Student Advisory Service

Students are often faced with a myriad of questions about various processes within their academic environment: How do I register for exams and coursework? What should I consider when writing an academic paper? How do I get a letter of recommendation? What support services are available for different life situations? What anti-discrimination structures can I turn to? What do I need to do, if I want to change my field of study, degree programme or university to study Social and Cultural Anthropology at Freiburg University? Here are some key answers.

Further information on planning and organizing your studies can be found on the website of your degree programme.

Graded assessments (PL) and coursework (SL)

Credits are earned by completing graded assessments (“Prüfungsleistungen”, PL) and non-graded coursework (“Studienleistungen”, SL).

Please note that the registration procedures for graded assessments and for coursework are different from each other. The tables below provide an overview.

Regular registration procedures are carried out digitally through the HISinOne platform, which provides English translations. Special cases are handled directly by the examination board or the examination administration of the Joint Commission of the Faculty of Philology and the Faculty of Humanities (GeKo), but the forms are currently only available in German. If you have any questions, please contact the study coordinator (BA, MA).

Registration

	graded assessment (“Prüfungsleistungen”, PL)	coursework (“Studienleistungen”, SL)
registration	in HISinOne (instructions on Wiki), corresponding symbol:	in HISinOne (instructions on Wiki), corresponding symbol:
registration period	Limited to the 4th week of the teaching period! The semester-specific dates will be announced by the GeKo.	Within the first couple of weeks during the teaching period. During the winter semester: 1 November to 15 January During the summer semester: 1 May to 15 June
status upon successful registration	ZU = admission („zugelassen“)	REG = registered („registiert“)
notes	If the digital registration fails, graded assessments can also be registered on paper via the GeKo. In this case, please use the “Form for written registration” (Formular zur schriftlichen Anmeldung). Please note that the same deadlines apply as mentioned above!	If you have any problems, please send an e-mail with the following information to the coordinator of your degree programme (BA, MA): full name student ID number major or minor titel of the course titel of the module

Deregistration, absence due to illness, retakes

	graded assessment (“Prüfungsleistungen”, PL)	coursework ("Studienleistung", SL)
deregistration	It is possible to unregister from graded assessments through the GeKo (but not later than two days before the exams). You can find more information and a form here. Please note: this option is not available for retakes!	During the above mentioned registration period, you may opt out of coursework in HISinOne. At a later date, it is possible to unregister from coursework by sending an email to the programme coordinator (BA, MA). The following information should be included in your email: full name student ID number major or minor titel of the course titel of the module
absence due to illness	If you are unable to take an exam for health reasons, please send a medical certificate to the GeKo examination board and request to withdraw from the exam. It is not necessary to provide the examiner with a medical certificate, but please send a short notification by e-mail.	In the case of illness, you can make arrangements directly with your instructor/examiner.
retakes	If you do not pass an exam, you will receive a letter from the GeKo with an application form to retake the exam. It is very important to follow the deadlines given in this letter! The date for the retake must be arranged with your examiner. In general, the retake should be taken in the semester following the failed exam, but must be taken no later than two semesters after. This period may be extended upon request.	If you did not pass a coursework, you can simply repeat it by registering for a new course (and coursework) in the corresponding module on HISinOne.

Further information

The examination regulations specify the requirements for each course. Often you will see “SL/PL” or “SL/SL+PL”. The slash means that you can choose in which course you complete (only) the ungraded coursework and in which course you complete the graded assessment or the coursework plus the graded assessment. In general, there is a maximum of one graded assessment (PL) per module.

For degree programmes with examination regulations from 2024 onwards, you will find further information on the form and scope of coursework and graded assessments in the corresponding module handbook (BA major, BA minor, MA).

In any case, you will find the specific course requirements in the course catalogue on HISinOne.

Assistance with academic writing

Academic writing is one of the basic skills of your studies. As such, it can and should be learned. In addition to content and style, there are several formal standards to consider. We have compiled the most important guidelines and some additional help for you here.

Guidelines for term papers and theses

There are several formal requirements that need to be considered when writing term papers and theses. We have agreed on the following guidelines, which are summarized in the document “Guidelines for seminar papers and theses 2022” (English version to follow soon).

