Information for students in the first semester WS 20/21

The timetables for the winter semester 20/21 are in progress. Some of the courses are expected to be offered online.

For most courses - with a few exceptions - attendance is not compulsory. However, especially in the first weeks and months of your studies, we strongly recommend that you attend the courses.
In the lecture, a lecturer (usually a professor) will teach you the theoretical basics and the subject matter that you should master. You will receive an overview of all topics relevant to the exam.
In the tutorial, an instructor will present sample exercises to accompany the lecture material. The lecture material is therefore practically applied.
Similar to the exercises, the tutorials are used to calculate exercises. However, this is done in small groups so that you have the opportunity to ask questions and discuss with your tutor. In subjects where you have to work on exercise sheets, these will be corrected by your tutor. At the beginning of the semester you have to register for the tutorials. The registration procedure will be explained in the first lectures and tutorials of the semester.

Practical courses are obligatory components of the Bachelor's degree programmes in Chemical Engineering and Process Engineering or Bioengineering. These are laboratory practicals which are usually offered during the lecture-free period. The practical courses take place in KIT laboratories and pilot plants.
The following practical courses are offered after the first semester:
BIW: General Chemistry and Chemistry in Aqueous Solutions
CIW: General and Inorganic Chemistry OR: Practical Course in Process Engineering

Only students who have passed the exam "General Chemistry and Chemistry in Aqueous Solutions" or the exam "General and Inorganic Chemistry" can participate in the practical course.
At the end of the lecture period there is a safety briefing for the practical course, which is obligatory for all participants of the practical course.

Only those who have registered in advance can participate in the practical course. Registration modalities and deadlines will be explained and published in due time.
In the Bachelor of Chemical Engineering and Process Engineering you have to choose an internship in advance. As soon as you have selected an internship, you can register for the obligatory safety instruction.
ATTENTION: By registering for the safety instruction you are not automatically registered for the internship! This is only possible after you have passed the exam "General and Inorganic Chemistry".

You will get more information about the contents during the first semester information meeting in December and during the lecture "General and Inorganic Chemistry" or "General Chemistry and Chemistry in Aqueous Solutions".

In the subject "Interdisciplinary Qualifications" you attend non-technical courses in which you acquire competences that go beyond purely technical knowledge. You will earn 6 credit points (LP) in this subject. At least one module of the following two modules must be chosen:

Industrial management (3 LP)

Ethics and material cycles (3 LP)

If you choose both modules, the subject is already complete. If you choose only one of the two modules, you can take any course worth three LPs. For example, you can take courses at the HoC, ZAK or Language Centre.

You can find all exam dates at: www.fs-fmc.kit.edu/klausurtermine

Basically, it is recommended to take all exams after the first semester. For you, exams are a valuable check whether you have achieved the learning objectives of a semester.
However, there are no regulations as to when which exams must be written. Exceptions: Rules regarding orientation exams must be followed. All examinations must be completed by the end of the 12th semester.
If you have valid reasons for not taking part in examinations and thus cannot meet deadlines (e.g. orientation examinations), please contact the Bachelor Examination Board as soon as possible, who can grant you an extension of the deadline, e.g. in the case of illness. www.ciw.kit.edu/bpa.php

You have to register for all written and oral examinations as well as other performance assessments (e.g. exercise sheets) in the student portal.
In principle, participation without registration is not possible.
Registration is obligatory. This means that unexcused absence from an examination will result in a grade of 5.0.
Frequent problems with registration:
Prerequisite not met: (e.g., practice sheets for HM I exam). If you are sure you have passed the prerequisite, there may be an error. Please contact the responsible instructor.
No choice made yet: Sometimes registration is not possible because you have to make a choice first, e.g. the choice between the practical course "General and Inorganic Chemistry" and the "Practical Course in Process Engineering".
If you cannot solve the problems yourself, please contact the student advisory service Barbara Freudig.
TIP: In the student portal under FAQ you will find many useful tips and video tutorials concerning the registration for exams!

If you have already registered for an exam that you do not wish to take, please make sure to deregister! If you do not appear without deregistration, you will receive a grade of 5.0!
You can either deregister online. Alternatively, you can deregister in person directly before the exam in the lecture hall before the exam papers are handed out without giving any reasons.
If you are unable to deregister for any reason, please contact the examiner as soon as possible.

If you fail an exam on your first attempt, there is no problem at first. You can retake each exam once. For written exams, there is also an oral re-examination if you fail the second attempt as well. If you still fail, you can apply to the examination board for a second repetition (exception: this is not possible for the orientation examination).
The exact modalities are regulated in § 9 of the Study and Examination Regulations (SPO): CIW(PDF) BIW( PDF)).
You are free to decide when you want to repeat the exam.
Important: If it is an orientation examination, the time limits must be observed. If there are good reasons why you cannot comply with these conditions, please contact the examination board!

Passing the orientation exam is an important indicator of whether you are suited to the course of study you have chosen and will successfully complete. The orientation exam is not a separate exam to be taken, but it consists of two exams:

The first examination attempt for both examinations (HM I and AAC or BIng) is usually taken at the end of the first subject semester, but at the latest by the end of the second subject semester.
Students who have not successfully passed both examinations of the orientation examination with all repetitions (i.e. two written examination attempts and one oral re-examination) by the end of the third subject semester have definitively failed the orientation examination.
IMPORTANT: A further examination attempt - in contrast to other examinations (application for a second repetition) is excluded in the case of orientation examinations.

The legal basis for your course of study is the Study and Examination Regulations:

Information about contents and structure can be found in the respective module handbooks:

If you notice that another course of study, place of study or type of university would be more suitable for you, you can change the course of study or even the university at the beginning of the new semester. Often the change is only possible at the beginning of the winter semester.
Achievements that you have already completed can be recognised in another degree programme, provided that this achievement is required/optional in both degree programmes and the content and scope are equivalent. The responsible examination board (of the degree programme you want to change to) decides on the recognition of achievements.
If you are a BAföG recipient, it is advisable to enquire about the conditions for funding after a change of degree programme.

Perhaps you already have the feeling in the first few weeks or months that you have chosen the wrong course of study, or that a course of study is basically not the right one for you after all. The reasons for this can be manifold: The course contents are less interesting than expected, the examination requirements are very (too) high - or you have in the meantime become acquainted with other subjects that interest you more.
Before you actually discontinue your studies or change your course of study, you should inform yourself in detail about the right course of action. A counselling interview is highly recommended.