Study A-Z

In order to obtain an academic degree at the end of ones studies, students need to write a thesis. Abschlussarbeit literally means finishing-work and describes a written thesis, usually completed during the last semester. For more information see:

• Bachelorarbeit
• Masterarbeit

An independent agency checks every Bachelor- and Master-programme to ensure that minimal standards of the quality of the education and studies are met. This process is called "Akkreditierung". The goal is to make sure that study programmes at different universities are compareable, so that similar achievements can be recognized by different universities.

The so called general register of lectures contains all lectures held at the LMU in the corresponding semester. In general, it is available from six weeks before the start of lectures in book shops surrounding the university. In most cases, no conclusions can be drawn concerning requirements and target audience of the listed lecture. (See also Kommentiertes Vorlesungsverzeichnis and Elektronisches Vorlesungsverzeichnis))

The club LMU Alumni Informatik e.V supports the community of students and previous students (Alumni) of the institute for computer sciences at the LMU. Further, the club supports the subject in research and teaching via monetary support. It is acknowledged to be nonprofit.

Students studying Media Informatics have to decide on one Anwendungsfach (applied subject) to accompany their Bachelor studies. This can be understood as a minor subject. However, students can not choose their minor freely but select one that Media Informatics can be applied to:

• Mediengestaltung - Media Design: in collaboration with the Institut for Art Education
• Medienwirtschaft - Media Economy: in collaboration with the Faculty of Business Management
• Mensch-Maschine-Interaktion - Human-Computer-Interaction: in collaboration with the Faculty for Psychology and Pedagogy and the Institute for Statistics

You differenciate between the degree Bachelor of Science in natural sciences, Bachelor of Arts in humanities, Bachelor of Engineering, Bachelor of Law and Bachelor of Education. The Bachelor is an academic final degree after six semester - calculated according to the semesters needed to complete the course. After the Bachelor, students can start studying in a Master's programme of a related subject.

A Bachelor's thesis is a scientific study done at the end of the Bachelor's programme. It is a verification that the examinee is able to conduct scientific research under guidance. It is comparably smaller in volume than a Masterarbeit and awarded with 12 ECTS.

Short for "Bundesausbildungsförderungsgesetz" (EN: Law for the support of education). The BAföG manages the government grants of students in vocational training and at university. Further information on the application can be found on the website of the Studentenwerk München. In general, one should take care of filing an initial application 3 months before the start of studies.

The access to the Bavarian State Library (Bayerischen Staarsbibliothek) is possible with a library card. For students and employees that received an LMUcard, the library card is integrated in the LMUcard. All users can get a free library card at the university library. Library cards can be used at the Bavarian State Library instantly (without activation).

In order to stay enrolled at the LMU, students need to fulfill the requirements of their study regulations and pay an fee twice a year(called Beitrag). Hight, deadlines and application forms for exemption can be found on the page of the student office.

see Gebührenkonto

Leave of absence: In cases of urgency, students can take a leave of absence (first semester students excluded). Reasons for leaves of absence: illness, studying abroad, internship at a company, pregnancy,... If a student takes a leave of absence, the semester is called a vacation semester (Urlaubssemester). Vacation semesters do not count as Fachsemester, but do count as Hochschulsemester. Thus, the place for studying is kept without needing to complete exams. However, insurances do not see students who take a leave of absence as students! Students can only conditionally complete classes. Please get informed as soon as possible with your department or people organizing the lecture you desire to still take eyams in. Further information can be found here.

There is a central library at the LMU, as well as smaller libraries in the faculties. The central library is in the main building at the Geschwister-Scholl-Platz 1. The library containing topics of computer science for example is located at Oettingenstraße 67. The OPAC can be used to find the location of a book online, before picking it up on site.

Courses that are limited to a time window of several consecutive days and weeks. (see also Seminar)

Bonus points ca be acquired by successfully completing exercises. Once the exam has been successfully passed, the obtained points are added to the points from the exam. This results in a better grade. Please refer to the individual lecture for information on the exact percental amount of bonus points.

