Glossary

Former students, faculty and other staff members are referred to as alumni. Most universities offer special alumni networks in order to make it easier for former students to keep in touch with each other. For more information on the alumni network at the University of Mainz, please refer to www.alumni.uni-mainz.de/eng/index.php.

If students have already completed or at least started a degree program prior to enrolling at the JGU, the credits earned in that degree program can often be recognized at our university. This also applies to credits earned during a semester abroad and vocational qualifications. The departmental advisor (Studienfachberater) responsible for your degree program will be able to tell you which accomplishments from former degree programs can be recognized, even before you have enrolled in degree programs at the University of Mainz. If you have any questions concerning recognition, please contact the departmental advisory services (Studienfachberatung) of the Faculty 08..

There are two important registration periods per semester: the registration period for courses (Lehrveranstaltungsanmeldephase) and the registration period for examinations (Prüfungsanmeldephase). Both are important in regard to registration for and withdrawal from courses/examinations on JOGUStINe. During the registration period for examinations, students can register for exams or withdraw from them. Please note: At the Faculty 08 (Fachbereich 08), the registration period for examinations ends 7 days before the respective date of the written exam. During the course registration period, students register for courses in the upcoming semester or withdraw from them. The registration period is divided into three separate periods: the first and second registration periods, as well as the third registration period (the so-called “Restplatzvergabe”), during which courses are assigned on a first come, first serve basis. Click here for the dates of the current registration periods for courses and examinations..

The AStA (Allgemeiner Studierenden-Ausschuss) is the university’s General Students Committee. It consists of students who are elected by the Student Parliament (Studierendenparlament, StuPa) each year. Its main function is to represent students’ cultural, technical, economic and social interests. The AStA is an important point of contact for student problems, including for example financial crises and legal issues. For the AStA website, please refer to www.asta-jgu.de.

Completing a semester abroad is beneficial for many reasons. Not only does it look good on your résumé, but it also promotes personal development by learning to deal with a different social environment and getting involved with another culture and language for a certain amount of time. Studying at a foreign university is also an exciting challenge. The credits earned during your semester abroad are almost always recognized at your home university. Ideally, you will talk to your home university’s departmental advisory services before leaving for your semester abroad. You and your advisor will negotiate a learning agreement on classes that can be recognized at the JGU. Certain international exchange programs grant financial support for students. The most well-known is ERAMUS+ (“ERASMUS plus”). It is a good idea to plan a semester abroad two to three semesters before you intend to leave. This gives you sufficient time to gather the necessary information, for example on application deadlines and preparatory language courses. You can find further information on this topic on the faculty’s website: www.studium.fb08.uni-mainz.de/studium-international/outgoing.

The Federal Training Assistance Act (Bundesausbildungsförderungsgesetz, BAföG) regulates government aid for students whose parents are not able to pay for their children’s degree program. The monthly amount the students receive depends on their parents’ income. Only half of this amount needs to be paid back through installments after graduation. For further information on BAföG, please refer to www.studium.uni-mainz.de/bafoeg/.

Some courses (Lehrveranstaltungen) are not taught every week. Block seminars are taught in fewer but therefore longer sessions in order to achieve the necessary semester hours per week (Semesterwochenstunden, SWS). These courses are often taught at the weekend or during semester breaks.

The Preparatory Course Mathematics is intended to help first-year students at the faculty prepare for their first mathematics lectures by refreshing what they learned in secondary school. The preparatory course always starts three weeks before the beginning of the lecture period and should be attended by all first semester students. The preparatory course starts with a lecture in the morning and ends with joint practice classes that consolidate the acquired knowledge, in the afternoon. It is also a good opportunity to familiarize yourself with the lecture halls and campus, as well as to meet fellow students (Kommilitonen). The Faculty 08 offers two parallel preparatory courses: one for mathematicians and computer scientists, and one for physicists and meteorologists.

