The start date is usually the first day of the lecture period or the first day of the intensive German course, if you are taking it. The last day is usually the day of the final exam you take here. However, the official end date is the last day of the semester.

Exam dates are usually set around the middle of the semester.

More about exams

Some courses offer two exam dates per semester. This means that if you don’t pass the exam the first time, you can take it again on the second date.

However, there are also courses that have only one exam date. In these cases, you can only retake the exam in the new semester.

We are aware that the German exam period overlaps with the semester schedules of other universities in Europe and overseas. If you have any concerns or issues regarding this, please contact us, the department’s Erasmus Coordination Office. In individual cases, you can discuss with the instructors whether an alternative exam format and an alternative exam date can be arranged. However, this is at the discretion of the instructors.

Please feel free to contact the Erasmus Coordination Office with any questions.

More about exams

You can find the university's academic calendar here.

Both certificates are issued by the International Office. You can find more information in the checklists available from the International Office. If you have any questions, please contact the Erasmus Exchange Student Coordination Office at TU Dortmund University.

Once the Erasmus Coordination Office of the Department of Mechanical Engineering has received all of an exchange student’s exam results and grades, the Transcript of Records will be issued. Students will then receive a preliminary draft, which they can review to ensure it is complete. After confirmation, the Transcript of Records is issued and sent via email to the student and the Erasmus Coordination Office at the student’s home university.

Language courses can be included in the Transcript of Records if the course completion certificate (with grade and ECTS credits) is sent to the department’s Erasmus Coordination Office.

For seminars and courses at other departments, you should ask the instructors to forward your grades to the Erasmus coordinator. For language certificates, please forward the certificate to the coordinator so that these courses can be included in your Transcript of Records.

In most cases, learning agreements are created online. Incoming students receive these links or learning agreement templates as PDF files from their home university.

https://www.learning-agreement.eu/

If needed, you can also use a PDF template for the Learning Agreement provided by us.

More about the Learning Agreement

Administrative Contact Person (Administrative contact at the host university)

You can find the contact information for this in the TU Dortmund University Erasmus Data Sheet, which is linked on the International Office website. You can find it there under Downloads.

Receiving Responsible Person ( Contact Person at the Host University)

This is the Erasmus coordinator for the Department of Mechanical Engineering:

Frigga Göckede

Departmental Erasmus Coordinator
Department of Mechanical Engineering
TU Dortmund University

Leonhard-Euler-Straße 5
44227 Dortmund
Germany

Tel.: +49 231 755 5076

int.mb@TU Dortmund University

https://mb.tu-dortmund.de/

Our events do not use component codes; instead, they have module names.

Yes, this is possible upon consultation. Of course, this also depends on the availability of spots and the approval of the instructors for the course you wish to take. You can find a list of courses from other departments in this list, which was compiled by the International Office.

Requests for courses from other departments must be discussed in advance with the Erasmus Coordination Office.

Important: Questions regarding exams and exam dates for courses from other departments must be discussed with the coordinators and instructors of the respective department or course. Exam dates for individual departments are scheduled separately, and unfortunately, scheduling conflicts cannot be ruled out.

To enroll at TU Dortmund University, it is not necessary for the Learning Agreement to be signed by all parties. A draft of the Learning Agreement is sufficient, as long as it allows us to see the courses you wish to take.

Erasmus students are, of course, also welcome to attend seminars. However, we cannot guarantee participation in advance, as the number of spots for seminars is limited. These spots are typically allocated toward the end of the previous semester. If you would like to participate in a seminar, please let us know and we will inform you about the application process. We will then be able to let you know before your stay whether you have been assigned a spot.

The application period for seminars usually takes place in February or July/August. The seminar cannot be included in the online Learning Agreement until the spot has been confirmed. The following options are available:

• The seminar is not initially included in the Learning Agreement and is added later under "changes during mobility."
• Wait to sign the Learning Agreement until you have received confirmation of your seminar placement.
• The Learning Agreement can be signed as a PDF, with a note stating that we cannot confirm participation in the seminar until the application is successful.

It may happen that you no longer want to or are unable to continue a course you selected before enrolling—perhaps the course has been canceled, isn’t quite what you expected, or you’d prefer to choose a different course that better suits your interests. That’s no problem! Just get in touch with us and let us know which course you’d like to swap. If you drop or add courses, you can simply enter this in Table A2 of your Learning Agreement under the “During Mobility” section. We will then sign it for you. Don’t forget to consult with your home university beforehand.

