Frequently Asked Questions
This page gives answers to typical questions in regards to the
CE Master studies at Erlangen-Nuremberg. You are expected to read it before sending an email.
 You may jump to the following sections:
Academics
 What are the entry requirements
for the Master program?
There are two basic requirements: a very good degree
at the Bachelor level in an Engineering subject, which
corresponds to one of the Technical Application Fields in
the program, and a good command of the English language, which implies a
good score on the GRE test (the general test) and a TOEFL score of 560 or
better. Applicants with
an excellent degree in Computer Science, Mathematics, or
Physics may also be considered, if they have the
potential to complete the program successfully. All
applicants should have a good foundation in applied
mathematics and have experience in a modern high-level
computer programming language. A more detailed
description can be found on the M.Sc. Program
page.
What about the Orientation semester?
The Orientation
Semester is the first semester, which the
international Computational Engineering students take
part in. Several courses are taught during this term. The
students are expected to submit all the homeworks during
the semester and to pass a written exam in each subject
at the end of the term. Upon successful participation in
the orientation semester, one is admitted to the actual
Master program Computational Engineering. The purpose of
this term is to prepare the students for the program,
providing them with basic knowledge, and to check the
ability of every student to cope with scientific problems
under the new conditions, determined by the new learning
environment.
What about the German academic system?
There are many things that might be said with regard
to this topic. It should be pointed out that the German
academic system is rather liberal, allowing for freedom
and flexibility to reflect the individual student's
academic interests. Another distinguishing feature is
that students are expected to show initiative and to
actively participate in the program. For more information
you might want to take a look at the information the  DAAD site gives.
How is the German credit point system Semesterwochenstunden organised?
In Germany the credit point system is based generally on the duration of any activity in
one semester. The basic unit in which lectures, seminars and courses therefore are measured
is called Semesterwochenstunde meaning an hour per lesson per week. If a lesson
takes place at
two days per week for the whole semester and lasts for one hour each time (actually 45 minutes),
this lesson is credited by two hours per week per semester meaning 2 Semesterwochenstunden SWS
which are equivalent to two credit points. Typical courses have 2, 4 or 6 SWS, whereby 4
SWS courses typically consist of 2 hours lectures plus 2 hours exercise class and 6 SWS courses
typically have 4 hours of lectures per week and 2 hours exercise classes. However, there are also
courses with differing formats.
SWS are used to define the amount of study in each field of the program.
Do I have to understand German?
All basic CE courses will use English for
conversation. However, you are encouraged (with emphasis!)
to attend German courses offered by the CE program, at
least during the Orientation Semester, so that you will
have greater flexibility in your choice of courses. This
becomes especially relevant in the second year of your
studies when you focus on technical fields where CE is
applied. So far, all students have been agreed a German
language scholarship. It is also highly recommended that
you attend a beginners- level German course at your home
country. This would facilitate your first steps here.
What about tuition fees?
Although studying in Germany has been free so far, students will have to pay a tuition fee with the beginning of spring term 2007. In Erlangen the fee will amount to 585 Euros per semester.
The additional expenses of a student in Erlangen (accomodation, food) are around € 580 – 600 per month but you have to expect to spend more money during the first months in Erlangen.
You will also have to buy your own books, but fortunately most books that you will need are available at the libraries.
How long will it take to earn a degree?
4 to 5 semesters, including the Orientation Semester.
This means 2 or 2.5 years. The CE program was designed to
give a comprehensive, yet detailed insight into
engineering, mathematics, and computer science. You
should therefore be prepared for full-time studies.
What about vacations?
Each academic year has two periods without lectures,
altogether five months. These periods are February
through April and August through mid October. However,
the last month of each of these two periods (i.e. April
and October) are normally regarded as exam periods.
Students are usually busy preparing for and taking exams.
You therefore only have the months of February, August,
and September to work full-time or make longer holidays.
There are also a series of other short vacations and
holidays throughout the year. The most important ones are
Christmas (two weeks) and the so-called "Bergkirchweih"
in May, a feast peculiar to Erlangen.
Do I need to bring any books for my study?
It is most likely that you will not need extra books.
