Tips for Beginners
Lecture period for the winter semester 2024/25: October 14, 2024 - February 15, 2025
- What is to be done after enrolment?
- Orientation within university
- What orientation options are there?
- What materials do you need to prepare for the semester?
- Notes on timetable creation
- Who can help?
What is to be done after enrolment?
(see also: "Study Checklist")
- Activate your HU account
- Print out your Campus-card
- Deutschlandsemesterticket
Orientation within university
- Institutions and Organisation
- The three campuses of Humboldt-Universität: Location & Approach
- You can find out where the courses are held in the University Calendar.
What orientation options are there?
- An overview of central and subject-related orientation events at the start of your studies can be found at hu.berlin/willkommen. Here you will also find information for your second subject if you are studying a combined Bachelor's degree.
- Subject-related information on the start of studies in the winter semester 2024/25 on the websites of your faculty(ies) or (central) institute(s).
- In addition to their subject-related courses, students in the teacher training programme also attend the respective orientation courses of the Professional School of Education of the HU.
- There will be an orientation event for international students on 9 October, 10.00-12.00 in the Fritz-Reuter-Saal, Dorotheenstr. 2, 10117 Berlin
- Info videos on the start of studies (in German):
- Wie beginne ich mein Studium an der Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin?
- Studienorganisation an der Humboldt-Universität: IT-Dienste für Studierende
- Wie erstelle ich meinen Stundenplan mit Agnes? (HU portal Teaching and Examinations Online)
- Welche Funktionen bietet Agnes?
What materials do you need to prepare for the semester?
- Study and examination regulations for your degree programme(s) with module descriptions and ideal-typical study plans, which give you advice on how to structure your studies and how to build your timetable, can be found on the websites of faculties, departments or institutes. Those already published in the Amtliches Mitteilungsblatt der Humboldt-Universität can be downloaded from hu.berlin/spo. Please refer to the most recent study regulations for your subject and, if necessary, also take into account any associated amendment regulations.
Students with the option of a teaching profession (except for primary school education) also require the study regulations for the study parts Education Sciences and Language Education (www.amb.hu-berlin.de, no. 57/2024).
- The Humboldt-Universität University Calendar (Vorlesungsverzeichnis)
- Many legal questions concerning studies will be answered by checking at the Fächerübergreifende Satzung zur Regelung von Zulassung, Studium und Prüfung der Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (ZSP-HU) (hu.berlin/zsp).
Notes on timetable creation
- Please check the website of your (central) institute or faculty first to see if there are any hints for beginners.
- At the university there are usually no predefined "timetables", i.e. each student creates an individual plan independently.
- Orientation is provided by the ideal-typical study plans, which can be found in your study regulation(s), usually at the end of the module descriptions.(If there are amendment regulations, then the ideal-typical study plan can usually be found in the 1st version.)
- With the help of the Ideal Typical Study Plans you can find out which modules are recommended for the 1st semester.
- If you are studying a combined Bachelor's degree, you will need the study regulations for the core and the second subject.
- You can find out from the individual module descriptions whether there is a prerequisite for participation.
- If this is not the case, check which types of courses belong to the corresponding modules and what time frame they have (see specification of SWS = semester week hour = hour of academic teaching in each week of the semester).
- Finally, log into the portal "Agnes - Teaching and Examinations Online" with your HU account and select your subject in the course catalogue first and then the modules recommended in the study regulations with the corresponding courses.
- Here you will also find information from the respective lecturers for each course, including the form in which it is held (presence/online).
- Then choose the number of courses specified in the module description for your timetable, register for them and transfer them to your personal timetable.
- If the possibility of registering for several parallel groups is indicated, then a distribution procedure takes place before the start of the lecture period, after which only the allocated group automatically remains in your personal timetable.
- The Agnes Help Centre offers detailed information (full access after login) as well as our Video about creating the time-table (in German).
- If registration via "Agnes" is not provided for, registration could also take place via enrolment in a Moodle course, the link to which is given in this case. If you need a course key for access, please contact the respective teacher by e-mail from your student e-mail address (!) connected to your HU-account.
- If compulsory courses from the core subject and the second subject overlap in time, as a rule priority is given to those from the core subject or to those that are prerequisites for attending modules that build on it.
- Each semester you should take modules of about 30 credit points (LP).
- Law students do not need to create a timetable via Agnes. You can use the semester overviews (PDF) for orientation.
- You can ask any remaining questions during the subject-related orientation events. In addition, the (student) course advisory service is helpful (see below).
Who can help?
The Course Advisors (Studienfachberatung) can help in matters related to a particular course as well as with planning lectures and classes in the first semester. Addresses, telephone numbers and office hours can be found also in the relevant websites and course catalogues of the faculties, departments and institutes.
Advice of fellow students (studentische Studienfachberatung) can be helpful as well. Most faculties, departments and institutes offer subject-related peer counselling, or the Fachschaft (student representation) will help you. See for contacts also: HU Social Media Directory
You can also get guidance at the university in the open online question hours of the Counselling Services: Mondays from 30 September to 11 November 2024, 3 p.m., and after registering for the Moodle course at hu.berlin/studi-support.
The Service for teacher training students of the Professional School of Education (PSE) offers advice on specific questions of teacher training.
Computer and Media Service of Humboldt-Universität: HU account, Campus Card, course catalogue, HU mail, computer labs, WLAN, eLearning (Moodle), exam registration, see Agnes - Teaching and Examinations Online with Help-center (full access after login) as well as the information of the enrolment office
If technical problems occur when registering for courses: agnes@hu-berlin.de.
The Career Center provides counselling on practice-related courses within the framework of the Überfachlicher Wahlpflichtbereich (ÜWP).
If support is needed because of disability or chronical illness, advice will be given by the Disability Advisory Service.
Tips and support for parent students (child care) can be found at hu.berlin/familienbuero.
For social counselling the contact is www.refrat.de/beratung.html.
If you want to improve your language skills the Language Centre offers plenty of courses.
If you wish to register with the University Library, just click at hu.berlin/ub.
If you want to make music in the company of other students, you will be helped at hu.berlin/musik.
If you want to go in for sports, www.zeh.hu-berlin.de/ is a useful link.
Tips on healthy studying and networking opportunities can be found on the website of the University Health Management.
The Studierendenwerk Berlin takes care of social matters such as student finance (according to BAföG), halls of residence and child care.
Version: October 16, 2024