

More information about the semester ticket

Seminars are about the size of a school class and active participation by students is expected. Here, presentations are given, joint discussions are held and research is conducted.

The study of the teacher training programs

  • "Teaching profession at elementary school" (L1),
  • "Teaching profession at secondary schools" (L2) and
  • "Teacher training at grammar schools" (L3)

concludes with the external First State Examination. This is also colloquially referred to as the "First State Examination".

Scholarships at the University of Kassel

Scholarship overview of the Studierendenwerk: "Scholarships are the most favorable way of financing studies because they are usually provided as a non-repayable grant. Currently, there is no reliable overall overview of scholarships for students at German universities, neither from the federal government, the states, nor from the business community. We highlight the most important databases here."

Students can find support and advice on many topics at the University of Kassel. The General Student Advisory Service provides information and advice on choosing a major, making new decisions, and dealing with problems in and with your studies. It is available for a personal consultation (confidential, free of charge). The academic advisors of the individual departments are available to answer all questions concerning the structure and content of a course of study. The Information Study provides information on study formalities and helps to find the right service center for more in-depth questions. It is your central point of contact for questions about your studies. You can also come to this office if you have made an appointment with the General Student Advisory Service or if you would like to clarify formalities with your administrative assistant in the Student Administration Office.

The study plan provides a possible and conceptually reasonable variant for completing the study program in a standard period of study.

Prü­fungs­ord­nung und Mo­dul­hand­buch

Together with other laws and statutes, the legal basis of the degree program.

  • General part: For all study programs
  • Special part: Separately for each study program

(The most current version must be observed in each case)

Examination regulations

Hours per week in one subject. 1 SWS = 45 min.

This special form of course usually refers to a supplementary exercise at a university, often held in a smaller group and accompanying a seminar, in which tutors observe and intervene to help students with problems. Tutors can also be students themselves.

In the exercise, tasks are practiced and solved together. The number of participants in the exercise is limited in order to provide the students with good supervision. The exercise is usually offered in conjunction with a lecture or seminar.

Time during which no events take place. Depending on the course of study, this may be a period for exams, assignments or internships.

Se­mes­ter and teaching­ver­an­stal­tungs­zei­ten

An event held by lecturers in front of a large number of students in the style of frontal teaching.

A compulsory elective module is a compulsory course that allows you to choose between several modules. In this context, a module represents a completed teaching and learning unit that can be made up of different courses on a common sub-area. Example: You have to complete three modules and have four modules to choose from. Three of the four modules offered are now selected by you and are therefore considered your compulsory elective modules. 

In addition to the compulsory elective modules, there are also compulsory modules and elective modules (=these are not compulsory).