Introduction into the 'Fachkursvergabe'
In order to understand the Fachkursvergabe, its function and how it works, it is essential to read the information provided on this page - for any questions not answered here please send an email to the Fachkursvergabe.
By the way: (almost) all of these information are also available in the Infoblatt zur Fachkursvergabe.
ERASMUS students: Other than through this page you may inform yourself by reading the Information for ERASMUS students (in English) or by contacting the ERASMUS coordinator of your correspondent faculty.
The basics: Fachkurse and the Fachkursvergabe:
When are these courses scheduled? ↓
What's the main idea of the 'Fachkursvergabe'? ↓
What exactly is the priority? ↓
Study | Required amount of courses | specific factor |
Monobachelor Biology / Biophysics | 2 | 2,25 |
Master OBE / MML / Biophysics | 9 | 1,5 |
Diplom-biology | 10 | 1,8 |
Diplom-biophysics | 2 | 9 |
L4 teachers w/ biology as 1st subject (80 SWS) | 4 | 4,5 |
Biology as a minor | 2 | 9 |
ERASMUS-students | depends | 100 |
During the assignment of places in courses students with a higher priority are chosen first. The priority itself is decreased with every assigned course. Two examples:
- Bachelor-students in the 'Vertiefungsstudium' receive enough priority for 2 courses. As soon as they have been assigned two courses, their priority is reduced to zero.
- Master-students in biology normally require 3 courses per semester – as soon as they have been assigned three courses, their priority also is reduced to zero.
Additional information on the priority ↓
- When a module requires two courses to be completed (e.g. module MB-A11), these two courses will be counted as just one for the calculation of the priority. However, please remind the bureau of the Fachkursvergabe of this exception yourself, by sending a short email, as soon as you have securely received a place in both courses (but not earlier than that!.)
- The priority will be completely renewed when changing the study (e.g. from Bachelor to Master).
- ERASMUS-students automatically receive a highly increased priority that allows them to be admitted to every course they need.
- Remaining priority will only be kept in a new semester, if there has been an active participation in studying at some point within the last two semesters. This a securement against long time students, who'd otherwise be able to build up extremely high priorities.
About the process of the three application rounds:
When do they start? When is the deadline for handing in the application form? ↓
- The 1st round begins about 3 weeks prior to the start of the semester break.
- The 2nd round begins about 1 week prior to the start of the semester break.
- The 3rd round begins about 3 weeks prior to the end of the semester break.
- Dates of all 2-week-blocks, in which Fachkurse take place, are published simultanously.
How do I find out, which courses are being offered? ↓
- Chausseestraße 117 (Foyer)
- West wing of the Invalidenstraße 43 (2nd floor, in front of Hörsaal 12)
Round 1 has started! How do I apply for courses? ↓
- Fill in mandatory info (Name, matriculation number, number of current semester, study etc.)
- Fill in your email address – this is optional, but strongly recommendend, since a lot of information is spread by email, for example when you move up to a place that recently got available.
- Kurswahl: fill in the course code (= Kursnummer, e.g. BOT 1) into the correspondent time-block (e.g. A or B or C+D)
- you may only choose one Fachkurs per time block
- fill in courses into Zeitraum T, that are offered on a weekly basis (= wöchentlich) or when their date hasn't been set yet and will be discussed with the participants (n.V. = nach Vereinbarung) - here you may fill in more than one course, as long as they don't overlap.
- fill in courses into Zeitraum Z, that take place during semester break - again, here you may fill in more than one course, as long as they don't overlap.
- in total you may apply for as many courses as you wish (but still, only one course per time block)
- Please make sure that correspondent seminars and lectures of courses do not overlap! This is not cross-checked by the FKV!
- Please also note that some courses have specific requirements, that can be found within the Kursliste. It is also not cross-checked by the FKV, whether you fulfill such requirements. Yet, lecturers are authorized to suspend students from their course if they don't fulfill them.
- Should you apply for the same course in two different time blocks (some courses are offered twice) and you receive a place in one of these courses, your other application will be deleted automatically.
A bit of advice for a successful vote ↓
- Always apply for 1-2 more courses than you actually need
- Don't rely fully on all too popular courses: apply for at least one course with a lower popularity or even without limitation of places.
- Should you need very specific and popular courses, you might consider to limit your votes to these courses in the first round and you may get lucky. But if your application is not successful, immediately widen your scope in round 2!
What happens to my application / how are participants being determined? ↓
How and when do I figure out, in which courses I have become a participant or a follow-up? ↓
Please don't panic, should you have received significantly fewer places than expected in round 1. A great amount of participants regularly refuse their places, thus making way for follow-ups. Follow-ups who become participants will be notified by email!
The first round is over and I have become a follow-up in a course. What does that mean? ↓
- Follow-ups may become participants, after a participant has refused his place, depending on the individual priority.
- The list of follow-ups are sorted by matriculation number, not by priority. The reason is, that these lists are not updated regularly and would soon be out of date (e.g. because someone becomes a participant in another course, thereby reducing his or her priority). However, the current rank within the list of follow-ups may be inquired by writing an email to the FKV.
