Glossary - New students

Akademisches Auslandsamt International Office	The International Office will help you organize a semester or year abroad at one of the University of Bamberg's partner universities. You must apply to the International Office one year before your planned stay abroad. The application phase takes place once a year; the application deadline is usually the end of November.
Allgemeine Prüfungsordnung (APO) General Examination Regulations (APO)	The General Examination Regulations contain general regulations concerning examinations at a particular faculty, i.e. there is an APO for each faculty. It is worth reading the APO for the faculty at which you are taking examinations. The APO is supplemented by study and subject examination regulations (StuFPO).
BA-Nummer BA-number	For students, this consists of “ba” followed by a 6-digit number. You need this number to be able to log in to all of the university's IT services. You should therefore know it by heart. Because this number is so important, never give the combination of BA number and password to anyone (even the computer center will not ask you for it, only for the BA number)
Beeinträchtigungen im Studium Impairments during studies	For students who are affected by a disability, chronic illness or acute illness/disability, there are various advisory services for questions and concerns that arise during the course of their studies. You can find out who to contact and initial information on studying, options for compensating for disadvantages, legal entitlements and scholarships, starting a career, equal opportunities and more at the following link: www.uni-bamberg.de/bafbs/
Beratung Consulting	There are various contact points for the various questions and problems that can arise during and around your studies. These cover a wide range of topics and can provide help with subject-specific questions, questions about funding opportunities or crises during your studies and experiences of discrimination. You can find an overview here: www.uni-bamberg.de/organe-und-einrichtungen/beratungsangebote/ If you don't know exactly where to go with your questions, first contact the Central Student Advisory Service (see Central Student Advisory Service); they will help you to formulate your request and refer you to the right contact point. Furthermore, the respective student councils represent your interests (see Student Council) and can mediate between you and lecturers in the event of problems of any kind or share their own student experiences in the event of questions. Each faculty also has its own Dean of Studies, who is the point of contact for all questions, complaints and suggestions relating to the quality of teaching.
Bibliotheksnummer Library number	You will need this number to borrow books, collect books you have ordered (as they are sorted by number here) and to access your library account online. You can find it on the back of your student ID card (the slightly shorter number directly above the “blue”).
c.t.	“c. t.” means ‘cum tempore’. When you see this abbreviation on courses, it means that they begin “with the academic quarter of an hour”. For example: 2 pm c.t. means that the course starts at 2:15 pm. This is the normal case, which is why the addition is usually omitted. If a course is marked “s. t.” (“sine tempore”), this means that it begins without the academic quarter. 14:00 s. t. therefore means that the course begins at 14:00. Even if the minutes are explicitly stated, e.g. 10:00 a.m., this usually indicates that the course begins at ten o'clock “sharp”.
campusprint	The central print and scan service of the University of Bamberg: www.uni-bamberg.de/campusprint/
CIP-Pool	What you probably know as a “computer room”. In other words, a room in which computers are permanently installed. These PCs are available for you to work on (when the room is not occupied). Depending on the faculty, some of these PCs also have specific programs installed that you can use for your work. You can find out which programs are installed in which pool at www.uni-bamberg.de/its/dienstleistungen/pc-pools/.
Computerkurse für Studierende Computer courses for students	Offer of the Regional Computer Center Erlangen in cooperation with the Computer Center of the University of Bamberg: These computer courses (Word, Excel, Photoshop, SPSS) are subsidized by the University of Bamberg, i.e. you only pay 40 percent of the regular price. You can find more information at www.uni-bamberg.de/its/dienstleistungen/kurse/computerkurse-fuer-studierende/.
ECTS	ECTS = European Credit Transfer System ECTS are the “currency” of your studies. There is a certain number of ECTS points for each module or subject you take. 1 ECTS point corresponds to approx. 30 hours of work. The number of points you receive for a module usually also tells you how much weight the module is given in the overall grade. As soon as you have passed a module, you will receive the ECTS points allocated to it.
EETs First year introductory days	The first semester orientation days are the Bamberg version of the orientation week. During the induction days, first-year students are welcomed and get to know the degree program.
EInf	The “Introduction to Computer Science” is the classic beginners' module in Computer Science in the winter semester. Here you will learn basic programming principles using the C language, as well as a theoretical introduction to the field (definitions such as “What is an algorithm”, important data structures such as arrays, stacks, queues, trees, etc.).
GRABS	“Fundamentals of computer architecture, algorithms and operating systems” = the computer science basics module in the summer semester. Here you will get to know the technical side of computer science. How is a computer structured? How did programming languages develop in the first place (including an introduction to assembly)? What does an operating system do? How do I work with a command line (and feel like a real hacker^^) instead of a graphical user interface?