The abbreviation “c.t.” stands for “cum tempore (Latin for “with time”), which is also referred to as the “academic quarter” („Akademische Viertelstunde“ or „Akademisches Viertel”). Courses scheduled with the addition “c.t.” actually start 15 minutes later, meaning that if a lecture is scheduled to begin at 10 am c.t. the course actually starts at 10:15 am. This gives students and teaching staff enough time to go from one lecture hall to the next. In contrast, the abbreviation “s.t.”, which stands for “sine tempore” (Latin for “without time”) indicates that the course starts at the exact, scheduled time. In Germany, all courses usually start 15 minutes later (“c.t.”). If this is not the case, “s.t.” is explicitly added to indicate that the course starts at the exact time.

Siehe: Leistungspunkte

The dean, as the head of the faculty, is responsible for managing important administrative faculty tasks such as issuing examination regulations (Prüfungsordnung), and allocating financial resources. His/her deputy is called the vice dean. The dean is also the head of the faculty council (Fachbereichsrat, FBR). The dean’s office manages the faculty and consists of the dean, the vice dean, the dean of studies and faculty management.

The diploma is the academic degree awarded at the end of a degree program lasting eight to ten semesters. However, enrolling in diploma degree programs is no longer possible in Germany as Bachelor’s and Master’s degree programs have replaced most of the diploma programs due to the Bologna Process.

The “European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System” facilitates the transfer of examination prerequisites and results within Europe, enabling students to become more flexible. The number of Credit Points (CP) or credits (Leistungspunkte, LP) indicates how much time students have spent on certain courses in order to reach 180 CPs for the Bachelor’s degree, or 120 CPs for the Master’s degree respectively. Furthermore, the ECTS makes it possible to convert grades from different international grading systems to facilitate recognition at other universities.

ERASMUS+ is a European Union university program for students, university staff, and other partners in non-academic sectors. Currently, all 28 member states of the EU as well as Iceland, Norway, Liechtenstein, Turkey, and Macedonia are part of ERASMUS+. In this context, the JGU (Johannes-Gutenberg University) has entered into special agreements with around 350 universities, enabling JGU students to study at any one of the listed universities. For further information on ERASMUS+, please refer to www.studium.fb08.uni-mainz.de/studium-international/outgoing/erasmus-studium.

According to a number of examination regulations, there are certain cases in which students that fail their third and last attempt at an examination, have the possibility to take a supplementary examination. Students can apply to the examination board for an oral supplementary examination. This examination can only be passed (grade: 4.0 “bestanden”) or failed (grade: 5.0 “nicht bestanden”).

The extension examination (do not confuse with supplementary examination or “Ergänzungsprüfung”) is a certificate program for Bachelor and Master of Education students at the JGU. This means that students in their fifth academic semester have the opportunity to gain the authorization to teach a third subject at secondary schools (Gymnasium) in addition their two regular specialist fields (and Education Studies). For further information, please refer to the websites of the Center for Teacher Training (Zentrum für Lehrerbildung).

The term “exmatriculation” means that the student has been officially removed from the university’s register. This occurs either upon application or ex officio by the university. In general, can apply to be exmatriculated at any time, e.g. if they have completed a degree program, want to drop out or change universities. Exmatriculation normally takes effect at the end of the current semester. However, in certain cases, it is possible to be exmatriculated with immediate effect. Exmatriculation ex officio also takes effect at the end of the semester but does not require application. Exmatriculation ex officio occurs if the degree program was completed before the semester officially ended but also if the student loses his/her entitlement to take an examination. Further possible reasons for exmatriculation ex officio are missing the rematriculation period (Rückmeldefrist), the end of provisional enrollment, or the expiry of the examination regulations. The opposite of exmatriculation is enrollment (Einschreibung), which represents the beginning of the degree program. For further information on exmatriculation, please refer www.studium.uni-mainz.de/exmatrikulation.

The faculty council is a committee that makes decisions about significant topics concerning the faculty, e.g. about establishing or terminating degree programs, study and examination regulations, as well as staff issues and appeals. The faculty council consists of representatives of group I (professors), group II (students), group III (scientific staff) and group IV (non-scientific staff). The members elect a professor of the faculty as the head of the faculty, the so-called dean.

