Education System
How do I choose my subjects (courses)?
Your main criterion when choosing courses should be your area of interest. If you do not have one yet, explore the different working groups research areas and pick courses in different areas.
Your study course is divided into various topic areas, each with a minimum required CP (credit points). It is important to complete a sufficient number of courses, yielding these CP, in all your topic areas, as well as at least 90 CP overall, before you can apply for a master thesis. Visit the following link for a detailed explanation on how to find and choose courses here.
If I have a question or a doubt, whom should I ask?
If your question is specific to a study course, ask the tutor or lecturer of the course, but be sure to check the website and LSF first, the answer might already be available there.
For general questions, your first point of contact should always be the mentors. The list of mentors might change every semester, so check it before contacting someone.
If you have a question in a specific area, check on the website for the right contact person for you.
When you ask a question to anyone (fellow student, mentor, faculty, offices) make sure you have done some background research on the question first. If you decide to drop an email, structure the email in a way that explains the context and what exactly you want. This will help in getting a useful and timely answer.
How can I know more about the courses?
A complete list of all courses offered at FIN can be found in the module lists in the study documents. The module handbook on the same page provides a detailed description of each course. The courses offered each semester are listed in the LSF (student portal). Most courses are only offered once every year, either in the summer or in the winter term. Once you find a course, you can see the details of the courses offered by going to their respective websites. The website link can also be found on the LSF.
You can also find more information on some courses in the video interviews with the lecturers here.
The grade for a subject is given in a scale of 5 where 1.0 is the best score and 4.0 is the lowest passing score. 5.0 is failed.
On a verbal scale, the grades equate:
1.0 - 1.5: Very good
1.6 - 2.5: Good
2.6 - 3.5: Satisfactory
3.6 - 4.0: Sufficient
5.0: Insufficient
FIN is an acronym and stands for "Fakultät für INformatik" - Faculty of Computer Science. So basically, it is the nickname and old official name of the faculty, and since it is way easier to pronounce than INF, the new official name, still very common.
What is SI@FIN (Support International@FIN)?
SI@FIN aims to assist international students of the faculty of Computer Science in their academic journey here at this university, especially for students from abroad for whom the German education system might be entirely new. It was established in 2018 under the leadership of Dr. Krull and Madhura Thosar. Find more details here.
Academic Club is a part of SI@FIN. It is a student-run club, guided by the faculty. It aims to organize discussions and events, to acquaint students with Master Thesis and the skills required to excel in Master Thesis. Academic Club also organizes recruiter events and coding challenges to help students find a good career path for themselves. Find more details here.
How many credits can I take in a semester?
The faculty recommends a student to not take more than 30 credits in a semester, given that they have the prerequisite knowledge required to pursue a course. Furthermore, 30 credits x 3 semesters = 90 credits is the number of CP required to be allowed to register a Master thesis, which yields 30 credits in the 4th semesters. With this, ideally, you can complete your M.Sc. in 4 semesters. For every credit point, you should expect to devote 30 working hours into the course, including the class and exercise hours.
What if I do more than 90 credits?
The first 90 credits are taken into consideration, where you need to fulfil the CP requirement in all topic areas separately. You cannot replace courses with others taken later, because of a better grade. The courses go beyond the 90 CP or beyond the CP in a topic area will be listed in your transcripts as additional, but will not be counted while calculating the average grade. For further details, please contact the examination office.
How many credits do I need for the Master Thesis?
A student needs to complete 90 credits to register a thesis topic. It is usually a good idea to start searching for a topic and an advisor before the 90 CP are completed. Please note, the minimum credits required for each topic area must also be achieved in order to apply for master thesis.
Where can I find the forms for project and thesis registration?
You can download the forms for Master thesis registration (English) here.
Lectures (Vorlesung) are where professors or lecturers teach or explain the concepts to the students. Exercise classes (Übung) are where the students are expected to solve (theory and/or programming questions) and in some cases present their solution to the class (if asked).
What is a seminar / scientific seminar?
A seminar involves presentation and discussion of scientific work on a topic assigned to each individual student. This is an opportunity to dive deeper into an area of interest and possibly get in touch with a research group for later project work or a thesis. Usually, milestones are set and the students participating in the seminar are expected to meet them in order to successfully complete it. The workload and of course topics vary from working group to working group, some expect small implementations and/or a scientific report at the end. Students need to be self-motivated and do self-study.
The project is similar to the seminar and is there to prepare you for scientific work. The students taking part in a scientific project are expected to conduct research and produce an original piece of scientific work in the form of a report or even a paper. The research will usually also include some implementation, experiments or evaluations. A scientific project can be conducted in a team, where one is required for every student, or as an individual project, which is sometimes used to prepare for a thesis. The students need to be motivated and they have to do self-study to attain a good grade. For exams, there are deliverables that include a presentation.
FaRaFIN is short for “Fachschaftsrat FIN”, the student council of the faculty of computer science. It is an elected representative body of the students of the Faculty of Computer Science (FIN) at the Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg. Main responsibilities of the council are the representation of students towards faculty and university, appointing members to the faculty council, study committee and other faculty committees, facilitating and supporting cultural life at the FIN, conducting events such as a game night, Christmas party, and introductory week.
Where is the examination office?
The examination office is located in Room 101/102, Building 29, Faculty of computer Science, Otto von Guericke University. Please visit this link to know about the office timings and appointments.
Which are the computer labs with open access?
The rooms 147 and 427 have open access for all the students of FIN.
Yes, you can usually leave a course at any point in time during the lecture period. If you have not registered for the examination, you should just inform the lecturer of your decision. If you have already registered for the examination, you can de-register within the deadline for de-registration, usually until one week before the examination date. This deadline can be different for examinations at other faculties. After this deadline, the course can only be discontinued due to medical reasons. For further clarification on de-registration of exams for a course please contact examination office.