ERBA	A campus of the University of Bamberg, located in the Gaustadt district. It is home to the Faculty of Information Systems and Applied Computer Science, Music and Art Education, Communication Studies, the Language Center and some areas of the Faculty of Humanities and Cultural Studies and Human Sciences.
Fachschaftsvertretung Student Council	The student councils represent the interests of students vis-à-vis the university management and teaching staff in all matters and are available to answer questions. They are involved in the faculty council, in appointment committees for new professors and in the working groups that advise on the use of student budget funds. They also offer various services that make everyday student life easier, such as first semester induction days (EET) etc. Furthermore, events in addition to everyday university life, e.g. the information evening, summer parties and Christmas parties are part of their diverse repertoire of activities. Each location of the university has a student council. There are the GuK (for the Faculty of Humanities and Cultural Sciences), Huwi (for the Faculty of Human Sciences), SoWi (for the Faculty of Social and Economic Sciences) and WIAI (for the Faculty of Information Systems and Applied Computer Science) student councils.
Fachstudienberatung Technical Student advisory service	Among other things, the subject advisors provide assistance with questions regarding the focus of academic work, learning and working techniques in their subject as well as the relevant examination and study regulations for students at the university and in particular for those changing universities. You will get to know the subject advisors during the EETs.
Fakultät Faculty	A faculty at the university brings together a group of academic disciplines. Each faculty has a student council and a dean. There are the following four faculties at the University of Bamberg: GuK: Humanities and Cultural Studies SoWi: Social and Economic Sciences Huwi: Human Sciences WIAI: Information Systems and Applied Computer Science
Feki	Feki refers to the university site at Feldkirchenstraße 21 in Bamberg. The Faculty of Social and Economic Sciences is located at the Feki site. This location also includes a building in Kärntenstraße.
Fileserver	You will be provided with a file server by the computer center with your user account. You must save your data there if you work in a PC pool (because if you save it elsewhere on the PC, it will be lost after shutdown). You can also access it from home (prerequisite: VPN connection). Information is available at www.uni-bamberg.de/its/dienstleistungen/dateidienste/studium/.
FlexNow2	“FlexNow2” is the system used to register and deregister for courses and/or examinations at the University of Bamberg. The deadlines for registering for courses can usually be found in UnivIS. The deadlines for exam registration, on the other hand, are announced by the Examinations Office.
Frauenbeauftragte Women's Representative	Both the university itself and every faculty at the university has a women's representative or women's office. For example, you can go to the Faculty Women's Representative if you have questions about studying with children or career issues. Concerns regarding sexual harassment or discrimination can also be brought to the Faculty Women's Representative. There is also the possibility of receiving support within various programs or, for example, as part of the PUSh Graduate Award.
Gutenbergstraße 13	The second, newer location of the WIAI is in Gutenbergstraße. Several chairs are located here and courses are also occasionally held there.
Hauptfach Main subject	Many Bachelor's degree programs, especially at the Faculty of Business, Economics and Informatics, consist of a combination of major and minor subjects. The major subject is the subject in which you will write your Bachelor's thesis at the end of your studies. You can then expand this degree program with either another major subject or two minor subjects. If you have two majors, you only have to write a thesis in one of them. This means that you either have 2 major subjects with 75 ECTS points or one major subject with 75 ECTS points, one minor subject with 45 points and one minor subject with 30 points.
Hochschulwahlen University elections	Every year, university elections are held in which all students can elect their representatives. See also student representation.
Höchststudiendauer Maximum duration of study	The maximum number of semesters you may need for your studies. For 6-semester degree courses, the maximum possible number of semesters is often 8 semesters.
IAM-Portal	A portal with lots of self-services: switch from the alternative e-mail system to o365 or vice versa, reset your password, enter your e-mail address so that a new password can be sent to your BA number if you forget it. You can find information at iam.uni-bamberg.de.
Innenstadt City center	A location of the university that includes the buildings in Bamberg city center. This mainly includes buildings belonging to the “Humanities and Cultural Studies” and “Human Sciences” faculties. Most of these buildings are located near the city center or close to Markusplatz.
ISIC	The International Student Identity Card (ISIC) is issued by the non-profit organization ISIC Association and is a globally recognized proof of student status. Students and pupils also receive more than 150,000 benefits in over 130 countries with the ISIC, which is available to students and pupils aged 12 and over and is valid for one year from the date of issue. The ISIC can be applied for and issued at the SoWi student council. You will need a certificate of enrollment or your student ID card and your smartphone, as the ISIC is only issued virtually at the University of Bamberg. The ISIC costs €15 and must be paid in cash.