The faculty council is a committee that makes decisions about significant topics concerning the faculty, e.g. about establishing or terminating degree programs, study and examination regulations, as well as staff issues and appeals. The faculty council consists of representatives of group I (professors), group II (students), group III (scientific staff) and group IV (non-scientific staff). The members elect a professor of the faculty as the head of the faculty, the so-called dean.

There are two different definitions: The correct one, and the prevailing one. The correct term is defined as follows: The “Fachschaft” consists of all the students in a subject. But the term “Fachschaft” is more commonly used for the student representatives, who are elected by the student body of a subject at a General Assembly each semester. In this context, the term “Fachschaft” generally refers to the group of elected student representatives, who address all kinds of issues related to a subject or department. For example, they organize parties and recreational activities, inform and provide advice from the student perspective on curriculum course programs and problems related to degree programs. Moreover, they represent the students in various university committees. You can find an overview of the student representatives at the Faculty 08 at: www.blogs.uni-mainz.de/fb08-studies/help-desk/important-contact-persons/.

Guest auditor enrolment at the university lasts for one semester. During this time, they may attend all courses in order to further their training and education. However, they cannot participate in examinations or receive evidence of academic achievements. Accordingly, they cannot aspire to a professional degree. The guest auditor program is subject to charges. For more information, please visit: www.zww.uni-mainz.de/eng/gasthoerer.php.

A postdoctoral lecturing qualification is a prerequisite to working as a professor at a university. A postdoctoral lecturing qualification provides professors with an authorization to teach (facultas docendi) as well as a teaching license (venia legendi) for a specific subject. This allows them to teach a subject independently, conduct examinations and supervise academic works (including doctoral theses). To acquire a postdoctoral lecturing qualification, the candidates must write a scientifically relevant professorial dissertation to provide proof of independent scientific research. They must also give a lecture and hold a subsequent colloquium to prove their teaching competence and academic skills. In addition, they must give a public inaugural lecture at the university. Professors must offer academic courses regularly to maintain their authorization to teach.

„Hiwi“ (male) or „Hiwine“ (female) is the colloquial abbreviation for „Hilfswissenschaftler“, student assistants. Student assistants help the teaching staff perform their duties by e.g. preparing course material, doing any follow-up work, leading practice groups or assisting in the research field. Student assistants receive contractually stipulated hourly wages and have the opportunity to familiarise themselves with the other side of the academic scientific field during their studies. Often, a job as a student assistant can segue well into a scientific career. The scientific institute is usually in charge of recruitment of student assistants. If you are interested, ask whether there are vacant positions and how to apply at the office of the student council or at the institute.

ILIAS is an e-Learning platform for all students at the JGU. This platform is operated by the Center for Data Processing (Zentrum für Datenverarbeitung, ZDV). Some members of the teaching staff use this platform to manage their courses. Using this platform, they provide exercises or documents and manage test modules and e-Exams. You can find the ILIAS registration page at: ilias.uni-mainz.de/login.php.

The term “matriculation” refers to enrolment in a degree program at the university. By enrolling, you become a student of the JGU. This entails certain rights and obligations you should be aware of. You should never forget to regularly rematriculate and pay the semester fees for the following semester, in order to continue your studies. You will receive your matriculation documents as well as important general information and information about points of contact that are essential for your degree program by post. The opposite of matriculation is exmatriculation, which is deregistration from the university.

In some cases, registration for courses on JOGUStINe also incurs automatic exam registration. This is referred to as implicit exam registration because students usually need to explicitly register, i.e. independently, for the exams they want to take during the registration period for examinations. Frequently, this is the case for seminars and internships in which you have to fulfil certain educational achievements before the registration period for examinations.

JOGUStINe is the Study Information Network of Johannes Gutenberg University in Mainz (StudienInfo-Netz der JGU Mainz). The JGU has been using this network since February 2009. The web portal JOGUStINe runs on the campus management system “CampusNet”, which manages courses, examinations and examination results in the student advising offices. Students and teaching staff have individual access to this portal through a personal university account on the JOGUStINe website: jogustine.uni-mainz.de.

