FAQ for each faculty

Current study regulations (FSO)

• All BA and MA in Business Administration and Economics can have max. 30 ECTS per semester abroad (corresponds to 5 courses of 6 ECTS each or only for IBWL and IBA BA with language recognition 3 courses of 6 ECTS each + Unicert II exemption 12 ECTS except English) recognised. Exception for IBWL with language recognition Unicert III: max. 30 ECTS (= 3 courses of 6 ECTS + exemption Unicert III 12 ECTS English only).

• All BA and MA in Business Administration and Economics with a mandatory study abroad - must complete at least two recognised courses (12 ECTS) abroad.
• All BA and MA in Business Administration and Economics without a mandtory study abroad - are required to bring at least 30 ECTS credits with them, but are not formally obliged to do so. However, a recognisable course (6 ECTS) from abroad should be brought along so that the stay abroad appears on the degree certificate.

Current study regulations (FSO) for all BA and MA in Business Administration and Economics

• Basically 6 ECTS. However, courses with at least 5 ECTS are recognised. If a course has fewer than 5 ECTS credits, several courses from the same field can be combined if necessary.
• So 2 courses with 3 ECTS are merged and recognised as one course with 6 ECTS. 2 courses with 4 ECTS can be credited as one course totalling 6 ECTS, or 3 courses with 4 ECTS can be credited as one course totalling 12 ECTS. A combination is only possible if the courses are credited in the same module group and there is a content-related connection with the module group.

Note: According to the American points system, 3 units correspond to 5 ECTS credit points. In some (few) EU countries, fewer than 5 ETCS are awarded per course. In these cases, please contact Torsten Glase before your stay abroad to combine 2 courses with the same focus into one course.

In principle, the adopted Guideline for the recognition of study abroad and examination achievements applies.

For BA students, mainly courses from the 3rd year of study abroad are recognised, which can be assigned to the Viadrina specialisation modules and which do not differ significantly from these. Special case: In the Finance module, a maximum of two courses from abroad can be recognised, as "Applied Capital Market Theory" or "Capital Market Theory" must be successfully completed at Viadrina (compulsory module).

For MA students, mainly the courses of the MA study courses or courses from the 4th year of study abroad are recognised, which can be assigned to the Viadrina Master modules (T, R, S module) and do not differ significantly from these.

Economics students should discuss the recognisability of their course choice at the foreign university with Torsten Glase. You can find out how to make this agreement on the following websites.

• On the websites of the partner universities.
  Please note that, as at the Viadrina, course lists often only appear a few weeks/months before the respective semester. Please refer to old course lists and note the semester in which the courses are offered. The course programme often remains similar.
Ask former fellow students who were at your foreign university. You can ask us for contact details by email or use the Viadrina Students Abroad Facebook group. You can also often find tips in experience reports.

You can find information on this in the section below on the following recognition website.

The conversion of grades of foreign academic achievements is carried out at Viadrina using the following conversion table.

About 2-4 weeks after submitting all the documents required for recognition, you will receive a message that your recognition has been forwarded to the Examination Office. Your grades will be automatically entered into the His-Portal. You can then collect your completed recognition in AM 207.

The Transcript of Records is a certificate that contains a list of all academic achievements abroad. It is sent by the International Office of the partner university to the Division of International Affairs at Viadrina after the end of the stay abroad, sometimes directly to the student. When it arrives at Viadrina, you will be informed via your Viadrina e-mail. Viadrina International Affairs only accepts the original Transcript of Records, which must be sent to the department directly from the partner university (postal/digital). Forwarding by students may not be accepted.

Current study regulations (FSO)

For BA IBWL, proof in the module English (level Council of Europe C1 / Unicert III) or second foreign language (level Council of Europe B2 / Unicert II - not English) is deemed to have been provided if modules totalling at least 18 ECTS in the corresponding foreign language are completed and proven during the study period abroad.
If you are seeking exemption from English C1/ Unicert III, you must have completed English B2/ Unicert II before applying for recognition. If you already have a B2 / Unicert II in a second foreign language in addition to English B2 / Unicert II, the foreign language module has already been fully completed and English C1 / Unicert III cannot be waived with the 18 ECTS from abroad. In general, English B2/ Unicert II cannot be waived, only English C1/ Unicert III.

For BA IBA, proof in the foreign language module (level Council of Europe B2 / Unicert II) is deemed to have been provided if modules totalling at least 18 ECTS in the corresponding foreign language (not English) are completed and proven during the study period abroad.

For all others, exemption in the foreign language module is not possible.

Please note that exemption from proof in the foreign language module does not result in a language certificate
which may be required for Master's applications to universities.

A course can be recognised as a research module (R module) if a project work or a discussion paper was produced as part of the course, or if the course is an interdisciplinary seminar, a simulation game or a workshop lasting several days with practitioners or other universities.

In principle, any R module can also be subsequently recognised as a T module, but this does not work the other way round!