Short for the latin "cum tempore", which means "with time". If the start time of a lecture or seminar says ct, this means that it starts 15 minutes later than specified. This is called the academic quarter of an hour. At the LMU, c.t. is the standard. In contrast to this, s.t. means that the course happens on time at the specified time.

There are several cafeterias in the area of Munich, where students can buy snacks and drinks cashless for little money. The payment card is integrated into the LMUcard. Location, prices and opening hours can be found at http://www.studentenwerk-muenchen.de/mensa/.

A campus is a connected complex of research institutes of universities or colleges. As the buildings of the LMU are spread all over Munich, it is not a typical campus-university.

The Campus-Kennung (campus identifyer) is required for signing up for lectures in many study programmes. The campus identifyer is further part of the e-mail address, which students can access via the LMU-Portal. Students receive an initial identifyer and password when they enrol. Please refer to the Campus-LMU Helpdesk for questions.

CIP stands for Computer Investitions Programm. This is the name of the government funding which pays for most of the computers in the CIP-Pools.

The CIP-Kennung (CIP identifyer) is a combination of a username (combination of surname and firstname) and a password. The CIP identifyer allows users to use the Unix-computers at the CIP-Pools. New students receive the CIP identifyer shortly before the term starts during the O-Phase. If students were unable to take part, they can request a CIP identifyer at a later time during the consultation-hours of the computer-operation-group.

The PC rooms students have access to are called CIP-Pools. Here, students can sign in to the Unix computers using their CIP-Kennung for free. Besides Room A001 in Amalienstr.17, multiple CIP-Pools are located at Oettingenstraße 67. A detailed overview can be found here.

A dekan (dean) is the person who is in charge of management of a faculty or subject area of a university.

Name for the agency and office, as well as term of office of the dean.

A disputation or thesis defense is a scientific discussion that is a form of exam required to obtain an academic title. After writing a Bachelor's thesis, students take part in the disputation seminar for Bachelor's students. Respectively, Master's students take part in a disputation seminar after writing their Master's thesis.

Deprecated name for Dekan:in. For traditional reasons, it is still in use at some universities.

ECTS stands for European Credit Transfer System. Every examination module is assigned a certain amount of credit points, that students are awarded after successfully completing the module. The exact amount is specified on the pages of the lectures or in the examination regulations. Using ECTS facilitates the consideration of academic accomplishments from universities abroad.

see Immatrikulation

The electronic catalogue of lectures of the LMU can be found online in the LSF, a lecture management system. (See also Allgmeines Vorlesungsverzeichnis and Kommentiertes Vorlesungsverzeichnis) Attention: Not all lectures Media Informatic students are required to complete can be found in the LSF.

Erasmus is a EU-programme for general and vocational education. It makes it possible for students to study and work abroad. Further, Erasmus supports cooperation between universities in all of Europe. The programme not only supports students, but lecturers and people working on the free market, who wish to teach abroad, as well as employees of universities, who want to obtain additional vocational qualifications. Media informatics contact persons for the Erasmus programme can be found in this list.

Exmatriculation is the cancellation of a student upon leaving the university. This automatically occurs at the end of the semester in which the last exam is successfully passed. Alternatively, exmatriculations happen as forced exmatriculations (Zwangsexmatrikulation), when requirements specified in the examination regulations are not met.

All students who have signed up in a certain subject area build the student body of a faculty (Fachschaft). In order to stand up for the interests of the students, representatives of the student body of the faculty are elected. When speaking of a Fachschaft, people usually mean the elected representatives.

All semesters, that are successfully completed to obtain the college exam in a certain study programme. Vacation semesters, when the student has a leave of absence, are not counted.

A faculty (Fakultät) is the organizational base unit of a university for teaching and research. A faculty contains related or neighbouring subject areas. The head of a faculty is the Dekan:in. An overview over all faculties of the LMU can be found here. The faculty for math, computer science and statistics contains the institute for computer science. This institute is comprised of seven research and reaching units, one of which is Media Informatics.

The council of faculties (Fakultätsrat) is the expression of self governance of the 18 faculties. These elect the deans (Fakultätssprecher, Studiendekane, Forschungsdekane) from the body of professors. The council of faculties deliberate and decide on all matters of general importance of faculties, that the dean or other parts of the faculty are not in charge of.