You have at your disposal the university library that
contains most of the books needed during the course of
your studies here. Additionally you may borrow books from
the Computational Engineering shelf. One can also benefit
from the option, books to be added there, upon sufficient
level of interest in them. Of course if you do not
consider yourself an expert you might take a UNIX, or a C/C++,
or a Java programming etc. book with you.
How can I check whether CE is the
right program for me?
To find out whether an academic program is the right
for you at an early stage may be rather difficult. It
might be useful for you to take a look at lectures and
the exercise classes listed below. If you find them
understandable - you have already made your first step to
CE.
Daily Life
Do I need health insurance?
Yes. However, you don't have to organise this in your
home country. Instead, you can buy German health
insurance after your arrival. It will cost you about
€ 60 per month, for students older than 30 years it may be
a bit more expensive. The German health insurance offers
an excellent service that is well worth the money.
Where will I live?
Probably in an off-campus dormitory. All dormitories
in Erlangen are off- campus, but some are very close to
the Faculty of Engineering. If you are admitted to the CE
program, the organisers will try to find a suitable
dormitory room for you, even though accommodating students became rather difficult due to the tight market conditions in the last two years. The typical monthly rent will
vary between € 250 - 300 . You will live in a single
room, as almost everyone here does. A typical room would
be between 11 and 15 square metres large, additionally
one can use the common room facilities.
What about the climate at Erlangen?
Even though Germany's winters seem to get warmer, you
should nevertheless be prepared for extended periods of
cold weather from November through April. Day
temperatures during this time tend to be around 5 degrees
Celsius, but can fall to -15 degrees Celsius in cold
winter nights. Summer temperatures are around 25 to 30
degrees Celsius in August, and the humidity is usually
low.
What is Erlangen like?
Erlangen is a small university town, with
approximately 100 000 inhabitants. It has a very good
public transport infrastructure. As with almost all
German universities, the FAU Erlangen- Nuremberg is a non-
campus one. Therefore the student dormitories are located
all over the town, and you need between 15 and 30
minutes, to get to the Faculty of Engineering. For
occasional trips you need € 5,50 for 5 bus rides,
alternatively one can buy the so- called "Semester
Card" valid throughout the semester for
approximately € 70 for the town of Erlangen and
€ 200 for the aerea of Erlangen, Nuremberg and Fuerth
together. The cheapest way to move from one
place to another is to use a bicycle. The town
infrastructure is especially well suited for biking. For
some more detailed information please take a look at the
Erlangen Info page.
How to Get Here
Do I need a special visa?
Generally you are required to have a "Student
Visa", which you must get in your home country. It
will then be extended here for the period of your
studies; a "Tourist Visa" will in no case be
sufficient, since it cannot be transformed into a student
residence permit in Germany. If you are, however, a
citizen of a European Union country, no Visa will be
required. You should fill in the
Visa Application Form, which should
then be submitted to the local German embassy. Please
contact the respective authorities for further
information. It might also be a good idea to obtain
information about the Visa application procedure as soon
as possible. Our experience shows that it might take
quite a while to get one, the application period might
well range from 1 to 6 months. Having a degree is usually
considered advantageous for undergoing a less complicated
Visa Procedure. You could find it useful to check the
DAAD Visa Information. One might also
consider reviewing the
List of Countries whose citizens need
Visas for Germany.
Can I get a scholarship?
It is a common practice at the German universities
not to award scholarships. Therefore one needs to turn to
third party organisations such as
DAAD or various foundations. Additionally the DAAD now provides a
schlarship database to search for specific offers.
There is a
chance, however, that students with excellent degrees,
which have passed the orientation semester with an
outstanding score might get some form of financial aid from internal resources only available infrequently.
Can I earn money?
Well, to some extent. You will not be allowed to work
during the Orientation Semester, as you will be expected
to concentrate on passing the admission examinations
successfully. There are new regulations for foreign
students, introduced in January 2005. According to these,
however, a student can work up to 90 days per year
without need for a special permit. We will assist you in
finding research and teaching assistantships.
Could you give me some preparation tips before I come to Germany?
As you prepare to come here, there are certainly
tons of preparation questions rolling through your head.
It might be helpful for you to review the following
DAAD preparation checklist.
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