Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin - Wirtschaftswissen\=schaftliche Fakultät

1. Course lists
2. Course choices
   
3. Formats of teaching
4. Credit points
5. Glossary for the course list

Course lists | Vorlesungsverzeichnis

As a student at Humboldt-Universität you will have to compile yourself a study schedule of the lectures and seminars you wish to attend and the exams you want to take. The School offers courses and lectures on a comprehensive area of topics in business and economics. Information on the lectures and seminars offered and the number of ECTS-Credit Points to be awarded in each semester is available from the Vorlesungsverzeichnissen (course catalogues):

http://www.wiwi.hu-berlin.de/administration/bereich/sb/lehrangebot

Below you will find an explanation of the abbreviations that are used in the Vorlesungsverzeichnis.

The "Kommentiertes Vorlesungsverzeichnis" contains more information. The course list is published in good time before lectures begin in a new semester (end of January and end of July, respectively). Until then, students who are visiting Berlin in winter (summer) term should base their course choices on the old lists for winter term (summer term resp.).

Please find out more about the topics and contents of the courses at the web pages of the professors. You can easily browse to the page you need by using the link "Professuren/Chairs" above.

Course choice

The courses at the School of Business and Economics have a strong emphasis on imparting rigorous and quantitative methods of economic analysis and management science. Make sure that you possess a strong background in Mathematics. If you have taken statistics, calculus, algebra, economics, or any other advanced math courses, your profile will suit our program. Exchange students can choose courses on the bachelor level (courses predominantly in German) and from the various master programs (in English). Please ask your home university for courses (BA/MA-level) they will accept.

Participation in any of the courses and lectures is possible without special enrollment. Thus, there is no need to finally decide on activities before you come to Berlin. Seminars (marked as "SE" in the course list) are an exception to this - you register for them at the institutes that offer them. Since the application procedure and the prerequisites for participation vary between different seminars, please contact the responsible lecturer in advance.

Incoming exchange students can take courses in other subject areas of the HU or at other universities in Berlin (Freie Universität www.fu-berlin.de or Technische Universität www.tu-berlin.de) as well. A written permission of the teaching professor is necessary(‼). Such courses will NOT appear on the transcript of records. Instead they will be recognised on separate certificates.

Keep in mind that the course lists are subject to change!

The formats of teaching

Lecture | Vorlesung (VL)

During a lecture (Vorlesung - VL), the classic teaching format at university, a professor or other faculty member presents subject matter to students who take notes and elaborate in private study on the topic addressed in the lecture. Students can get credits by passing a written examination (Klausur) which will usually be set at the end of a set of lectures. Depending on the course or subject, duration of the exam varies between sixty minutes and several hours.

You do not need to register to a lecture - just take part at the first lesson!

Tutorial | Übung (UE)

Often group work (Übungen - UE) related to a course of lectures is offered, which gives students an opportunity for in-depth study of the subject matter presented in the lectures. The aim is to give students a chance to apply and deepen acquired knowledge in practical exercises and try out methodological features of academic work.

Tutorials are always combined with a lecture. Just attending the tutorial is not sufficient. If the course lists states several dates, you can choose one of them - they all cover the same contents!

Seminar | Seminar (SE)

In seminars (Seminare - SE) students and university staff work jointly on a chosen topic. It is quite normal for students to give presentations (Referat) in seminars, which are subsequently discussed. The length and scope of the presentation will be specified by the teaching staff member. Frequently, topics to be covered in seminar presentations are allocated to students in the first few weeks of the sessions. At the end of the semester, students usually have to hand in semester papers (Seminararbeiten), which are explorations of a topic which both student and staff have agreed upon. Generally, Seminararbeiten at Bachelor level would comprise between 10 and 15 A4 pages, at the Master's level they can often consist of up to 25 or 30 pages.

Please note that you will have to register for a seminar before the semester starts (see above).

Credits/Study Points

Please note, you will only get credits if you pass the term-exams immediately following the respective courses. Just attending the lectures is not sufficient to receive any credits!

The SP (study points) system is equivalent to ECTS (European Credit Point Transfer System). ECTS are given for the Leistungsnachweise (graded paper or examinations which students obtain). If students only attend a course without passing an exam they get no ECTS. Students themselves can decide which seminars and lectures they attend, they have access to every course listed in the Vorlesungsverzeichnis. It is possible to attend courses at other departments as well, but we cannot guarantee access.

Vorlesung (VL) and a written examination of about 2 hours: 3 ECTS

Vorlesungen (VL) combined with Tutorial (Übung-UE): 6 ECTS

Seminars (SE): 3-6 ECTS

Duration of course unit: One course unit takes usually one semester (15 weeks) and two hours a week (2 Semesterwochenstunden - SWS).

Glossary for the course lists

General Abbreviations/Translations used in the course list

See also our translation help!!

The semester week hour | Semesterwochenstunde

Semesterwochenstunde or SWS for short is a term often heard in the context of the students' time budget. One SWS is one 45-minute teaching period per week over one semester or, more specifically, during the time when lectures, classes, etc. take place (Vorlesungszeit) in a semester. Usually, a course has two teaching units per week (2 SWS).

An academic quarter | Akademisches Viertel

In accordance with German academic custom, the beginning of a lecture, class, etc. is announced or understood as „cum tempore“ or c.t. for short. It means the session actually begins a quarter of an hour (therefore "akademisches Viertel") later, which gives student sufficient time to move from one room or location to the next.