• Submit the application for recognition to the Division of International Affairs.
• After the formal preliminary examination, it will be forwarded to the relevant examination board of the Faculty of Law for a decision.
• You will be informed when recognition has been granted and can then collect it from the Division of International Affairs, either during Office hours or Monday to Friday between 09:00 and 15:00 in AM 207.
• To enter your recognised achievements in viaCampus/HIS, please contact the responsible Examination Office.
• The processing time after submission of all required documents can be up to 4 weeks.

• The Learning Agreement (LA) lists the courses you would like to take during the semester abroad (Table A) and the possibility of these courses being recognised at a later date (Table B). To be able to check this, we need the course descriptions.
• The LA must be completed before your stay abroad ("Study Programme at the Receiving Institution") and signed by you. After checking the recognition possibilities of the foreign courses, the responsible faculty coordinator Frau Prof. Dr Carmen Thiele will sign. Your host university signs last.
• If there are later changes to the course selection, you must enter these in the LA ("Changes to the learning agreement"). The changes are checked again and signed by all parties.
• Whether digital or paper-based LAs are used depends on the host university.

• You only submit the application for recognition of your achievements abroad after your stay abroad. To do this, we need the course descriptions and the so-called "Transcript of Records" from your host university, which lists the achievements and grades.

• The conversion of grades of foreign academic achievements is carried out at Viadrina using the following conversion table.
• Law (1st legal examination [state examination] incl. "Bachelor of Laws"):
  For recognition as a key or additional qualification (with proof of foreign language proficiency), the ECTS points and the grade are not taken into account as they do not play a role. ECTS points can only play a role within the framework of the LLB.

• Please submit 2 applications, one for the Bachelor or Master of German and Polish Law and the second for the Magister of Law.
• Courses that refer to Polish law in the relevant examination regulations for you and/or are marked with (PL/P) are recognised at the Collegium Polonicum (CP).
• Please contact Ms Ewa Szleszyńska with any questions regarding the recognition of these courses.
• If you are not completing / have completed your semester abroad via the European University Viadrina, but via the Adam Mickiewicz University, the entire administration will be handled by the Adam Mickiewicz University.
• Please contact Ms Karolina Pełka-Gawlik with any questions regarding recognition.

Free trial and extension of the registration deadline

1. The recognition of achievements from abroad for free attempt and registration deadline extension is carried out exclusively by the GJPA in accordance with § 13 BbgJAO. The examination is carried out as part of the application for a free attempt and extension of the registration deadline. A separate prior application for recognition by the GJPA is generally not required.
2. The achievements submitted to the GJPA for the free attempt/extension of the registration deadline cannot be recognised for your curriculum at the Viadrina.

In order for your stay abroad to be recognised, according to § 8 of the subject-specific regulations of the Bachelor of Arts in Social and Cultural Studies (22.10.2014), at least one certificate must be completed abroad, which is credited with 6 ECTS credits at Viadrina.

No. However, you may be able to upgrade your level in a language if you have completed a certain number of assessments in that language. Please discuss this individually with the Viadrina Language Centre.

BA students of the Faculty of Social and Cultural Sciences discuss the recognition of foreign courses with Ms Klück in advance: either in the consultation hour or by filling in Form A and sending it by email.

On the websites of the respective universities. Please note that, as at the Viadrina, the course lists only appear a few weeks before the start of the semester. Please refer to the course lists from previous semesters first.

Submit the following documents in person or by e-mail:

1. The completed Form B.
2. The transcript of records (the grades at the partner university). Additionally, if applicable, the term paper if one was written.
3. Proof of the study level or academic year, the number of semester hours per week.
4. You send the documents completed on your PC to outgoing@europa-uni.de or hand them in during consultation hours. Firstly, the formal examination is carried out by the Division of International Affairs and then the content is checked by the examination board of the Faculty of Social and Cultural Sciences. As soon as this has been completed, you will be contacted directly and can pick up the completed recognition in AM 207. You then bring the completed recognition to the Examination Office where the grades will be recorded.

All certificates of achievement can be recognised as specialisations if the course was held abroad

• is at least in the 2nd year of study. Russia is an exception. There, a course must be at least in the 3rd year of study in order to be recognised here as a specialisation.
• is demonstrably not suitable for first-year students. This proof can be provided by a confirmation from the lecturer or by a copy of the study plan or the module description of the partner university, provided that it contains relevant information.

In order for an in-depth course with 9 ECTS to be recognised, it must meet the same requirements abroad as at the Viadrina (see subject-specific regulations BA Cultural Studies §8): a term paper or several essays with a total length of 48,000 - 60,000 characters (with spaces, without footnotes) of pure running text, i.e. about 20-25 pages. A standard page comprises around 2,400 characters with spaces. The character and page numbers refer to the main text you have written, excluding the cover page, table of contents and bibliography.

Proof of credits from Master's degree programmes abroad can generally be recognised as a BA specialisation.

The Transcript of Records is a document that contains a list of all academic achievements abroad. It is sent by the International Office of the partner university to the Division of International Affairs of the Viadrina after the end of the semester abroad, sometimes directly to the student(s).
As soon as it arrives at the Viadrina, you will be informed by e-mail and can pick up the Transcript of Records in AM 207.