In addition, please note the following details:

A plagiarism statement must be submitted with your paper/thesis. It should be included as the last page in the pdf file (please avoid a separate submission!).
The pdf file should be named as follows: Year-PL/SL-course title (keyword)-student's last name

For example:

For further orientation

On the website of the University Library you will find a collection of links to anthropological research portals and databases that can be used for literature searches. These include, for example

Letter of recommendation

If you are applying for a scholarship, internship or university placement, you will often need a letter of recommendation to supplement your own application. The institute is happy to provide such a letter. Please get in touch with a suitable member of the faculty well in advance and follow the instructions provided here. (English version coming soon)

Support in all situations

The central Department for Equity, Diversity and Academic Personnel Development has provided a comprehensive overview of the service and contact points of the University of Freiburg, the Studentenwerk Freiburg-Schwarzwald and the City of Freiburg that deal with topics such as anti-discrimination, sexual harassment and stalking, study/work and caregiving as well as health.

In the following, we have compiled some information specific to our institution, which we will continue to expand in the future.

Studying with a disability or chronic illness

Students with a disability, chronic illness, or lasting health condition that makes it difficult for them to complete their course work and assessments may apply for accommodations. Please contact your examiner and, if necessary, submit a formal request for Compensation for Disadvantage to the GeKo (see “Antrag auf den Nachteilsausgleich“).

Unfortunately, the physical entry to our institute rooms at Werthmannstraße 10 is not wheelchair accessible. To arrange office hours at an accessible location, please contact our faculty staff directly. If you would like to attend a class, please contact our secretariat in advance so that we can arrange accessibility as early as possible.

For further information and advice, please contact the central Representative for Students with a Disability or Chronic Illness. The programme coordinator (BA, MA) will be happy to help you with programme-specific concerns. In addition, the StuRa's Autonomous Department for Students with Disabilities and Chronic Illnesses offers networking, counselling and support (see „Studieren ohne Hürden“).

German as a foreign language (GFL)

Students who are not native speakers of German are faced with additional challenges when it comes to academic writing in German BA courses. The Writing Centre at PH Freiburg (Schreibzentrum an der PH Freiburg) and the Studierendenwerk Freiburg offer general workshops on academic writing as well as specific workshops and support for non-native speakers.

You can also contact our faculty staff to discuss challenges and possible solutions. In most cases, term papers and theses can also be written in English upon request.

International students

For general information, please visit the University of Freiburg’s portal for international students, where you will find a collection of answers to frequently asked questions and advice. We would also like to point you to the Be-Buddy programme of the Studierendenwerk and the tandem programme of the Language Teaching Institute. At the student level, the Autonomous Department International Students of the Student’s council (StuRa) offers networking and support.

International students who are interested in our English-language master’s degree programme in Social and Cultural Anthropology can find specific information about international applications on the programme’s website.

If you are spending a semester abroad here at the University of Freiburg and are interested in our courses, please contact the respective programme coordinator (BA, MA).

Information on changing subject or university

Changes of subject and university are handled by the Registration Office, which provides information on the various procedures and deadlines on its homepage.

General information

Achievements from your previous studies can be credited to the new degree programme if they correspond to the performance requirements of modules or module parts of the examination regulations of the new degree programme. The scope of the creditable achievements determines whether you can be placed in a higher semester and, if so, in which one. If a placement recommendation has been made or is in prospect, apply for a higher semester (without admission restrictions).

The respective degree programme coordinator (BA, MA) at the Institute of Social and Cultural Anthropology is responsible for placement recommendations, recognition proposals and, if necessary, subject advising.

Classification and recognition of achievements

The responsible degree programme coordinator prepares a proposal for recognition and placement based on the coursework which has been completed. The decision on recognition and the placement recommendation is then made by the examination board of the Joint Commission of the Faculty of Philology and the Faculty of Humanities (GeKo).

The following documents and information are required to prepare your recognition and placement proposal:

Full name
If available: student ID number or application number at the University of Freiburg
Table of all creditable achievements with the following details: course title, course type, number of contact hours, credit points, and, if applicable, examination type and grade (as a Word document)
Transcript of Records, if necessary supplemented by further evidence (as pdf scans)

Please email the documents to the responsible degree programme coordinator (BA, MA).

Subject advising (change of subject after the 3rd semester)

If you would like to change your subject after the 3rd semester, you will need a certificate from your academic advisor. You can ONLY obtain this certificate from the academic advisor of the degree programme you wish to change to. Please contact the study coordinator of your chosen degree programme (BA, MA) in time.