Explanation of unknown terms (glossary)

The dissertation (doctoral thesis) is an independently written treatise made to obtain a doctorate, which promotes science. It is part of the doctorate process.

Freemovers are students who independently organize their semester abroad at institutions that do not have partnership agreements with EUF.

In other words, these students do not attend an EUF partner institution.  EUF has partnership agreements can mean, for example, that exchange students pay no tuition fees at the partner institution.

"Members of the university community" comes up very often. Even so, students often don’t know whether they really belong to this group.

The answer is clearly: yes.

The university community includes all students and all employees (professors and lecturers, technical staff, and administrative staff). Some events are also referred to as "open to the university public." These events are open to all members of the EUF university community,  but closed to everyone else.

In short: students + faculty and staff = members of the university community.

The IMV provides every university institution an annual financial budget for their teaching and research work. IMV budgets are determined separately for each institute and consider both equipment needs and performance-oriented factors ("indicators").

The calculation is based on various indicators, such as staffing, teaching materials, doctorates, and third-party funding (i.e., additional project funds acquired), as well as factors like gender equality, theses, and academic publications.

In the bachelor’s degree program in Educational Sciences, you study two degree components (subjects) plus the degree component "Education, Upbringing, Society." At EUF, the BA program in Educational Sciences is a polyvalent program. This means that after obtaining your bachelor's degree, you can either move on to enroll in the Master of Education program (for the teaching credential) or do a subject-specific master's program. During your bachelor's studies, you already have the opportunity to delve deeper into the subject.

The doctorate is the conferment of an academic doctorate degree. With the doctorate, academics demonstrate that they are capable of working deeply in a specific field of study. This proof is provided through an independently written academic treatise, called the dissertation. Additionally, doctoral candidates undergo an oral examination, which can take various forms. The university confers the title of Doctor on those who successfully complete these steps and pass the doctoral examination.

The waiting period is the period between the time a prospective student receives the Abitur or high school diploma, and the semester when that person begins studies at EUF.

Each full semester (from April 1 to September 30 and from October 1 to March 31) counts as one waiting semester.  What you choose to do with this time—be it travel, an apprenticeship, an internship, a voluntary social year, or something else—is entirely up to you. The only important thing is that you are not or were not enrolled in another German university. Providing that’s the case, your waiting period counts from the time you obtained your university entrance qualification (Abitur, high school diploma. . . ) until the start of your first enrolled semester.

Your application to study at EUF does not affect the length of your waiting period. By applying you are only expressing your wish to enroll at EUF—not your acceptance of an admissions offer.

If a degree program expects the number of applicants to a degree program be higher than the number of available study places, that program will have restrictive admissions. This number of expected applicants is determined during a capacity calculation process.

The so-called "admissions capacity" figure must be recalculated every year, and restrictive admission must be applied for with the responsible German ministry.

During the application process, the maximum number of study places allocated to each degree program or degree component (subject) is set. The ministry publishes restrictive admissions twice a year in the Admission Numbers Ordinance.

Example:

Let’s assume that a specific degree program can only admit 50 new students to the first program semester, due to its available space and staff. But for the upcoming application period, the program expects far more than 50 applicants. To ensure that quality program conditions for all incoming students (sufficient room capacities, enough courses, etc.), the degree program applies for a selective admission. Once the responsible ministry approves the application, the selective admission condition is valid for one year only.