Incomings at Humboldt
General information for international students can be found here
Study schedule and semester dates
The academic year at Humboldt-Universität is divided into a winter semester (WS) and a summer semester (SS). One semester consists of a lecture period and a lecture-free period. The lecture period is when classes take place, whereas at the lecture-free period is for completing assignments, sitting exams, doing independent research, preparing for the following semester and, of course, relaxing! Times may vary somewhat from year to year.
| Duration | Lecture period | Total weeks | |
| WiSe | 1st October – 31st March |
2nd/3rd week in October – 3rd week in December 2nd week in January – 2nd/3rd week February |
16 |
| SoSe | 1st April – 30th September | 2nd/3rd week of April – 2nd/3rd week in July | 14 |
How do I find the courses?
The detailed course catalogue can be found online at www.agnes.hu-berlin.de.
- Select "Semester"
- Select "Course Catalogue"
- Select "Faculty of Arts and Humanities I"
- Select "Department of History"
- Select "M.A. European Histroy"
- Select a module and choose a course (lecture, exercise, master seminar, etc.).
- You must sign up to all courses online using AGNES before the specified deadline.
You may select any individual course that is offered; attending the entire module is not compulsory.
What does “SWS” mean?
"SWS" means semester hour(s) per week. This number simply signifies how man hours a course takes up per week: 2 SWS is the norm. Thus, a course would, for instance, take place on Mondays from 12:00 to 14:00. Only tutorials last one hour, i.e. 1 SWS.
ECTS points are not based on SWS!
What do „c. t.“ and „s. t.“ mean?
c.t. - cum tempore
- The course begins at 10:15.
s.t. - sine tempore
- The course begins at 10.00 sharp.
How many ECTS do I get for my courses?
Pursuant to the study regulations for bachelor’s/master’s programmes, ECTS points for attendingindividual courses are awarded as follows:
Lecture (VL) = 2 ECTS
Exercise (UE) = 3 ECTS
Master seminar (MAS) = 5 ECTS
-------------------------
Oral exam = 1-2 ECTS
Essay for UE = 2 ECTS
Essay for MAS = 2 ECTs (10 pages) or 7 ECTS (25 pages)
There is always the possbility to to extra credit. Please contact our lecturer and the student advisor for detailed info!
Please note:
- You receive ECTS points for attending courses (this includes attendance, class participation and usually a presentation) as well as ADDITIONAL ECTS points for a piece of written coursework or exam!
- Written coursework is usually not obligatory. Please clarify with your home university to what extent the credits you complete at the IfG must be equivalent to those completed at your home university.
- Please count up these points (for participation and exams and, if applicable, coursework) when drawing up Learning Agreements.
The grades awarded for coursework correspond to the following values:
A = 1,0 – 1,5 excellent
B = 1,6 – 2,0 very good
C = 2,1 – 3,0 good
D = 3,1 – 3,5 satisfactory
E = 3,6 – 4,0 sufficient
F = 4,1 – 5,0 failed/ insufficient
How many courses do I need to attend? And what kind?
- How many credit points does my home university require per semester/year?
- What kind of courses does my home university require?
- At what level does my written, read and spoken German need to be in order to be able to follow in class, write coursework or sit exams?
Important forms and documents
At the beginning of your stay:
The Learning Agreement must only be signed by Dr. Benjamin Conrad.
The Confirmation of Registrationmust be signed by Kathrin Hansen or the International Office.
At the end of your stay:
Confirmation of Student Stay and Transcript of Records
>> these are NOT issued automatically!!!