Questions regarding the M.Sc. Business Informatics

 

DISCLAIMER

The content of this page was carefully created. For the validity, completeness and actuality no warrant can be given. In every case the regulation of study applies. The following answers given are only for the purpose of orientation. As far as it is linked to the websites of third-parties, no guarantee or liability is given for validity, completeness and data security.

 

General:

Language:

Staying in Germany and studying abroad:

Application and prerequisites:

Structure of the program:

Project seminar:

Registration for seminars and exams:

Master's thesis:

Free attempts of exams:

Additional information and office hours:

 

Important links

 

Answers

 

General

What is Business Informatics (Wirtschaftsinformatik)?

  • The science of designing, developing and applying computer-based information and communication systems (IuK systems) and techniques in companies and administration in order to support business processes. Frequently, business informatics provides an interface between the technically oriented informatics and the practical business-economics. Its interdisciplinary character is reinforced by including ergonomics, psychology, sociology and mathematical-technical aspects.

    (Source: Wirtschaftslexikon Gabler, own translation)

How long is the standard duration of the master program?

  • 4 semesters, one of those is required for the building phase.

Which faculty is responsible for the program?

  • The program is maintained by the Faculty of Informatics and Mathematics (FB12) in close cooperation with the Faculty of Economics (FB02).

How do I create a time table?

  • There is a tutorial on the main Web page of Goethe University, unfortunately it is only available in German so far.

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Language

Which courses are given in English?

  • The courses provided in English are changing every semester. Please take a look at the QIS systemand keep yourself informed.

Do I need German language skills to study the M.Sc. Business Informatics?

  • Yes, knowledge of the German language is necessary for the matriculation. Please get the details here The DSH (German language test for the access to universities) can be found here: DSH.

Which language courses are provided at Goethe University?

What is the language of exams and tests?

  • The language for exams and tests is usually indicated by the respective professor. There are English and German courses.

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Staying in Germany and studying abroad

Whom may I contact if I want to go abroad for a semester?

  • For all kinds of general information please contact the International Office. For CS-related questions on the Erasmus programme you can contact Prof. Meyer.

Whom should I contact if I want to study in Frankfurt?

Where do I find the Erasmus program?

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Application and prerequisites

How do I apply for the M.Sc. in Business Informatics?

  • Information regarding the online registration at the Goethe University is provided here.

  • Direct link to the application portal: Uni-Assist.

Where do I find the application period?

  • The current deadlines for application can be found here. Usually the 15 of June is the deadline for the winter semester and the 15 of January for the summer semester. The deadlines may be subject to change.

What kind of Bachelor degree is required to apply for the M.Sc. Business Informatics?

I have applied for the M.Sc. Business Informatics but have not yet received any answer?

  • The answer is sent via paper mail. The procedure may take some time.

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Structure of the program

How is the master program structured?

  • The study has four main pillars. The building phase has 27-35 CP (Economics background) or 25-35 CP (Computer Science or Business Informatics). The specialization phase consists of the three parts „Economics“, „Business Informatics“ und „Computer Science“ which require at least 12 CP each and in total 41 CP or more. A third component is the project seminar with 12-14 CP and finally the 30 CP Master's thesis. In total, 120 CP's have to be obtained. For examples refer to the regulation of study.

Which building phase (Aufbauphase) has been assigned to me?

  • You receive this information together with your letter of admission.

Which courses are mandatory?

  • This depends on your Bachelor degree. Usually, at least 27CP (Aufbauphase Wirtschaftswissenschaften) or 25CP (Aufbauphase Informatik oder Wirtschaftsinformatik) are required for the building phase. Some building phases contain a mandatory course.  For details, please have a look at the regulation of study. In addition, some students have got individual requirements (Auflagen) that are described in the letter of admission.

Which courses may I choose?

  • For the building phase, every course described in the regulation of study for your specific prior Bachelor degree can be taken. There is a list of all available specialization modules, too. You can find the courses for the current semester in the QIS. Use the menu Courses => Courses overview => Courses of the Faculty of Computer Sciences and Mathematics => Informatik => Wirtschaftsinformatik to find the courses.

Are the courses from the building phase contributing to the final grade?

  • No, the courses of the building phase are graded but do not count towards the final grade.

What are the prerequisites to start my Master's thesis?

  • You need to have successfully achieved 60 CP including the mandatory moduls of the building phase and the project seminar to be able to register a Master's thesis. Please be aware that the entire building phase has to be finished for students who study according to the old 2011 regulation of study.

What are the prerequisites my specialization courses ?

  • None. The specialization courses can be taken at any time. Knowledge from the courses of the building phase can be useful.

How can I learn to which specialization a course belongs?

  • The first way is to have a look at the appendix of the regulation of study. A faster option is the QIS. However, mistakes may occur in the QIS such as missing or wrongly assigned courses.