Professors take research-free-semesters (Forschungsfreisemester) in regular intervals. During this semester, the professor focuses all their time on research and is exempt from teaching.

Fundbüro is the German term for lost and found. Lost and found property is generally the affair of Referat IV.2. For things forgotten in the CIP-Pool, the Media Informatics office can further be asked.

GAF is short for Group of Active Faculty members. It is a union of Fachschaften from similar degree courses and represents the students interests in front of the university director. Further information on the field of activity and news of the GAF can be found here.

see Beiträge

The charges account (Gebührenkonto) displays an overview over fees that have been paid or are due. Sign in here with your Campus-Kennung (Note: can be found under "Studiumsverwaltung").

The Grundlagen- und Orientierungsprüfung (GOP) tests basics (Grundlagen) of the study programme and serves as a first, early orientation (Orientierung) for students on whether they can fit the requirements of their selected degree programme. Students pass the GOP if they pass one of the following exams:

• Einführung in die Programmierung - Introduction to Programming (offered in the winter semester)
• Programmierung und Modellierung - Programming and Modelling(offered in the summer semester)

The GOP has to be passed until the end of the examination period of the third semester (Fachsemester); retake-exams that take place in the beginning of the fourth semester still count. In cause of the offered retake-exams, students get a total of 6 possibilities to pass one of the GOP-exams in time. If the student does not pass the GOP, this results in exmatriculation. Exceptions can be made if not passing was due to reasons out of the control of the student e.g. illness. If medical exemptions exist, these have to be proven with a medical attestation, which is to be handed to the examination committee or student coordinator.

see Seminar

Hochschulsemester are all semesters during which the student is or was enrolled. Vacation-semesters and semesters completed in a secondary degree programme also count.

see Zentraler Hochschulsport

Matriculation or enrollment describe the admission of a student at a university. It occurs at specified times at the Studienkanzlei.

A certificate of matriculation serves as proof that the student is enrolled in a university on a legal basis. Certificates of matriculation can be downloaded here (Sign in via Campus-Kennung; Note: under Studiumsverwaltung).

At universities or academies, teaching and research facilities are called an institute. As a direct part of a university or rather part of a faculty, they are also called in-institute. Institutes that act on an independent basis are called an-institute.

Parents who study can make use of day care at several facilities of the Studentenwerk Munich. The Campuskinder (campus children), offer supervision on a whole-day, but also an hour-wise, flexible basis. Further information can be found here.

A Klausur is a written exam held at the end of a semester in selected lectures. Passing an exam is necessary for completing exam modules.

A course that is being held in the form of a round of talks to discuss a specific scientific problem, often as a preparation for exams and with guest lectures.

A commented list of courses contains only the courses offered by an institute or faculty in the specific semester (as opposed to the allgemeinen Vorlesungsverzeichnis). These courses are described in detail in regards to content, literature to read as a preparation, performance requirements and target audience.

If you have signed up for a modularized study programme (e.g. Bachelor, Master), the examination office responsible for your study programme sets up a personal account for you, where examination and educational performance are documented. A statement (Kontoauszug) contains all information on modules, exams incl. grades and the amount of obtained ECTS-points. The most recent statement, which contains all achievements for completing the studies, is called the Transcript of Records. The current statement can be downloaded here (login via the Campus-Kennung).

The convent of faculties is the parliament of students. It decides on all matters that concern students of the university as a whole or students of multiple faculties. The convent elects a director and speakers for single tasks. Further, it deploys the student representatives in central, across faculty boards and committees of the university. All elected people build the Studierendenvertretung. Additional information can be found here.

The Legic-card can be used as a payment method at university buildings. The functionality has been integrated into the LMUcard; students thus do no longer need a separate Legic-card. The separate card can be bought at the service offices and infopoints of the canteen for 10 Euro (6 Euro bond and 4 Euro credit). A valid Immatrikulationsbescheinigung is required to pick up a Legic-card.

