Recognition of External Achievements

• Level
• Workload
• Quality
• Profile
• Learning Outcomes

The following documents have to be handed in, either in English or German, in order to check the above mentioned indicators:

• Detailed module descriptions of the external university
• Transcript of records (incl. grading system)

Within the Sociology Department, the following representatives of disciplines are responsible for the recognition:

• Prof. Dr. Thomas Kern: General Sociology, Fundamentals of Sociology, Comparative Macrosociology, Sociology of Communications and Media
• Prof. Dr. Sandra Buchholz: Sociology of Life Courses, Family, Education and Labor
• Prof. Dr. Elmar Rieger: European and Global Studies
• Prof. Dr. Henriette Engelhardt-Wölfler: Population Science
• Prof. Dr. Michael Gebel: Methods of Empirical Social Research
• Prof. Dr. Olaf Struck: Labor Science
• Prof. Dr. Cornelia Kristen: Sociology of Migration
• Prof. Dr. Ilona Relikowski: Sociology of Education and Educational Research
• Prof. Dr. Bernadette Kneidinger: Sociology of Communications and Media, Internet Sociology

For the recognitions of achievements in other disciplines, please get information from the representatives of the respective discipline.

Recognition of External Achievements acquired at German Universities

For the recognition of any external achievements completed at other German universities, please hand in your request for the transfer of credits as soon as possible and no later than one semester after starting your studies in Bamberg. A delayed application might cause impediments in the following planning of your study and exams. Only after the decision on that request, you will know which achievements will be recognized and which examination requirements still have to be accomplished at Bamberg.

To begin, please complete the accreditation application(88.1 KB, 1 page), using a new form for any and each partial examination.

Secondly, hand in your completed accreditation forms with copies of respective proof of achievement (certificate, transcript or the like) to the representative of the discipline. They will confirm, in written form, if the achievements are recognized. After having received the single confirmation, respective of all confirmations, please hand them in at the Examination Board (“Prüfungsausschuss”) attn. Dipl.-Soz. Susann Sachse-Thürer, Feldkirchenstr. 21, F21/01.15. In addition, please add an informal application where you list all modules and the respective module group in which you wish to integrate it. If you send the documents per post, please enclose a stamped addressed return envelope.

As soon as you receive a confirmation from the Examination Board, you may hand in your documents at the Examination Office (“Prüfungsamt”) and request the registration of your achievements in FlexNow.

Stay Abroad

After having decided to complete a stay abroad, within the framework of the study program you should first inform yourself thoroughly of various foreign universities and their course offerings. The recognition of foreign study and exam achievements is only possible if contents and examinations requirements are equivalent to the requirements of the respective study program. In particular, please check if the offered courses correspond to the module handbook for Sociology from the University of Bamberg. Usually the recognition of foreign achievements poses no problems.

Please note: The obligation to repeat an examination won’t be interrupted by leaves of absence. This is only possible upon request to Examination Board.

In order to inform yourself about the partner universities of the University of Bamberg as well as the requirements for a stay abroad, please see the information provided by the International Office.

Learning Agreements 

Learning Agreements are a form of security for students. Their external achievements will be fully recognized after their return to Bamberg, if students have concluded a Learning Agreement with the responsible representative of the discipline in advance to their stay abroad. In this case, the recognition of achievements will be rejected only if modules have divergences that have not been indicated and revised in the Learning Agreement before. This is to ensure that achievements from a foreign university are recognized after the return of students, as agreed to before. At the Sociology department, the recognition of foreign achievements is usually unproblematic, especially if achievements are sought to be integrated into the module group Contextual Studies (B.A. Sociology) or into the Research and Extension Module (M.A. Sociology).

If you plan to do courses from other disciplines such as Business Studies or Economics, it is recommended that you conclude a Learning Agreement with the respective representative of the discipline. This is the only way to clarify whether achievements will be recognized or not. Thus, in case you would like to make achievements in other disciplines during your stay abroad, please inform yourself in the respective department about the correct procedure. Every modification of the Learning Agreement has to be coordinated with and confirmed by the respective representative.

Recognition of Foreign Achievements

After having received an official confirmation (certificate, transcript or the like) of your study and exam achievements of your foreign university, please request the recognition of achievements immediately after your return to Bamberg and no later than one semester after resuming your studies at the University. A delayed application might cause impediments in the following planning of your study and exams. Only after the decision on that request you will know which achievements will be recognized and which examination requirements have to be accomplished at Bamberg.

To begin, please complete the accreditation application(88.1 KB, 1 page) For each partial examination please use a new form.

Secondly, hand in your completed accreditation forms and the copies of your respective proof of achievement (certificate, transcript or the like) to the representative of the discipline. They will confirm in written form if the achievements are recognized. After having received the single confirmation respectively all confirmations, please hand the following documents in at the Examination Board attn. Frau Brigola, Feldkirchenstr. 21, Raum: 00.88:

• All accreditation application forms
• All individual confirmations of the representative of the discipline (usually made in accreditation application forms)
• Transcript of Records (hand in a copy and show the original)

Ms. Brigola is also responsible for the conversion of your foreign grades. If you send your application forms per post, please add officially certified copies of your foreign certificates.

Term-Upgrading due to the Recognition of Achievements in the Undergraduate and Graduate Sociology Program

The recognition of achievements may lead to an upgrading(78.3 KB, 1 page) of the individual number of study terms. In any case, granted semesters of leave for the stay abroad remain and cannot be annulled afterwards. For a granted semester of leave, tuition fees cease to apply according to Higher Education Act of Bavaria.

Study durations in other study programs will be credited with respect to the extent of the study and exam achievements. An upgrading of one study term happens if achievements comprising more than 30 ECTS have been accomplished. An upgrading is based on resolutions of the Examination Board. This is also the case for a study abroad, if a semester of leave was granted for the study abroad.