Studying at a German university

Degree Students

For most courses of study at Heidelberg University, Bachelor and Master Degrees have been introduced. The Bachelor/Master programmes are clearly structured, the consecutive modules comprise scientific and practical elements. For details relating to your specific course of study, please visit the homepages of the individual departments or ask your Departmental Coordinator.

Exchange Students

For Exchange students, there is no fixed system of courses, and students are expected to pick courses on their own initiative. Although they are required to obtain a certain number of certificates of achievement (Scheine) in order to take exams and to complete their studies, it is largely up to the students to choose their courses and to draw up their own timetable. If you have difficulties choosing your courses, please ask your Departmental Coordinator.

There are three main kinds of course offered at the university: Vorlesungen (Lectures), Seminare (Seminars) and Übungen (Tutorials). Note that in many departments students must sign up for the courses at the start of the semester, and that there might be a limitation to the number of participants accepted.