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Information for newly enrolled master students

For the newly enrolled Master students in study programs of the faculty (Data Science, Business Informatics, Computer Science, Mathematics and Business Mathematics) we hold an introductory event at the beginning of each semester as part of the student advisory service. The event typically takes place on the first day of the lecture period at 9am. The exact place and date will be announced in the course catalog under FB12 - Introductory Events under the title "Einführungsveranstaltung für Studierende der Master Studiengänge Fachbereich 12 / Orientation for Master Students". (Marvin)

Recording of Past Events

You can watch the recording of the most recent event (summer semester 2024). The recording is currently only available to students of the Phillips-Universität. To watch the recording, please first log in to "Big Blue Button". Then you can watch the recording. (A publicly accessible recording will be made available later.) You can also download the slides of the presentation with clickable links.

Winter Semester 2024/25

In the winter semester 2024/25, the event will take place on TBA, in room TBA (directions to buildings on the Lahnberge Campus). The event will also be streamed and recorded. To watch the recording of the previous run, please follow the link above. But please note that some information may be specific to the past semester and may be outdated by the time the next semester starts. For up-to-date information, be sure to follow the event of the semester in which you start you studies.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which courses are available in English?

Generally the courses original to a Master study program should be in English. But also some compulsory elective Bachelor courses (which may be selected in a limited amount also in the Master) may be held in English. A planning of the courses in this and the coming semesters can be found on our preview page. This also includes information on the (planned) course language and you can even apply a filter to only show English courses.
When do courses start? (important dates)

The summer semester 2024 officially starts on April 1st, 2024. But the lectures will only start on April 15th (Summer 2024, the actual start date will vary for other semester). Generally, you can loop up the semester dates on the university homepage.
How do I select courses?

The department provides detailed web pages describing each study programs. If you did not already do this, please read the provided information carefully. The pages also contain explanations of constraints for courses that you can and must select in your studies.

The Master study programs consist for the largest part of compulsory elective modules, i.e., you can choose yourself courses of interest for you. However, you should pay attention to possible constraints as described on the above mentioned study program web pages.

To check which courses are available to choose from, you can consult the course catalog provided by MARVIN. There is also a documentation of MARVIN available (only in German currently). On MARVIN, e.g., select the course catalog and then under "Department 12 Mathematics and Computer Science" select your study program. This will reflect the study areas of your program and show the currently available choices for each area.

You can also use the department's interactive course preview to see the courses offered in the current and upcoming semesters. This preview allows you to filter the courses by different criteria, which may help you in making a selection. Examples of filters are the course language or attributes to which the selection constraints refer. Please note that this preview is not binding and for the current semester, MARVIN may contain more correct information. When in doubt, whether you can choose a certain course in your study program, you should contact the course's instructor or your study advisor.
Do I have to register for courses?

It is not necessary to register upfront for lectures that you want to participate in. Nevertheless, you should register to the course's space on the ILIAS e-learning platform. To access ILIAS, you need an IT account. When logged in to ILIAS, you usually find the course spaces by following this path: Repository > MARVIN: Kurse aller Semester > current semester (e.g., Sommersemester 2024) > FB12 Mathematik und Informatik. If you identified a course you want to follow and which is offered in the current semester, but you do not find it's space on ILIAS, the reason may be that the space is not yet online. Therefore, please check ILIAS again later, usually the spaces are available in the week before lectures start. You can also search for the course's name on ILIAS in case its space is at a different location. When you do this, check that you selected the correct edition of the courses (i.e., from the current semester). After joining the course on ILIAS, you can see information provided by the instructors, to which you should pay close attention. It may contain information relevant for participation in the course. It is also advisable to participate in the first lecture of all courses you consider to follow.
Do I have to register for exams?