IT-Service (ITS)	Service facility of the University of Bamberg that provides central IT services, e.g. Eduroam, VPN, file server, campusprint, PC pools, online platforms such as Virtual Campus, Microsoft Teams etc. The ITS also offers support (IT support) and a lot of instructions on its website. Information about the computer center can be found under the following link: www.uni-bamberg.de/its
IT-Sicherheit IT security	A few tips to keep your data safe: Make data backups (e.g. to your OneDrive or network drive). Switch the firewall on your computer on (or not off). Use a trustworthy antivirus program. Use a secure password that you can remember and do not share it with other people. Keep the operating systems and programs on your devices up to date and follow system instructions. Be aware of your data and careful with cloud services. Be critical or even suspicious: check links and files before you click on them or open them.
IT-Support	Central contact point in ITS for all questions concerning the IT services of the University of Bamberg. The current opening hours can be found here: www.uni-bamberg.de/its/dienstleistungen/support/ Phone: +49 951 863-1333 E-mail: it-support@uni-bamberg.de
LaTeX	A text typesetting system, i.e. with LaTeX you can write seminar papers, create presentations and much more. It offers some advantages over Word, but the “what you see is what you get” principle does not apply here. LaTeX uses a markup language (like HTML, for example). LaTeX is particularly suitable for mathematical or formula-rich work. The WIAI student council is organizing a LaTeX weekend where you can get to know the basic functions of the system. You can find the next date and further information about the LaTeX weekend at vc.uni-bamberg.de/moodle/course/view.php.
Lehrstuhl / Professur Chair / Professorship	There are several chairs for a degree program at the university. Chair holders are your lecturers. Each chair or professorship covers a subject area within a larger field. For example, there is a Chair of Marketing in Business Studies, a Chair of English Linguistics in English Studies or a Chair of Cognitive Systems in Applied Computer Science.
Matrikelnummer Matriculation number	The matriculation number is used to uniquely identify a student. It can be found on the front of your student ID card and is a 7-digit number. You will mainly need it when you write exams. The matriculation number is then usually written on the examination sheet.
Mensa Cafeteria	In the canteen you have the opportunity to eat something warm at lunchtime. There are also hot and cold drinks available. You pay for the products in the canteen or cafeteria with your student ID card, which must first be topped up with money at a top-up terminal. There is a surcharge for cash payments, so it is worth paying with your student ID.
Modul Module	Modules can consist of either one course or several courses. You can find a list of modules in the module handbook for your degree program. For each module, you will find the content, the learning objectives, the recommended prior knowledge, the workload and the examination form of a module in the module handbook. You will also find the semester in which the module is offered (summer or winter semester) in the module handbook.
Modulgruppe Module Group	Module groups are listed in the module handbook and consist of several modules that belong to one category. For example, the module group “Mathematical Foundations” includes all modules that you have to take in the field of mathematics. A module group can also be divided into a compulsory area and a compulsory elective area. The number of ECTS credits that you must take in the various module groups (and which modules are compulsory for you) can also be found in the module handbook.
Modulhandbuch Module Handbook	In the module handbook, you will find a list of module groups and individual modules for your degree program that you can or must take during your studies. When creating your timetable, the module handbook is the place to check what you still have to take.
Noten Grades	At university, you can achieve a top grade of 1.0 in an exam. Then there are gradations in steps of 0.3. This means that the next worst grade is a 1.3, followed by a 1.7 and so on. These gradations continue up to a grade of 4.0, which is the pass mark. If an examination is not passed, a 5.0 is awarded.
Nutzerkonto User account	A user account is usually your BA number and the corresponding password. You need it for almost all IT services at the university. A user account remains valid for the duration of your studies. You can find information about your user account at www.uni-bamberg.de/its/dienstleistungen/iam/nutzerkonto/studierende/.
Office 365	Anyone who has opted for o365 as their e-mail system will receive the Office 365 ProPlus program package with Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook etc. free of charge for the duration of their studies at the University of Bamberg. Information is available at www.uni-bamberg.de/its/o365proplus.
Online-Dienste der Studierendenkanzlei Online services of the Student Office	You can use the online services of the Student Administration Office to print out various documents: certificate of study, data control sheet, BAföG certificate and many more! You can access the online services at qis.uni-bamberg.de.
Prüfungsamt Examination office	The Examinations Office is responsible for carrying out examination matters. This includes, for example, registering and deregistering for centrally organized examinations, registering theses, creating the examination schedule for central examinations, creating certificates and other tasks required to organize examinations.