Consecutive Master’s degree programs either build on a preceding Bachelor’s degree program to consolidate previously acquired knowledge, or offer the opportunity to acquire additional qualifications in another field of study. Consecutive Master’s degree programs always require a completed Bachelor’s degree program or an equivalent degree. You can find an overview of the consecutive Master’s degree programs at the JGU here: www.studying.uni-mainz.de/range-of-courses.

Since the winter semester 2008/09, the teaching degree program has been divided into the Bachelor of Education and the Master of Education. Both degree programs include the study of two specialist fields as well as the subject Education Studies. The standard period of study in the Bachelor’s degree program is 6 semesters. The Master’s degree program has a standard period of study of 4 semesters. In Rhineland Palatinate, candidates obtain the professional qualification to teach in the public service after successfully completing the corresponding Master’s degree program and passing the subsequent state examination. For more information, please visit: www.zfl.uni-mainz.de.

There are different types of courses. The most common courses are lectures, tutorials, seminars and advanced seminars. Internships or lab courses within the framework of the study program also pertain to the program. Course registration and withdrawal are conducted on the JOGUStINe website. However, there are certain deadlines, the so-called registration periods. JOGUStINe-Service provides a useful course registration guide. If you have any problems registering or withdrawing, please contact the course manager of the respective subject.

Course management is the contact point for all questions relating to course registration and course withdrawal. It organizes the courses of the subject and supervises the registration procedure. Among its tasks are also management and reservation of lecture rooms.

Credits or credit points (CP) are evaluation units to measure academic achievements. Whereas “credit points” are the official unit of the ECTS (European Credit Transfer System) evaluation system, which was introduced as part of the Bologna Process, the term credits (Leistungspunkte) has become well-established in Germany. One credit equals a workload of about 30 hours per semester. Therefore, it is assumed that students have to spend 180 hours to successfully complete a module with 6 CP.

Upon enrollment, all students are allocated an individual number, the student number, under which they are registered and can be identified by the faculty staff of the university. If you contact the student advising office with a question, you should state your student number in addition to your name in order to ensure that the staff finds the correct personal data.

The canteen is the central catering facility at the university. It is operated by the Student Union and serves lunches at low prices for all enrolled students. In addition to the central canteen, there are also other smaller canteens and cafeterias on the campus in Mainz that offer a daily selection of the central canteen’s menu. www.studierendenwerk-mainz.de/essentrinken/universitaetscampus. www.studierendenwerk-mainz.de/essentrinken/universitaetscampus.

Mentoring is a personal support relationship between a first-year student and an advanced student. The duration of the mentoring relationship is determined in advance. The underlying idea is that advanced students provide support and advice to first-year students.

As modularized degree programs, Bachelor's and Master's degree programs consist of a variety of modules. Each module is a complete teaching unit that contains various courses such as lectures, seminars, and internships/lab courses, as well as examinations. Credits are awarded for each module according to the calculated workload. In order to complete a module, students have to attend all compulsory courses of the module and pass all examinations. Each module is completed with a final module examination that is graded and weighted according to the number of credits, and is included in the final grade. Students have to register for all compulsory modules in JOGUStINe. A prior registration is also required for all the courses that are included in a module (see Registration period).

There is a corresponding module catalogue for all examination regulations that describes which modules are part of the degree program, which courses are included, the specified learning objectives and the type of assessments, namely the examinations. The workload and the number of credits acquired for the completion of each module are also listed in detail in the module catalog.

The abbreviation “N.N.” stands for “nomen nominandum” (Latin for “the name is to be announced”) and means that e.g. at the time of curriculum publication, the lecturer was not yet known.

The PMC is the departmental library of the University of Mainz for the subjects Physics, Mathematics, and Chemistry. It is located in the new Chemistry building which is directly opposite the cruciform building. For more information about the PMC library, please visit www.ub.uni-mainz.de/bereichsbibliothek-physik-mathematik-chemie.

The lab course is a course in which students practically apply acquired knowledge. Lab courses are usually taught in block seminars which take place, for example, over a period of several weeks during the holidays. Within the framework of lab courses students usually have to fulfil examination prerequisites such as certificates or presentations.