A professorship, commonly called department, is called a Lehrstuhl. According to plan, it is the position of a professor at a university that is equipped with human and financial resources to conduct research and do teaching. Usually, a professorship consists of one or multiple professors of related subjects and scientific staff. E.g. the professorship at the Frauenlobstr. 4a houses research from Human-Centered Ubiquitous Media and Media Informatics.

see ECTS

The LMUcard is a chip card for students, that primarily functions as a student ID. The LMUcard has to be validated once per semester. Functinalities of the LMUcard:

• Student ID
• Train ticket in the MVV during the night between 18:00 and 6:00, as well as on the weekends
• Payment method in cafeterias and at printers
• Library card

Further information on the LMUcard can be found here.

The Leibniz-Rechenzentrum is the shared computing center of the LMU, the TU (Technical University Munich) and the Bayerischen Akademie der Wissenschaften (Bavarian Academy of Science). It also serves the Hochschule München and the Hochschule Weihenstephan and supplys multiple IT-services for the technical-scientific area. Information for students on how to get Wifi access to the Munichs Scientific Network (Münchner Wissenschaftsnetz MWN) can be found here .

Upon Immatrikulation at the LMU, all students receive an individual matriculation number. This serves as an identification number within the university. It is required e.g. when signing up for exams.

After successfully completing the Bachelor studies, students can apply for a position in the Master's programme. If this is completed, students get the right to do a PhD.

A Master's thesis (Masterarbeit) is a scientific paper to complete the Master's study programme. It serves as proof that the examinee is capable of writing a scientific work under guidance. It is bigger than a Bachelorarbeit and is valued 25 ECTS.

Here, you can find inexpensive meals. Opening hours and menus of the different canteens in Munich can be found here.

In order to obtain a Bachelor or Master, studnets need to pass different module exams. A module that is required can consist of: Lectures (optionally with tutorials), seminars, practical courses or final theses. More specific information on which module exams Media Informatics students need to pass can be found either in the examination regulations or via the timetable suggestions, which are provided on this page.

Bachelor students of Media Informatics with an application in Human Computer Interaction (Mensch-Maschine-Interkation) need to take part as subjects in user studies as part of their study programme. This is part of the Module WP 18.2 that gives students 3 ECTS. To obtain these ECTS, students need to provide proof that they took part in 12 hours of user studies. These have to be spread over at least 3 different studies. The amount of studies needed is thus higher, if the minimal amount of hours has not yet been reached.

General information:

• A user study hour (Versuchspersonenstunde), also called MMI-point, corresponds to an expenditure of time of 1 hour for taking part in the user study.
• In the area for user studies you can subscribe to the Email distribution list of the institute to immediately get informed on the newest user studies.
• User studies at the institute usually get posted in Slack or published via the LMU info service. For the latter option, please make sure to be subscribed to the desired Emails (in the LMU-Portal: "Benutzerkonto" -> "Infodienst der LMU" -> "Teilnahme an wissenschaftlichen Studien der LMU" anwählen).
• User studies of the faculty psychology and pedagogics are also acknowledged (1 user study hour corresponds to 1 MMI-point). Via the Email-list for user study hours you can keep up to date on studies.
  In order for these studies to be acknowledged, the experimenter needs to sign a written confirmation (confirmation template as PDF) and the confirmation must then be handed in at the administration office with Frau Schwamb.
• Upon request with Frau Schwamb, a confirmation of all studies that have been acknowledged can be obtained.

A Nachholklausur is an opportunity to repeat a semestral exam of a lecture. Usually, they are offered in the beginning of the subsequent semester.

N.N. is latin and short for Nomen Nominandum. It is compareable to the English tba and usually used when lectures will definitely be offered, but the staff responsible is not yet determined or will only be named at a later point in time.

Numerus Clausus (NC) is a policy of acceptance at universtiy with limitations i.e. typically grades. Since the winter semester of 2015/16, the admission as a Bachelor student of Media Infromatics has been limited due to high demand. Admission is now only possible via the student admissions office of the LMU. In the past, deadlines have e.g. been the 15. Juli 2015 for the winter semester 2015/16. The grade cut off is not public before arrival of application. In the past, the most strict NC has been to require grades of 2.5 and better. On the website of the student councel, further information on selection criteria can be found.

see Seminar

see Numerus Clausus

The O-phase is an initial orientation event where new students get to know the university including its buildings. Further, the O-phase is a good opportunity to get into first contact with fellow students and listen to older students of higher semesters give tips and talk about their experiences. The O-phase is organized by the student body of a faculty.

