Dean's Office and Examinations Office of FAU

Dean's Office

The Dean is responsible for the organization of the faculty of the School of Social Sciences. The Dean's Office is also the office of the Faculty Meeting and is organised by the Head of Academic Administration.

Further main tasks of the Academic Adminstration are the schedule planning, both prior and during the semester, as well as the contact to guest lecturers and fellows and the help desk function for them.

During the lecture period, the Departmental Executive Committee meets every 2nd Wednesday of the month, following the Departmental Examination Board. During the lecture-free period, the council meets as required.

Prof. Dr. phil. Thomas Spiegler

Dean | School of Social Sciences
Telephone: +49 (0) 3921 916-202
Email:

Jessica Terhorst

Registrar | Examinations Office
Telephone: +49 (0) 3921 916-150
Email:

Jochen Streit

Head | Academic and Student Affairs
Telephone: +49 (0) 3921 916-170
Email:

Luca Le

Curriculum Management, Scholarships and student work
Telephone: +49 (0) 3921 916-128
Email:

Examinations Office

In the Examinations Office, achievements and course allocations are administered centrally, and student applications are processed, such as applications for final examinations and module repetitions, but also applications for semesters off, maternity leave, semesters off due to illness, extensions of study time.

In addition to issuing certificates and transcripts, the preparation of final degree transcripts and final diplomas is a central part of the work of the Examinations Office, while the registration or de-registration of first-year students and graduates is carried out by the Admissions Office.

The Examination Office is also the Office of the Examination Committee. The Examination Committee of the department meets every 2nd Wednesday of the month during the lecture period, and as required during the semester break. Applications must be submitted to the Examinations Office by the Wednesday before a committee meeting at the latest.

Regulations

Regulations of the Faculty

Master of Arts Development Studies (Online)

Program-Specific Study Regulations M.A. Development Studies Effective from October 1, 2020
Program-Specific Study Regulations M.A. Development Studies Effective from October 1, 2022

Master of Arts International Social Sciences

Program-Specific Study regulations M.A. International Social Sciences (Development Studies) Effective from July 1, 2018

Regulations of the university

General Study and Examination Regulations FAU Effective from October 01, 2022

Immatriculation Regulations FAU Effective from October 01, 2022

Module Handbooks

M.A. Development Studies (online)

Module Guidebook M.A. Development Studies

M.A. International Social Sciences

Module Guidebook M.A. International Social Sciences Effective from October 1, 2017

Module Guidebook M.A. International Social Sciences Effective from March 2019

Module Guidebook M.A. International Social Sciences (Development Studies) Effective from October 1, 2020

Examination information

General information

In the programmes B.A. Social Work, B.A. International Social Work, M.A. Development Studies (Fulltime) and M.A. International Social Sciences, the examinations are usually written in the two examination weeks at the end of the lecture period of the winter or summer semester; organisational exceptions are possible. The dates are announced by the Examinations Office on the notice board at the Examinations Office and appear online in the Campusnet timetable
In the M.A. Counselling and M.A. Music Therapy degree programmes, written and oral examinations take place in the block weeks.
In the M.A. Development Studies - Online Studies programme, the dates of oral examinations and written examinations are discussed with the students by the programme director.

Written examinations in the Bachelor's degree programmes generally last 120 minutes, in the Master's degree programmes 180 minutes.

The submission deadline for written assignments is the last day of each semester (28 February; 30 September of each year). In the final semester, all work should be completed by 31 August in order to be able to graduate by 30 September. For successful completion of studies, all grades and TGs must be submitted to the Examination Office by 30 September of a year

Overview Exam Weeks

Winter term 2024/25: Feb, 03. – 07, 2025

Summer term 2025: June 30. – July 11, 2025

Exam Dates Winter 2024/25

Exam Plan for Download:

B.A. International Social Work:

M.A. International Social Sciences

M.A. Development Studies (Full time)

Final Theses

Thesis application requirements

Bachelor Thesis: 120 ECTS must have been completed and graded.
Master Thesis: 60 ECTS must have been completed and graded.

Registration for Thesis

Registration for the Bachelor or Master thesis is done via the Examination Office () by submitting the signed form and a proposal (PDF). It is the student's responsibility to obtain the signature or consent of the First Evaluator. This can be done by signing the form or by electronic confirmation by the First Evaluator to the Examination Office. In the programs M.A. International Social Sciences and Development Studies, the Second Evaluator will be chosen by the Examination Committee.

The application and the consent of the Evaluator must be submitted correctly and completely to the Examinations Office at least one week before the respective meeting of the Examination Committee. The application deadlines are the same for all degree programmes in the School of Social Sciences; the different submission deadlines in the respective degree programmes can be found in the lists of deadlines.

Advice on the content of the thesis is given in the respective thesis colloquia of the degree programmes and with the chosen supervisors. You are advised to seek advice on the process of registering and submitting your thesis at the Examinations Office. Individual appointments can be made by telephone or e-mail. The consultations can take place in person or on Zoom, as desired.

Deadlines and forms for Thesis registrations

Form for thesis registrationr for german-speaking programs

Form for thesis registration for english-speaking programs

Thesis Application Deadlines for Bachelor programs
Thesis Application Deadlines for Master programs

Declaration of Oath

Preparation and submission of the final thesis

Extract from the study and examination regulations

§ 12 Production and Grading of the Bachelor’s or Master’s Thesis

(1) The Bachelor’s thesis is an academic paper of 40 to 60 pages and can be written in German or English. The time allowed for completion is 16 weeks from the admission by the Examination
Committee.

(2) The Master’s thesis is an academic paper of 60 to 80 pages and can be written in German or English. The time allowed for completion is 24 weeks from the admission by the Examination
Committee.

(3) The topic of the Bachelor’s or Master’s thesis might be changed once within the first four weeks of the time allowed for completion. This must be requested by the student to the Examination Committee in writing. If a fundamentally new topic is chosen, the full time allowed for completion is available

(4) The time allowed for completion might be extended once upon request for a further 4 weeks. The application must be submitted to the Examination Office before the end of the regular time allowed for completion. Upon request, the Examination Committee might grant different times allowed for completion in exceptional hardship

(5) In the case of an illness verified by a medical certificate, the time allowed for completion is extended by the duration of the sick

(6) Two bound copies of the Bachelor's or Master's thesis and an electronic version as a PDF file must be submitted to the Examination Office within the period stipulated. The date of submission must be documented. If there is no timely submission of the Bachelor's or Master's thesis, the performance will be graded "insufficient".

Formal Requirements

The proposal template can be used as a cover sheet for the thesis.

Bachelor's theses must be 12,000-18,000 words in length, Master's theses must be 18,000-24,000 words in length.

The thesis must be written in Arial 12 (or similar). 1.5 line spacing must be maintained. Left margin 3 cm, right, top, bottom 2.5 cm, justified. If the formal requirements are not met, the thesis may be rejected by the Examination Office.

If interviews are conducted as part of the Master's thesis, the transcriptions must be attached to the Master's thesis as a PDF file when submitted electronically as a second file. They do not have to be printed additionally.

The PDF must be submitted electronically by midnight on the deadline date at the latest. Both printed copies must be submitted to the Examinations Office within office hours together with a signed and dated declaration of oath. If sent by post, the postmark must be dated no later than the date of submission; the theses must be sent by registered post so that they can be tracked. The burden of proof lies with the student.

The reviewers' correction period is six weeks.

Master's theses are not defended in the Department of Christian Social Studies.

More dates