The course catalog for the new academic year is published during the second half of the previous semester. However, most courses are typically offered every winter or summer semester, so you can use the list from the previous winter or summer semester to look for potential courses.

An overview of our English-language courses can be found here. On our website, you will also find a link to the module handbooks for the bachelor’s and master’s programs, as well as an overview of the department’s English-language offerings.

If you need a course description for your university, you can use the module handbook as an official course overview. This is available only in German; however, the course descriptions for courses taught in English are also in English.

Further information can be found on the websites of the departments in the Teaching section. Links to the respective courses can be found on the course overview pages.

If you have any further questions, please feel free to contact us at any time.

Most of our courses are offered either as lectures and exercises or as seminars. These course formats are described briefly below. The actual format of a course may differ in individual cases.

Lectures and exercises are usually offered together. Typically, this amounts to 4 hours per week, consisting of a 2-hour lecture and a 2-hour exercise. These hours are academic hours—that is, 45 minutes each. Thus, the lecture and exercise are usually 90 minutes long each. When enrolled in the course, students should attend both the lecture and the seminar.

Lectures usually take the form of presentations by professors, during which students can also ask questions. This is typically supplemented by recommended reading and supplementary materials that students work through on their own.

Seminars are similar to lectures, but here the focus is primarily on students’ active, independent engagement with the material. This can take the form of exercises, for example. Seminars are often led by research assistants from the respective departments.

Courses offered as a combination of lectures and seminars often conclude with a written exam.

In seminars , students apply academic research methods to write a term paper and/or prepare a presentation. Students often work in groups on a specific topic in these settings. Meetings may take place weekly or on specific, predetermined dates. Since the number of spots in seminars is limited, applying for a spot is absolutely necessary.

It depends on what kind of course you're interested in.

Lectures and seminars

You only need to register for lectures and seminars if space is limited. This is the case, for example, if group work is planned or if the courses take place in computer labs. If an application is required for a lecture, this will be indicated on the course website on the department’s pages. If your application is successful, you will receive an offer of a spot. By accepting this, you are also registered for the course. If one of your courses requires an application, you will be notified when creating your Learning Agreement.

For most lectures and seminars, you do not need to register separately. You can simply attend the first session (usually during the first week of classes). Registration is then required later for the exam in the respective course. Some courses have additional requirements—for example, you may be asked to send an email to the instructor. This is usually noted on the course pages.

Seminars

You must apply for seminars. Application periods usually take place in January/February for the summer semester and in June for the winter semester. If you are interested in a seminar, you will be informed of this during the discussion of your Learning Agreement.

Exchange students apply for a spot in a seminar alongside other students. In most cases, exchange students are granted a spot in the seminar they apply for, but we cannot guarantee a spot in a seminar.

Seminars can only be included in online Learning Agreements once a successful application for a seminar spot has been received. In PDF Learning Agreements, they may be included under certain circumstances, along with a note stating that the spot cannot be guaranteed. Please contact us regarding this.

If you need a signed Learning Agreement before seminar placements are assigned, you can either include fewer courses in the Agreement initially or include other courses that do not require an application as an alternative. The seminars can then be added under "changes during the mobility" after a successful application.

You must register for exams in courses offered as lectures and seminars. You can findmore information here.

Registration via the LSF does not take place at our department.

Many courses use a Moodle room. Links to these can also be found on the department pages for the individual courses, or you will be informed about them during the first lecture. For English-language courses, you can access the department pages via the links on the course catalog pages.

This may differ for courses at other departments. Please check with the respective department.

We have put together a guide here to help you create your class schedule for the semester.

You can also find information on dates and locations on the individual course pages for each course, as well as on the exam schedule page.

Yes, that is possible. However, it is important to keep in mind that these courses are designed for master’s students and therefore require a certain level of prior subject knowledge as well as an understanding of research methods. It is therefore recommended that you have already completed a number of bachelor’s-level courses in related fields.

Yes, there are several language courses available at TU Dortmund University. There is also a 4-week intensive German course offered specifically for exchange students in September and March. These courses are free of charge and open to all students. For more information, please visit the International Office website.