Prüfungsausschuss Examination board	The examination board is made up of members of the respective degree program, not all of whom necessarily have to be professors. It decides on admission to the final examination and on the recognition of credits. The examination board also acts as an appeal and revision body in the event of disputes regarding the course and assessment of examinations.
Prüfungsleistung Examination type	There are different types of examinations that you can take to pass a module, e.g. written examinations, oral examinations, assignments and presentations. A combination of several examinations is also possible. The type of examination can be found in the module handbook or will be announced by the lecturer at the beginning of the semester. In most cases, you should have an official photo ID and your student ID with you for examinations.
Regelstudienzeit Standard period of study	The number of semesters in which your studies are completed if you take examinations worth 30 ECTS credits per semester. However, students usually need longer than the standard period of study, which is why the term is misleading.
Rückmeldung Re-registration	The time in which you have to pay the semester fee for the next semester to the University of Bamberg. Once this has been done, you are re-registered and therefore enrolled at the university for the next semester.
Semesterbeitrag Semester fee	The “fees” you have to pay for your studies each semester. You usually pay the fees for the following semester at the end of the semester. They consist of the semester ticket fee and the student union fee. The semester fee must be paid during the re-registration period. As soon as you have paid the semester fee, you must validate your student ID card at one of the validation machines so that your semester ticket remains valid.
Semesterticket	Once you have paid your semester fee, your student ID serves as your semester ticket. This means that you can use it to travel free of charge on public transport in the Bamberg district.
SOWI	The student council of the Faculty of Social Sciences and Economics. It is located at the Feki in room F21/00.18.
Sprachenzentrum Language Centre	An institution of the University of Bamberg that offers free language courses, among other things. The language courses can either be for students of all subjects (HaF = students of all faculties) or for specific philologies (example: Spanish A2 for students of Romance Studies).
Statistikprogramme Statistics programs	Statistical software enables statistics to analyze very large amounts of data using sometimes computationally intensive methods. The university offers seminars in the use of Stata, R, SPSS and Python.
Studierendenwerk Würzburg Student Services Würzburg	A Studierendenwerk is an institution that is formally independent of the university and is responsible for the legal, social and economic interests of students. For Bamberg, the Studierendenwerk Würzburg is responsible for the canteens (see Mensa), several halls of residence (see Wohnheime) and the BAföG office (see BAföG). The Studierendenwerk also offers social counseling, legal advice and psychotherapeutic counseling. Information about the Studierendenwerk Würzburg can be found at www.swerk-wue.de/index.html.
studentische E-Mail-Adresse student e-mail address	You will receive an e-mail address from the University of Bamberg when you enrol. This is important for communicating with lecturers, the Registrar's Office, the Examinations Office and other university services. Important emails from central university offices are also sent to your university email inbox. So check your inbox regularly and make sure that there is enough space to receive emails. We advise against forwarding emails to another email inbox, as this often goes wrong for various reasons.
Studienfortschrittskontrolle Study progress monitoring	The study progress check, which exists in some degree programs, determines by which semester you must have achieved how many points in which module groups. If you do not reach these limits, you will be exmatriculated. If there is a progress check for your degree program, this can be found in your StuFPO.
Studierendenausweis Student ID card	The student ID card is proof of your student status. On some days, you can get discounts, e.g. at the cinema, by showing your ID. It shows your matriculation number and library number. It is also your semester ticket, i.e. your bus ticket. You can top it up with money and then use it to copy, scan and pay in the canteen.
Studierendenvertretung Student representation	Your interests as a student are represented by the student representatives. This currently consists of the student councils, the student parliament, the speaker's council and the student senators (in the highest administrative bodies of the university). Most representatives are elected each year in the university elections. More detailed information on student representation can be found at www.uni-bamberg.de/stuve/ and stuve-bamberg.de.
StuFPO	Abbreviation for study and subject examination regulations Each degree program has its own StuFPO, which regulates matters relating specifically to your degree program. These include, for example, the duration of studies, details on final and module examinations, study requirements, etc. You should therefore definitely read through the StuFPO for your degree program. The StuFPO supplements the general examination regulations (APO). You can find both on the website for your degree program.
SWS	Abbreviation for semester hours per week Semester hours per week (SWS) are given for courses. For example, a lecture with 2 SWS takes up 2 hours per week as face-to-face teaching. A language course with 4 SWS takes up 4 hours per week.