In some study programmes, the examination regulations require an orientation-examination. For Media Informatics, students need to pass one exam of the courses 'Einführung in die Programmierung" or "Programmierung und Modellierung' within the first three semesters. See also Grundlagen- und Orientierungsprüfung.

The LMU has relationships to other universities (Partnerhochschulen) all over the world. They act as a partner for cooperation in research, teaching and for semesters abroad. Further information on studying abroad can be found here.

The president of a university is its elected academic head. Besides a representative position, the president takes initiative regarding the development of the university and is the supervisor of all scientific or artistic employees of the university.

A Privatdozent:in is a person who has habilitated i.e. qualifies as a professor, but is not currently employed as a professor.

A professor has a professorship. This academic title is a lifetime appointment given after a passed habilitation, providing proof of teaching competence in a scientific subject.

see Seminar

The examination office (Prüfungsamt) manages examination performance. Here, students can apply for their Bachelor- or Master-certificate. The contact person for Media Informatics students at the examination office is listed here.

see Modulprüfung

The examination regulations (Prüfungsordnung) defines all examination modalities and deadlines. It is legally binding; compliance can be demanded in administrative court. Besides the examination regulations, the study regulations (Studienordnung) exist, which describe the structure of the study programme, which qualifies students to successfully suitable exams. The respective examination and study regulations can be found http://www.medien.ifi.lmu.de/studierende/studienordnung
(see also Studienordnung)

see RBG

The computer operation group (RBG) oversees the CIP-pools, hands out software licences, manages mailing lists and offers various computer courses. Their student assistants can help with setting up the university-wifi on your laptops or when you have issues in the CIP-pools. You can contact them on this website http://www.rz.ifi.lmu.de/

Regelstudienzeit (literally "time that is the norm") means the regular amount of semesters needed to complete a study programme when studying full-time. For Media Informatics, obtaining the Bachelor requires 6 semesters and the Master requires 4 semesters.

A ring lecture is a series of lectures held by lecturers from different subjects of the university on one specific topic.

A Rückmeldung is the confirmation of a student that the will proceed with their university studies in the next seester. This is possible for students as long as they did not violate the Studien- or Prüfungsordnung.
At the LMU, a personal confirmation is not necessary, as it is automatically registered once a student transfers the fees.

Short for 'sine tempore' (lat. 'without academic quarter'). This means, that an course happens exactly on time (opposite of c.t.).

A semester is the denomination for half a year at universities. The winter semester (short: WS) usually lasts from the 1st of October until the 31st of March of the following year. The summer semester (short: SS) usually then lasts from the 1st of April until the 30th of September.

see Vorlesungsfreie Zeit

A semester ticket is a ticket for driving on public transport in the area of Munich (ÖPNV), that is valid for the entire semester. Further information can be found on http://www.semesterticket-muenchen.de/.

Semesterwochenstunde describes the amount of work a course brings with it. Here, 1SWS means that teaching takes 45 minutes per week.

A course held in interactive, small groups. Usually, students have to hold a presentation and a written elaboration. We differentiate between a Hauptseminar that is held by a person who has habilitated and a Proseminar that is held by someone who has completed some study programme. Additionally, Oberseminare exist that are targeted at PhD students.

see Zentraler Hochschulsport

The centre for languages (Sprachzentrum) coordinates academic and profession-qualifying foreign language courses for students at the LMU, organizes cultural events and talks and employs an international team of language teachers and course organizers. Further information can be found here.

A Stipendium is a scholarship - a financial subsidy to support gifted students. Links of institutions that can help look for a scholarship can be found here.

see Cafeteria (Cafete)

Students of the Technical University (TUM), Hochschule Weihenstephan and Hochschule Rosenheim receive a StudentCard for cashless payments. Students of the LMU receive the LMUcard instead, that acts as a payment card on many vending machines at universities and further acts as a student ID.

see LMUcard

The student office (Studentenkanzlei) manages the administrative affaires of students. At the LMU, it is divided into different sections.