Recognition of foreign academic achievements as part of the Bachelor's degree programme in Social and Cultural Studies can be obtained from:

Nicole Klück
Audimax, AM 209
Tel +49 335 5534-2602
Fax +49 335 5534-2599
outgoing@europa-uni.de

Note: Please note the office hours.

• Study achievements from universities: The external study achievements must have been completed at a university with the right to award doctorates (not at a college or similar, although there are exceptions to this, e.g. our partner universities).
• Cultural studies compatible study achievements: The study achievements from abroad must come from the range of subjects represented at the Faculty of Social and Cultural Studies at Viadrina or be closely related to cultural studies.
• A minimum of 2 semester hours per week: A course must comprise at least 2 SWS attendance time (or a total of 22.5 time hours) in order to be recognised.
• Equivalent level of study: The foreign study achievements must come from courses that correspond to the level at Viadrina (see next question).

• You can have all courses that fulfil the four criteria listed above recognised as a Bachelor's introduction.

• If you wish to have a course recognised as a Bachelor's specialisation, the course must be at an in-depth level. A course is generally considered to be advanced from the 2nd year of study. Proof of the advanced level of study must be provided, e.g. in the form of transcripts of records, an excerpt from the course catalogue or the study system of the foreign university, which shows the classification of the course, or a written confirmation from the lecturer. In exceptional cases, it is also possible to combine two introductory courses into one specialisation certificate.

The following conversion table is used to convert the grades of foreign academic achievements.

No.

Foreign students (= foreign students: students who have not obtained their further education admissions certificate in Germany) should not go to their home country. In certain exceptional cases, however, it is possible to study abroad in your home country. Please ask the person responsible for the exchange programme.

No, neither German nor non-German students can complete their stay abroad at the Collegium Polonicum or in Słubice in general.

Yes, this is generally possible. You can also take courses at the Faculty of Law and/or Faculty of Business Administration and Economics if the partner university agrees. These courses can then be recognised in Module 4 but, like the other courses, should be agreed in advance.

No. You can write exams abroad, even if you have already written 5 exams at Viadrina.

Since neither the MES nor the MASS programmes require you to study abroad, you do not have to acquire any certificates abroad. However, if you receive a scholarship such as Erasmus+ or PROMOS, you must complete at least one certificate abroad, which will be credited with 6 ECTS credits at Viadrina. Otherwise, the scholarship must be repaid in full.

No. However, you may be able to upgrade your level in a language if you have completed a certain number of assessments in that language. Please discuss this individually with the Viadrina Language Centre.

Students discuss the recognition of foreign courses in advance with Ms Hinrichsen (MES) or Mr Lanz (MASS): either during office hours or by completing the Learning Agreement and sending it by e-mail (E-Mail Hinrichsen | E-Mail Lanz).

On the websites of the respective universities. Please note that the course lists often only appear a few weeks before the start of the semester, as is the case at the Viadrina. In this case, please refer to the course lists from previous semesters first.

In general, the allocation of ECTS points is based on the respective examination regulations at Viadrina.

In order for a course to be recognised with 9 ECTS credits, it must fulfil the same requirements abroad as at Viadrina. This means a term paper or several essays with a total length of 20-25 pages.

The Transcript of Records is a document that contains a list of all academic achievements abroad. It is sent by the International Office of the partner university to the Division of International Affairs of the Viadrina after the end of the semester abroad, sometimes directly to the student(s).
As soon as it arrives at the Viadrina, you will be informed by e-mail and can pick up the Transcript of Records in AM 207.

Recognition of foreign study achievements within the framework of the MES and the MASS must be submitted to the Division of International Affairs at:

Claudia Casiano
Audimax, AM 206
Tel +49 335 5534-2863
outgoing@europa-uni.de

Note: Please note the office hours.

• Study achievements from universities: The external study achievements must have been completed at a university with the right to award doctorates (not at a college or similar, although there are exceptions to this, e.g. our partner universities).
• Subject-compatible academic achievements: The study credits from abroad must come from the range of subjects offered in the respective study course (MASS or MES).
• Minimum scope of 2 semester hours per week: A course must comprise at least 2 SWS attendance time (or a total of 22.5 time hours) in order to be recognised.
• Equivalent level of study: The foreign study achievements must come from courses that correspond to the level at Viadrina (see next question).

• In principle, you can have all courses at Master's level that fulfil the four criteria mentioned above recognised. You must be able to provide proof of the level.
For four- or five-year Bachelor's programmes, courses from the 4th or 5th year of study can also be recognised as Master's courses by prior arrangement.
• Proof of the level of study must be provided: e.g. through the transcript of records, an excerpt from the course catalogue or the study system of the foreign university, which shows the classification of the course or a written confirmation from the lecturer.

The following conversion table is used to convert the grades of foreign academic achievements.

In the MES it is generally not possible to have external achievements in the foundation modules 1-4 recognised.