A doctorate is independent research work. During their doctoral studies, all doctoral candidates are supervised by a professor (also referred to as a doctoral supervisor). A doctorate consists of two parts: the completion of a thesis, the so-called dissertation (or “diss” for short), in which the research methodology and also the research results are presented, and an oral examination, the so-called defense or the final examination, in which the own research work must be defended in front of a panel of experts. Candidates are officially awarded a doctoral degree by the university if both components have been successfully completed. The time it takes to complete a doctorate can vary. It usually takes 2 to 4 years.

There are different types of examinations, the most common are written exams, oral exams and term papers. These also include final papers like the Bachelor’s and the Master's theses. Examination registration and examination withdrawal is conducted via JOGUStINe. However, there are certain deadlines, the so-called registration periods. JOGUStINe service provides a useful examination registration guide. If you have any problems registering or withdrawing, please contact the examination manager of the respective subject at the student advising office.

Examination management is the contact point for all questions relating to examination registration and examination withdrawal in JOGUStINe. It is responsible for issuing any certificate of performance or certificates for the subject (except teaching degree programs) and for entering recognized academic achievements into the system. Examination management also handles requests to the examination board, such as deadline extensions, and medical certificates in case of missed examinations.

Valid examination regulations apply to each degree program. The examination regulations establish the framework for the degree program in regard to the examination, and contain regulations such as admission requirements, examination and registration deadlines or testing methods. Sometimes the contents of the examination regulations have to be modified. Then, a modification of the regulations is issued and a second version of the examination regulations enters into force. All students that are newly enrolled in the university in the next semester are automatically enrolled in the current version of the examination regulations. The old examination regulations still apply for all previously enrolled students (exception: students apply to change to the most recent examination regulations). Therefore, not all examination regulations are automatically always the same for each student of the department (!).

As a committee, the examination board makes decisions on all issues concerning examinations for the various degree programs of a subject. According to the examination regulations, students can, for example, issue a request for a hardship regulation to the designated examination board. The board is made up of representatives of group I (professors), group II (students), group III (research assistants) and group IV (non-scientific staff). You will find an overview of the examination boards of the Faculty 08 at www.blogs.uni-mainz.de/fb08-studies/help-desk/important-contact-persons/.

The standard period of study is the period during which all examination components of the degree program as well as the program itself should ideally be completed. The standard period of study is usually six semesters for Bachelor's degree programs and four semesters for Master's degree programs. Depending on whether, for example, students have to repeat certain examinations or spend a semester abroad, degree programs can, however, take longer.

Rematriculation is the confirmation of enrollment, which every student has to perform each semester. This happens automatically by submitting the transfer form for the semester fee, which each student receives at the beginning of the semester. Rematriculation within the stated period is important, otherwise students are at risk of being exmatriculated “ex officio”. The rematriculation period runs until the preceding 1st of July for the winter semester and until the preceding 15th of January for the summer semester. A default fine is charged if a student misses the rematriculation period and transfers the fees to the Landeshochschulkasse bank account too late.

The abbreviation “s.t.” stands for “sine tempore” (Latin for “without time”). When a time is indicated with “s.t.” in the university, it means that the course does not start after the conventional “academic quarter”, but exactly at the indicated time. In contrast, the abbreviation “c.t.” stands for “cum tempore” (Latin for “with time”) and means that the course starts 15 minutes later than the indicated time.

The semester fee is the fee which every student has to pay to the university each semester within the so-called rematriculation period. The regional transit ticket, inexpensive food in the canteen of the Student Union and the General Student Committee (AStA), for example, are financed though the semester fees.

The weekly temporal scope of a course per semester is indicated in semester hours per week. For example, if a lecture is allotted 2 semester hours per week, that means that a student will spend 2 hours (2 x 45 minutes) per week in this lecture during the semester’s lecture period.

There is a student advising office in every faculty that is responsible for a subject’s course and examination management in JOGUStINe. The student advising office issues all certificates of performance and other certificates, and enters approved performances into the system. Requests to the examination board, for example in regard to deadline extensions or medical certificates in case of absence during examinations, can also be submitted to the corresponding student advising office. You can find the student advising office of the Faculty 08 here: www.blogs.uni-mainz.de/fb08-studies/help-desk/important-contact-persons/.

