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Courses, ECTS credits and course language

Exchange students are invited to attend all lectures and seminars which fit into their curriculum.

Course language:

Important notice:
Our degree programs in Computer Science and Mathematics are German!

Only the Master Data Science is an English degree program. Here, however, the number of students admitted is very limited, currently it is 25 per application round.

Thus, usually, lectures are given in German. English as the course language is merely an exception, and this only in Master courses.
As an Erasmus+ BSc student you may attend Master courses only after checking with the individual lecturer personally and in advance. Please accept this procedure. It enables the lecturer to mantain the level of competence aspired both with respect to the student's prior scientific knowledge and competence in English (C1 is not mandatory but much prefered).

The course language of each individual lecture is specified in the course catalog in the course descriptions under the term "Unterrichtssprache/Course language". For some courses it depends on the audience. In this case, if one student does not speak German and the remaining students agree, the course is held in English.

  • If the course language is said to be "English", the course will defenitely be held in English.
  • If the course language is said to be "German/English", it is a matter of discussion between the lecturer, the other participants of the course and you whether the lecture may be held in English or not.
If in doubt, contact the lecturer of a specific course and ask about the language he teaches in.

Which courses are offered in English or German/English?

To find courses offered in English or German/English, follow these instructions:

Go to https://mycampus.imp.fu-berlin.de/mvs2/course/overview/?locale=en

  • Choose Faculties: Mathematics and Computer Science
    Departments: Informatik/Computer Science
    Semester: WiSe 2024/25 or SoSe 2025
    Course Language: English (or German/English)
  • click "Show Ancillary Courses" (nothing else)
  • click "View"
  • In the following list, filter for the status "Published" (these are the courses that will actually take place in the running semester).

You will not yet find courses for the summer term 2025 as nothing has been agreed upon and published. This will only really be the case in about March to April 2025. But mostly the courses do not differ a lot from those given a year before, so take 2024 as an orientation.

When it says German/English, it is a matter of discussion with the lecturer and the other participants of the course whether the lecture may be held in English or not. Please contact the lecturer directly via email (please google) if in doubt.

Here you find courses to improve your German skills: https://www.mi.fu-berlin.de/stud/international/incomings/courses-credits-language/index.html#faq_additional-courses

Which are the courses on offer and how many ECTS credits do I get for them?

You find the most comprehensive course descriptions including ECTS credit points in the Course Management / Curriculum System of the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science (MVS = Modulverwaltungssystem)

Go to https://mycampus.imp.fu-berlin.de/mvs2/
→ Course Planning (Planung)
→ Longtermschedule (Langfristplanung)
→ Course-oriented Schedule or Module-oriented Schedule
→ Faculty: Mathematics and Computer Science
→ Department/Fachrichtung: Mathematics / Bioinformatics / Computer Science

By clicking on the courses that interest you, you may get information about their contents and their ECTS credits (LP = Leistungspunkte).

Course catalogs

Different starting points to check availabe courses are:

The final list of classes for the winter term is usually available in September, and for the summer termin in late March.

Some courses are given annually, some every two years, but there are also courses which are given only occasionally or merely once.

It is often necessary to change one's OLA in the first weeks of the semester due to short-term changes in the curriculum.

The information about the credit points is unfortunately not so straightforward to find.

In the longtermschedule, you can chose either the course-oriented or the module-oriented schedule:

1. In the module-oriented schedule select the appropriate study program (Bachelor/Master) as follows:

  • 0086c: 2014, BSc Informatik (Mono), 150 LPs

  • 0089c: 2014, MSc Informatik (Mono), 120 LPs

  • 0084d: 2013, BSc Mathematik (Mono), 120 LPs

  • 0280c: 2018, MSc Mathematik (Mono), 120 LPs

  • 0260c: 2012, BSc Bioinformatik (Mono), 150 LPs

  • 0262c: 2019, MSc Bioinformatik (Mono), 120 LPs

You then see the ECTS credit points for each module in the left column in light blue color marked as "LP".

Example: If at home you study in the computer engineering department at the undergraduate level, it is the regulation "0086c: 2014, BSc Informatik (mono), 150 LPs" you need to choose at FU Berlin to see BSc courses.

2. In the course-oriented schedule:

The leftmost column under the heading "Modules" shows one or several "module keys".

  • Select the module key with the prefix of your study program according to the above list and click it (e.g. 0086c).

  • A subwindow will open, in which you find the ECTS credits in the box with the heading "LP".

For bioinformatics, the course-based view is incomplete because many courses are given by other departments.

As a rule, classes with 4+2 hours (4 hours lectures and 2 hours exercises) typically have 10 ECTS, sometimes less, classes with 2+2 hours or seminars with 2 hours have typically 5 ECTS.

  • Usually, lectures are paired up with exercise/tutorial classes ("practice seminar"), and the lecture plus the excercises together form one module.

  • The ETCS credits are given for the module.

  • You have to pass both, the criteria for the exercises (usually based on regular participation, and submitting exercise sheets) and for the lecture (typically an exam) to get the credits for the module.

Besides these "practice seminars", there are also other seminars, that truly have the character of a seminar. Usually the participants prepare a presentation based on studying the literature.

First of all, please read this AND the information in the Distributed Campus portal.

As a student of Mathematics or Computer Science, you need to enter modules into the lines of the OLA:

  • If a module consists of several items, as is usually the case, enter the CODE number for both items on one line, e.g. 19303701+19303702 or 19303701/02.
  • For the SUBJECT, it is sufficient to name the subject of the lecture and add "and practice seminar". (This is despite the fact that the Distributed Campus portal recommends to enter "only individual courses (seminar, lecture, exercise, etc.)".
  • There is an exception for some modules that stretch over two semesters, or some 15-credit modules that combine lectures and seminars.
IMPORTANT: For "Responsible Person at the Receiving Institution" always enter the email address international@mi.fu-berlin.de

For BSc students: General professional skills courses (ABV)

These couses (marked as ABV in the course catalog) may provide you with interdisciplinary skills in different areas to improve your career prospects: information and media, gender and diversity, organization and management, communication, sustainable development or subject-related additional qualifications.

Courses for International Exchange Students: “Berlin and Germany in a European Perspective"

As an exchange student may sign up for special courses on “Berlin and Germany in a European Perspective". The different modules cover key aspects of German history, culture or society and help you acquire useful skills for a German academic environment. They give 5 ECTS each.

  • Orientation in Berlin and Germany (GER)
  • Central Aspects of German and European Society and Culture (GER)
  • Key Issues of German and European Culture (GER)
  • Film, Art and Literature in a Social and Cultural Context (GER)
  • Aspects of German and European Culture (ENG)
  • German and European Politics (ENG)
  • German Media – Media in Germany (ENG)
  • German History in a European Context (ENG)
  • Economy and Economics in Germany and Europe (ENG)

German Language Courses

The FU Language Centre offers German language courses prior to and during the semester:

  • the six-week intensive pre-semester courses may be booked for a reduced participation fee by exchange students
  • courses during the semester range from 4–8 hours per week and are free of charge

Courses offered by other Berlin universities

Students are very welcome to attend courses at the Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (HU), Technische Universität Berlin (TU) or even at the University of Potsdam. However, you must make sure that you still complete courses at the FU, because if you wish an FU transcript at the end of your stay, this is only issued if you have also completed FU courses. If only HU courses are completed, no ToR can be issued.