Universitätsbibliothek University Library	In the university library you have the opportunity to study, research and borrow books to take home. For example, you can prepare and revise for courses or write seminar papers. There are 6 branch libraries spread across the university campuses, covering different subject areas: TB1: Theology and Philosophy @ An der Universität 2 TB2: Human Sciences @ Markusplatz 3 TB3: Social and Economic Sciences @ Feldkirchenstraße 21 TB4: Linguistics and Literature @ Heumarkt 2 TB5: History and Earth Sciences @ Am Kranen 3 ERBA Library: Computer Science, Communication Science, Art and Music @ An der Weberei 5
UnivIS	In UnivIS you will find a course catalog and course dates of the University of Bamberg. Most people use UnivIS to see when which courses are taking place and to create their study plan. You can also view the occupancy plans for the rooms and their technical equipment.
Validierung Validation	After you have paid the semester fee for the next semester, you can validate your student ID card at the various validation machines at the University of Bamberg so that it remains valid for the next semester.
Veranstaltungsarten Types of course	At the university, there are different types of events for courses, which are often combined with each other: Lecture: the “typical” type of event in which the lecturer usually stands in front of you in a lecture hall and teaches, the student takes notes and tries to follow along Exercise: in mass subjects, this is often held by students or members of the lecturer's staff. The lecture content (or extra content) is practiced. You have the opportunity to ask questions and get help. It is much more interactive than a lecture. Tutorial: is a supplement to the lecture (and exercise). Here, too, you have the opportunity to ask questions and practise content. It is usually held by students from higher semesters who have usually already completed the module themselves. Seminar: is usually held by a lecturer or one of their colleagues, the number of participants is limited, a seminar is more interactive than a lecture. A seminar paper often has to be written as an examination. Language courses: Are held by the teacher of the language course. Language courses have a special role in that they are much more interactive than lectures. Accordingly, there are usually no extra practice sessions or tutorials for language courses. Block seminar: A seminar that takes place over one or more days (usually at the weekend) for several hours at a time. Takes place on a few individual dates during the semester. Project: There is usually an overall topic and students work in small groups on related projects. The examination is usually the project itself, a presentation of the work and a project report.
Videokonferenzsysteme Video conferencing systems	Various video conferencing systems are used to make teaching virtual. The university has purchased licenses for Microsoft Teams, Skype for Business and Zoom. All students can access Teams and Skype via o365.uni-bamberg.de.  Installation files and instructions can be found on the Computer Center website: Microsoft Teams: www.uni-bamberg.de/its/dienstleistungen/tele/video/teams/ Zoom: www.uni-bamberg.de/its/dienstleistungen/tele/video/zoom/
Virtueller Campus (VC) Virtual Campus (VC)	The system / website used at the University of Bamberg to make teaching materials available to students online. For some courses in the Virtual Campus (VC) there is an enrollment key, which you usually receive in the first lecture of the semester. In other courses you can enrol without a password. Simply log in to the VC with your user account (BA number and password): vc.uni-bamberg.de.
VPN	Abbreviation for “virtual private network”. By setting up a VPN connection to the University of Bamberg, you can also use some services from home that would otherwise only be available to you in the university network, e.g. the campusprint printing service, the file server. Some e-books from the university library can also only be accessed when you are on the university network. You are then in the university network from home. Information on setting up a VPN can be found on the pages of the computer center: www.uni-bamberg.de/its/dienstleistungen/netz/vpn/
WLAN WiFi	There are two WLAN networks at the University of Bamberg. eduroam: WLAN network that is used at the University of Bamberg, but also at other universities throughout Europe. This means that if you have access to eduroam, you can use it not only at the University of Bamberg, but also at all other institutions that use eduroam. It is therefore important that you set up eduroam correctly right away: with eduroam Cat and deine_BA-Nummer@uni-bamberg.de. Information is available at www.uni-bamberg.de/rz/dienstleistungen/netz/wlan/eduroam/. Bayern-WLAN: It is publicly accessible, i.e. anyone can log in and surf there.
Zentrale Prüfungen Central examinations	Central examinations (unlike decentralized examinations) are organized by the Examinations Office, i.e. the lecturers themselves do not decide when and where the examinations take place. There is an examination schedule for central examinations, which is usually announced by the Examinations Office (in a provisional version) at the beginning of the semester. It contains the date, time and location of the examination. Please note: different registration and deregistration deadlines apply for central examinations than for decentralized examinations.
Zentrale Studienberatung Central Student Advisory Service	The Central Student Advisory Service is the first point of contact for questions about your studies to which you cannot find an answer or problems for which you cannot find a solution. It will help you with decisions about changing subjects or if you have doubts about your current subject. Whether before, during or at the end of your studies, you can turn to this office for neutral, personal, open-ended and confidential advice.