Please note that, with the exception of the intensive German course for international students, we cannot include language courses in the Learning Agreement. However, they can be listed on the Transcript of Records.

Yes, that is possible. The same requirements apply to master’s courses and seminars as to English-language courses. A language proficiency level of at least B2 is required. You can find a list of the courses offered in the module handbooks for the bachelor’s and master’s programs.

Yes, that is possible. The same restrictions apply here as for Erasmus students in our department—we cannot guarantee enrollment in seminars and courses with limited capacity. Please always send a request to the Erasmus coordinator.

On this page, you will also find all relevant information regarding exam periods and registration.

The department’s exam period begins after the end of the lecture period. Exam dates may take place until the official end of the semester (Winter: Oct. 1–March 31, Summer: Apr. 1–Sept. 30).

Students must register for exams no later than two weeks before the exam date. After this deadline, participation in the exam can no longer be guaranteed.

For exams at the Department of Mechanical Engineering, an email to the instructor (including your name, student ID number, the course name, and the exam date) is usually sufficient. However, be sure to ask the instructor in a timely manner how you should register.

The dates for the department of Mechanical Engineering will be announced during the lecture. You can also find them here.

For the Department of Economics: The exam dates for the first and second exam periods (main and make-up dates) can be found on our website. Exam dates are typically published a few weeks before the respective exam period. The exact times will then be posted on the same page.

Please contact the instructor of your language course.

This is only possible if there is a make-up exam. If you pass the make-up exam, that grade will be recorded on your Transcript of Records for the course in question.

How you register for exams depends on the courses you are taking:

Exams at the Department of Mechanical Engineering: Please contact the relevant instructors at least three weeks before the exam and ask about exam registration. In most cases, this can be arranged via email.

Written and oral exams in the Department of Economics: You can findthe exam registration form here.

For oral exams, you should also contact the instructor to discuss the date.

Other exams

• Seminars in the Department of Economics: These typically conclude with presentations and seminar papers. You will be informed by the instructors regarding the procedure and deadlines.
• Exams for courses offered by other departments or at Ruhr University Bochum or the University of Duisburg-Essen : Please contact your instructors to ask how to register for the exam.
• Language courses: Here,too , you will generally receive information on exam registration from the course instructor.

The exact exam times and classroom assignments will be posted no later than one week before the exam. You can find this information on the exam pages. The specific details will also be announced during the lecture.

• Official photo ID (e.g., ID card, passport) – this is used to verify your identity.
• You should know your student ID number by heart, as in most cases it must be written on the exam papers.
• It may be helpful to have proof of your exam registration with you, such as the confirmation email. It is sufficient if this is accessible on your cell phone and can be shown upon request.
• Pens and approved aids.

Optional:

• Drinks and snacks
• Dictionaries (important: no handwritten notes, no electronic dictionaries). You should check in advance whether this is permitted for the specific exam.

• Usually, several seats are left empty between examinees. As a rule, two rows and at least three seats are left empty between examinees.
• Bags, jackets, and similar items should be placed in the empty rows in front of you or, if this is not possible, at the edge of the row.
• Electronic devices capable of communication or data storage (smartphones, smartwatches, etc.) must be turned off. You must also keep these devices out of your reach, for example, in your bag in the row in front of you.
  You must not have direct access to them from your seat, as this may be considered an attempt at cheating.
• Only your pencil case, approved aids, and, if applicable, drinks and snacks should be at your seat.
• You are not permitted to bring your own writing paper (so-called scratch paper).
• You may not speak or converse with others during the exams. If you have questions, you can go to the front to speak with the proctor, or raise your hand and the proctor will come to you.

You may ask the proctors a question. To do so, you can either walk up to a proctor at the front of the exam room or raise your hand so that they can come to you.

If you need to use the restroom, you must hand in your exam to the proctors. The time you spent outside the exam room will be noted on your exam. Only one person is allowed to leave the lecture hall at a time to use the restroom. Therefore, you may have to wait until the person ahead of you returns to the exam room.

If you wish to turn in your exam early, you must hand it in to the proctor before leaving the room or collecting your belongings.

No exams may be submitted early during the last 15 minutes of the exam (so as not to disturb students who wish to use the full time allotted for their exam).