- When a participant refuses his place, the succeeding follow-up will be the one with the currently highest priority.
- Follow-ups who have become participants, will be notified by Email and must confirm their place within a given time.
- You never have to notify the FKV when you step off the list of follow-ups! Overlapping applications will automatically be dealt with. For example: In round 2, you apply for a course in time block B, but you're already on the follow-up-list of a different course in time block B - then the older application in time block B will be deleted - remember, you may never apply for two courses within the same time block.
- In round 2 and 3, follow-ups of a course that have been established in round 1, will be treated as if they applied for that course again. So there is no need to fill in the same course on the application form, when you're already on the list of follow-ups. Should you not want that, you need to write an email to the FKV to step off the list of follow-ups - or simply put in a different course in the same time block on your next application form.
Round 2 has started! What's different from round 1? ↓
Round 3 has started! What's different now? ↓
- Up to this round, in all master courses 25 % of the places were held back. These places are now included and are preferentially given to newly admitted master students.
- New master students are therefore handled with a higher priority than others - nevertheless, the free places are still available to all other students as well.
- Just like in round 2, follow-ups will be treated as if they have applied for the same course again.
- Since the pre-dicussion of each course is absolutely mandatory for participants AND follow-ups, after round 3 no follow-up-lists will be created - instead this will be done by the lecturer within the pre-discussion and sent back to the FKV. So should you care to be on the list of follow-ups of a course, you must attend the pre-discussion!
How can I enrol into more courses after round 3? ↓
- Have you missed all three rounds, because you have just been admitted to the Humboldt university? Then contact the bureau of the FKV as quickly as possible! We will try to help you out!
- By attending any mandatory pre-discussion. Basically, every course will offer a pre-discussion (dates can be found in the 'Fachkursliste'), that all participants and follow-ups must attend. During this event, the lecturer will check first, whether all participants are present. Then he or she will create a list of all attendant follow-ups. If there is enough space for all follow-ups he may enrol them all right away. If there are more follow-ups than there is space in the course, the lecturer will send both lists back to the FKV. If needed, the FKV will then determine (by highest priority) who succeeds for absent participants. Thus, it makes no difference whether you have been a follow-up right from the start or you have just joined the list of follow-ups - you are all treated equally.
What else might be of importance?
I have received a place in a course, but don't want to keep it. How can I reject it? ↓
Those who don't inform the bureau of their withdrawal, make it harder or even impossible to find a successor in time and are therefore punished by not regaining the priority points (exceptions are possible, e.g. sickness).
- The third and last application takes place about 2 weeks before the new semester starts, so most new Master students should be able to hand in an application. The process is decribed explicitly on this page, dates are also published on this website (navigation: choose current semester > "Termine und Zeiträume"). Until before this round, 25 % of all places were reserved and are now included to make space for the new students. Additionally, new masters are prioritized in comparison to older students. Should you not have received a matriculation number yet, you may still apply for courses. Leave the correspondent field blank on your application form and hand in any sort of confirmation of your admittance together with your form. Later, hand in your matriculation number by email.
- Or have you been admitted too late to participate in round 3? In that case contact the Fachkursvergabe as quickly as possible! There are still possibilities to receive places. Also read "How can I enrol into more courses after round 3?" further up on this page. Make sure you visit the "Einführungsveranstaltung für neue Master" that takes place within the first week of the semester - date and location are also published on this website (see FKV-Kalender).
I am a bachelor student, about to begin the "Vertiefungsstudium". What do I need to know? ↓
- You may apply for courses in all application rounds.
- Shortly after round 3 is over, all data will be discussed with the "Prüfungsbüro": students who have not reached 92 SP at this point, are excluded from any courses and have to apply again next semester. Should there be more exams scheduled soon, another comparison might be scheduled (authority of the Prüfungsbüro).
- With a status of a "Nebenhörer", students of other universities in Berlin or Brandenburg may participate in events at the Humboldt university with a total of no more than 6 SWS (6 hrs/week) or one full module.
- During the Fachkursvergabe, Nebenhörer have a lower priority than students of the Humboldt university.
- Certificates of achievements will only be handed out by the lecturers after a Nebenhörer pass has been presented.
- The following procedure is necessary to achieve a status as a Nebenhörer (participation in the FKV is possible without presenting a Nebenhörer pass):
- Fill out the Anmeldeformular als NebenhörerIn.
- Obtain approval of the lecturer of the event you would like to participate in (signature on previous form).
- Obtain approval of the exam council in the "Prüfungsamt".
- Make a request for your Nebenhörer pass in the "Clearingstelle" (HU main building UdL 6, room 1046) by handing in the completed and signed form. (possibly outdated!)
I would like to apply for a hardship case. How? When? What does that mean for the FKV? ↓
Besides ERASMUS- and Sokrates-students, who are automatically treated as hardship cases, you may apply for a hardship case in the following circumstances:
- Pregnancy
- Certain exam requirements (e.g. specific course needed to finish your study)
- "Aufbaustudiengänge" and/or repeating certain achievements
- Requirements after changing from a different university