Yes, you can only participate in an exam if you, firstly, pass the coursework to be admitted to the exam and, secondly, register for the exam during the registration period. The registration period for exams in the first exam phase of the semester is usually in the middle of the semester. The registration period for the second examination phase is after the first phase. Information on exam registration and the exact dates of registration periods can be found on the homepage of the examination office. It is possible to only register for the exam in the second phase. Nevertheless, it is advisable to participate already in the first exam. If you only participate in the second exam and if you should fail, the examination opportunity would usually be one year later; it might also be longer for modules that are offered less regularly.
What happens if I fail an exam?

Failed exams can be repeated a certain number of times. For modules offered by the department of mathematics and computer science, this is up to three repetitions; i.e., you can take an exam for a module up to four times before you ultimately fail the module.

It is important to note that modules offered by other departments often have less allowed examination attempts. In your study program some modules within (optional) application areas may be offered by a different department. The MSc Business Informatics necessarily contains modules offered by the department of business administration and economics, for which exams can only be attempted up to three times.
Where can I get more in formation on how to organize my studies?

The department's Student Body has collected some useful information for new students on their homepage. They also organize a Student Orientation program, which typically takes place during the week before lectures start. While this event largely addresses Bachelor students, it may also be useful for new Master students who are new to Marburg. However, this program is primarily held in German, but it can nevertheless be a good opportunity to meet fellow students and learn how to use services like ILIAS or MARVIN.
What should I do if I cannot arrive in Marburg at the beginning of the semester?

The semester starts on first of April (summer semester) or first of October (winter semester), but lectures always start a bit later, around the middle of that month. The exact dates are published on the university homepage. If you cannot arrive by the beginning of the lecture period, you should still select courses you want to follow before the lectures start. For this, you can use the information available on this page and in general the website of the department. Follow the instructions provided under the question "Do I have to register for courses?".

Please note that, in general, our courses require you to submit coursework throughout the semester, and that action may already be required in the first weeks of the semester. If you cannot be in Marburg before lectures start, it is your responsibility to inform yourself how to fulfill the coursework remotely. If you miss mandatory submissions of a course, you will not be admitted to the course's exam.
What happens if I cannot participate in courses/exams in my first semester?

If you do not participate in exams, e.g., because you could not do the mandatory coursework and were, thus, not admitted to the exams, you simply do not make progress this semester. This is possible and will not have consequences from the side of the university, in particular, the university will not unenroll you in that case. Nevertheless, if you received any conditional modules, your deadline to finish the conditional modules would stay the same. This deadline usually is four semesters and if you do not make progress in your first semester, only three semesters would be left to fulfill the condition.

Not having progress in the first semester might also have an influence on a residence permit. However, if you study normally after first semester without progress, it should not become a problem.
Can my admission be deferred to a later semester?

If you do not enroll for the semester for which you were admitted, or if you un-enroll before the end of the semester, it is not guaranteed that the admission can be deferred to a later semester. In particular for the next semester the admission requirements will be different and admissions can definitely not be deferred. In that case, if you do not enroll for the semester for which you were admitted, you would have to apply via Uni Assist again. If you are enrolled, however, you can regularly re-register for the next semester.
How do I fulfill conditional modules and do I have to study them in German?

If you received "conditional modules" you need to gain the competencies equivalent to the modules named in your admission letter. The usual way of fulfilling these conditions is to pass the exam of those modules. The modules that you potentially received as a condition are from our Bachelor study programs, which is generally taught in German. For English-speaking Master students with conditional modules, nevertheless, English course material will be provided. The instructors of the corresponding Bachelor courses are responsible also for rating the conditional modules, which they will offer in the semester in which also the Bachelor course is running. Therefore, if a module is offered that you need as a condition, you should first of all join the respective ILIAS course (see Do I have to register for courses?) to check if information is provided there. Otherwise, you should approach the module's instructor.

To participate in the exam for fulfilling a condition, it is not necessary to pass the module's coursework. In that case, you are immediately admitted to the exam. Furthermore, the exam is not graded in that case; instead, the exam is only pass or fail for you. The exam you receive will also be in English. It may be that the exam you receive is different from the exam for students who follow the course as part of their Bachelor studies.