The departmental advisory services offer subject-specific advising on study content and structure, individual study schedules and academic recognition of examination prerequisites in case of a change of subject or university. Moreover, they offer advice on the possibility of completing a semester abroad during the period of studies. You can find an overview of the student advisors of the Faculty 08 here: www.blogs.uni-mainz.de/fb08-studies/help-desk/important-contact-persons/.

Some prerequisites are compulsory, but the awarded “grade” does not affect the module grade, and thus it is not included in the final grade. These examination prerequisites must (only) be completed to satisfaction (pass) and in contrast to graded work, there is no maximum number of examination attempts.

The Subject Manager is the head of the Student Advising Office (Studienbüro) and is responsible for management and coordination of the modularized degree programs within the subject. She/he plans courses and examinations, and contributes to the conceptual and organizational development of the degree programs within the subject.

The study schedule indicates an exemplary course registration for your degree program. It is not compulsory to follow this recommendation. In light of previous knowledge and skills, advanced students in particular tend to not follow these study schedules, but rather create their own individual schedules. There are often two schedules: one for if you enroll in the winter semester and one for if you enroll in the summer semester.

The Office of Admission and Records at the University of Mainz is responsible for central student administration, including application and admission procedures, change of subject, change of name and address or enrollment and exmatriculation..

The Student Parliament is the central institution of the students’ self-administration at a university. Representatives are elected annually by all students of the university, and in turn these representatives vote for the representatives of the General Student Committee.

The University Library Mainz is the information and literature supply system of the University of Mainz. It consists of the central library, nine departmental libraries and the university archive. For more information about the University Library Mainz, please visit: www.ub-eng.uni-mainz.de/.

The practice classes at the Faculty 08 are intended to supplement the lectures. The practice classes are not taught by professors, but by tutors, i.e. advanced students. In every practice class, students work on exercise sheets that have to be completed at home and then corrected by the tutors. Successful completion of the exercise sheets determines whether the student can participate in the written exam at the end of the semester. The student can only participate in the written exam if at least 50 % of the exercises are correct. For large lectures, there are often various parallel practice groups, and students work together in the same group throughout the whole semester.

A clearance certificate is a document that proves to a future university whether or not entitlement to take an examination in a degree program has been granted. If a student fails a module examination too often, she/he will lose the entitlement to take an examination for the degree program and will not be allowed to continue her/his degree program at any other university.

UnivIS is the former information system of the University of Mainz (it could be considered the predecessor of JOGUStINe), where you can find the current faculty staff of the JGU: univis.uni-mainz.de.

Students can apply for a leave of absence of one semester. A leave of absence can be issued if a degree program needs be interrupted for a short period of time due to an important, study-related reason and continued normally afterwards, for example because of disease, taking care of a close relative, maternity or parental leave, semester abroad or internship (unless required by the examination regulations), earning money to continue the program or participation in university committees. During the leave of absence, students are not allowed to attend courses or participate in examinations (except examinations and assignments which serve as evidence of academic achievements during a semester abroad). A student who has taken a leave of absence is still enrolled as a student and has to pay the semester fee. The amount paid for the regional transit ticket can only be reimbursed if the student can prove that she/he cannot use it, e.g. because of a semester abroad.

The student General Assembly is an assembly consisting of all the students of a subject. It takes place at least once per semester, usually at the beginning of the semester. The student representatives (Fachschaftsrat, FSR) present a report for the previous semester. Then, the student representatives are officially discharged and the new student representatives are elected (normally, many previous student representatives stand directly for re-election).

Workload refers to the time needed for the successful completion of a teaching unit (course, examination, module). Workload comprises attendance, preparation and follow-up time as well as examinations. One credit point (CP) is equivalent to a workload of 30 hours.

The Data Center is a central scientific institution of the University of Mainz with contact persons who provide information and communications technology services to all university members, i.e. students and employees. In addition, the Data Center regularly offers various computer courses. For more information, please visit: www.zdv.uni-mainz.de./eng/index.php.