Are only lectures eligible for the specialization?

  • It is also possible to take seminars, which have been assigned to the M.Sc. Business Informatics.

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Project seminar

What prerequisites are required to enroll for the project seminar?

  • To register for the project seminar at least one course of the specialization phase has to be passed.

Is there an alternative to the project seminar?

  • A project seminar may be substituted by a seminar (5CP) and a practical course (8CP). Please consider the restrictions for the seminar and the practical course (see next question).

What should I consider when I am planning to replace the project seminar by a regular seminar in combination with a practical course?

  • The seminar and the practical course must belong to the specialization phase of the M.Sc. Business Informatics. The only exception to this rule is the seminar for project management (Seminar für Projektmanagement) (M-PM-S), which can be combined with any practical course of the Faculty of Informatics (FB12). Please note that there are further restrictions (compare also the regulation of study). For instance, the seminar and the practical course have to be graded. In the regular case the practical courses are not graded. Please communicate with the organizer of the practical course at an early phase of the course how to obtain a grade.

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Registration for seminars and exams

Registration for written exams at the Faculty of Informatics (FB12)

  • Registration for exams taken at the FB12 are done via the QIS system or via the Moodle platform.The respective professor will announce the method in the lecture.

Registration for written exams at the Faculty of Economics (FB02)

  • Registration for exams taken at the FB02 are done via the QIS.

Where do I find the deadlines for exam registration?

  • For the FB12, the registration period ends two weeks before the examination. The current rules for the process are described at the page of the examination office.

  • For exams taken at the FB02, the deadlines are different (see here). In principle, the period of registration lasts about three weeks and starts at an early point in the semester. Please keep yourself informed.

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What is the QIS and where do I find it?

  • The QIS is a Web-based system for management of lectures and seminars, as well as for exam registration. Detailed information can be found here. The QIS is located here.

How do I register for an oral exam?

  • The registration for an oral exam is due to two weeks before the examination date. Contact the office of the respective professor and prepare a printed version of the document “Anmeldung zur mündlichen Modulabschlussprüfung” if nothing else has been communicated by the organizer. You can find this document here.

  • For oral exams at the Faculty of Economics (FB02), the rules of the faculty 02 apply. In most cases, the registration is in parallel to the registration for the exams. Please contact the docent or the examination office.

How and when do I register for a seminar?

  • For seminars at the Faculty of Informatics (FB12), the registration has to be done via studiumdigitale during the lecture break until around six weeks before the begin of the teaching period. De-registration has to be done at the first appointment. Since the amount of available participants is limited it is recommended to register on time. The exam registration for seminars is done by the docent, but there often are participant lists you have to sign on first.

  • For seminars at the Faculty of Economics (FB02), the rules of the faculty 02 apply. In most cases this implied a registration via QIS or a waiting list on the respective docents website.

Where do I find the appointments for access to marked exam papers?

  • Access to marked exam papers is announced by the respective organizer. For the FB02 the examination office announces a list with the dates.

The registration for a written exam of a course I took is not possible / the course is not showing up, although it is part of the Business Informatics modules?

  • Please contact the appropriate examination office and ask them to check the course.

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Master's thesis

May I write my Master's thesis at the Faculty of Economics (FB02)?

  • A thesis at the FB02 is possible. If the thesis is supervised by a chair that is not part of the deparment of Business Informatics, please contact the examination office since the registration requires additional effort.  In every case, the thesis is registered at the examination office of the FB12.

May I write my Master's thesis in cooperation with a company (externally)?

  • External theses in cooperation with a company are possible in principle. First, you need to find a university professor supervising your thesis. You may visit Prof. Minor's  office hours for further advise.

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Free attempts of exams

Free attempts during the building phase

  • For possible free attempts during the building phase, please look here.

Free attempts during the specialization phase

  • There are no free attempts for the specialization phase.

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Additional information and office hours

Contact for Business Informatics

  • The main contact for any questions on the M.Sc. Business Informatics is Prof. Minor.

Office hours for consultation

  • The recent office hours can be found on Prof. Minor's page. You may consult the office hours without prior notification.

What is it about „B-GL 1 (Theoretisch Informatik 1)“ (10CP) and „TiWi (Theoretisch Informatik für die Wirtschaftsinformatiker)“ (7CP) in the old 2011 regulation of study?

  • Students of Business Informatics may take an exam in TiWi instead of B-GL 1 during their building phase. In principle, TiWi is the same lecture that does not cover some parts of B-GL 1. Please check the website of the respective professor giving the lecture. Neither B-GL1 nor TiWi are any more part of the new 2019 regulation of study.

What is the learning centre (Lernzentrum)?

  • The learning centre is a place to go if you have any questions on the contents of a lecture or exercise. Further details are on their Web page.

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Important links