• Section 1 - University Admissions Office: Admissions, German university entrance qualifications, Double major, Registration, Exchanging places at universities
• Section 2 - Academic Registrar: Change of address, Registration certificates, Leave of absence, Double major for LMU students, Expulsion, Change of name, Continuation of registration, Change of degree programs or majors, Information regarding student records, Student health insurance, Accident notification
• Section 4 - Fees, Doctoral and Visiting Students: Exemption from university fee, Exemption from the additional fee for the semester ticket, Main contact for doctoral students, Study program for visiting students and senior citizens

The Studentenwerk is a governmental institution responsible for supporting economic (BaföG), social (students with child/impairments), cultural and international (semesters abroad) interests of students. More information at Studentenwerk München.

see Beiträge

A study coordinator (Studiengangskoordinator:in) is responsible for the professional study programme management on a subject level. Study coordinators adopt the coordinating and conceptional task areas and thus provide clear administrative and personal responsibilities. Their tasks include:

• Student advisory service
• Acting examination office
• Aptitude assessment Bachelor
• Coordination of teaching
• Timetables
• Study regulations
• Acknowledgement of academic performance
• Minor subjects
• Quality assurance

The study coordinator of Media Informatics is referenced by the examination office.

The study regulations for a subject at a university defines the frame conditions and rules for orderly studies. This includes e.g. a description of the study goals, the Regelstudienzeit, admission requirements for courses, timetables, study- and examination-performance. The study and examination regulations of Media Informatics study programmes can be found here.
(see also Prüfungsordnung)

The student representation (Studierendenvertretung) is a collection of students and takes on representative tasks for all matriculated students. It represents the students interests in front of the head of university, organizes info evenings, events and manages examination protocols. A collection of faculties that tackles these tasks is the GAF.

see Übungsgruppenleiter/-in

see Übung

The Transcript of Records is an all encompassing proof of the individual academic process of students, including visited courses, exams taken, practical courses and obtained ECTS-points. The goal is to facilitate the acknowledgement of academic achievements at other universities. It is awarded together with the Bachelor- / Master-certificate.

For most lectures, tutorials (Übung) are offered where exercise sheets are discussed and tutorial exercises are presented. Tutorials are held by students of higher semesters who have already passed the lecture or by employees of the department. The tutorial is also a place to discuss questions the lecture left unanswered.

An "Übungsblatt" is a usually weekly exercise sheet belonging to a lecture that is students are supposed to work on. It builds an important base for performing well in the exam, as the exercise sheets help revise and apply the lecture content. The solution is presented and discussed in the tutorial.

The tutor (Übungsgruppenleiter:in) is in charge of holding the tutorial and helps mark the exam and exercise sheets. Usually, tutors are students of higher semesters. Every student who has passed this lecture or a similar lecture (content-wise) can become a tutor.

UniWorX is a system for the administration of courses that was in operation until 2018. UniWorX is the predecessor of Uni2Work, which is currently in use.

Uni2Work is a system of the institute for computer sciences for the administration of offered courses. This includes signing up for courses, handing in exercise sheets and signing up for exams. You can sign in via your Campus-Kennung on the page https://uni2work.ifi.lmu.de/.

see MMI-Punkte

The time between semesters is officially called the lecture-free time (vorlesungsfreie Zeit). In this period exams are being held, practical courses are prepared and students can use the time to write seminar papers.

A webmail is a service that offers E-Mail administration in a web browser. The webmail service for computer science students used by the LMU can be found at this address: https://webmail.ifi.lmu.de/ (Sign in with the CIP-Kennung)

The central university sports (Zentrale Hochschulsport - ZHS) of the TU Munich is an institution of public law with the responsibility by law to foster general, voluntary student amateur and competitive sports at the universities of Munich, Freising and Landshut. Information on how to use the facilities and their opening hours can be found on the page of the ZHS.

see Numerus Clausus