Q28: Scholarships
Q27: INFOTECH program
Q26: deleted
Q25: Student Dormitories
Q24: (Temporary) Bachelor Degree Certificate (BDC)
Q23: Letter of Motivation
Q22: Translation of Documents
Q21: Bachelor Degree Examination Certificate
(BDEC)
Q20: The Importance of Deadlines
Q19: Attestation
Q18: Step 2 Documents
Q17: Credits
Q16: German and Master Marking System
Q15: How much does it cost to Study in Stuttgart
Q14: Repeated Application for Admission
Q13: E-Mail Policy
Q12: Overall Average, Grade, GPA, Marks
Q11: German Intensive Class/Course
Q10: deleted
Q9: 4-year Bachelor degree
Q8: Shift of Admission
Q7: Step 1 Qualification
Q6: Bachelor Degree vs. Master Degree
Q5: Qualifying Exams
Q4: Degrees awarded by German Universities - Study Time
Q3: English Proficiency
Q2: deleted
Q1: International Non-European Students: Bachelor with less than 4 years. Previous Education recognized by Uni
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| Q28
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Q:
Scholarships |
A: The Universitaet Stuttgart is not in a position to award
scholarships to students of Master programs.
There are, however, several possibilities to
finance the studies in Stuttgart:
1. Scholarships offered by the  
DAAD (German Academic Exchange
Service) . This must be done approx. one year prior to the start of the studies in
Germany through the German embassy in the home country.
2. For a list of other national and international funding agencies please also
check:
Additional
pages of the DAAD
Open
Society Institute
Katholischer Akademischer
Auslaender-Dienst
3. Student Assistant Job, Teaching Assistant for a maximum of 20 hours a week at one of the institutes
of the Universitaet Stuttgart.
4.) Job outside of the university for a maximum of 90 days per calendar year.
For cases 3 and 4 holds:
There is absolutely no guarantee to get such a job. Chances increase with working
knowledge of the German language. These jobs usually come up at short notice and
they can only be spotted being in Stuttgart. It is strongly recommended
not to count on this source as the only financing means for year two. For year
one you anyhow have to show in almost all embassies (except you have an EU
citizenship), in order to get a visa, financial means for one year in the
range of 12*700=8,400.00 EUR). It is strongly recommended to check the
embassies' homepages. Scholarship holders with public funded scholarships are exempted.
Top
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| Q27
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Q:
INFOTECH program |
A: The INFOTECH Master study commission has
defined a curriculum for the INFOTECH
Master. This curriculum defines a set of lecture courses, seminar, lab etc.
for each of the three specialization (majors) a student can select from. To
take up the studies, prospective students have to be admitted to the INFOTECH
Master study program. Each year INFOTECH admits a batch of new students to the
study program starting winter terms. That's what we call a PROGRAM. So a program is defined by the
year of intake (Program Year) i.e. PY09 defines Program Year 2009, which
starts winter term 2009/10
Modified Jul 14, 2008 Top
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| Q25
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Q:
Student Dormitories |
A: The
approximately 20,000 Students of the University of Stuttgart stay at some
5,000 student dormitories owned and operated by the
'Studentenwerk Stuttgart
(SWS)', private residential rooms, at home in Stuttgart and the Stuttgart
region. The SWS is the central students service organization for all higher
educational institutions in the Stuttgart area. It also means, that the 5,000
student dormitories are shared between the 10 higher educational institutes in
Stuttgart.
The admission to INFOTECH, the 'seat' in the
program does NOT include a student dormitory.
With the admission statement, admitted
students will receive information on how to order a student dormitory. The
organizational questions will be handled by the INFOTECH office. A deposit and
a down payment for the first month's rental fee may be requested.
On cost index 2006, the rental fees per month
are between EUR 250.00 and 300 (w/o linen and linen service) and deposit and down
payment may account to EUR 600.00.
INFOTECH usually has a block booking for
dormitories on the Vaihingen campus near to the lecture halls.
Top
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| Q24
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Q:
(Temporary) Bachelor Degree Certificate (BDC) |
A: It is
requested by law, that the university administration has to make sure, that
the applicant possesses a first level academic degree (the Bachelor Degree) at
time of enrolment. For the selection of candidates in step 2, this document
has no importance. However, the academic admission commission needs to have a
statement, that the Bachelor Degree Certificate (BDC) can be shown at time of
enrolment. If the final document is not yet available, step 2 allows for the
following possibilities:
- Statement by the university, that the
degree will be conferred at the next convocation (which should be in time,
otherwise its useless).
- Statement, that the student will finish in
time or until when.
The statement, that someone is a student in
e.g. 6th year does not satisfy. It's not telling anything about the
probability to finish in time.
The BDC may be combined with the
BDEC
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| Q23
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Q:
Letter of Motivation |
A: A 'Letter of
Motivation' is a document of a half to a full page length describing the
motivation to study INFOTECH and to study at the University of Stuttgart. It
is important to describe the vision about your personal future. Where do you
want to go? Why is the context and contents of the Master Program INFOTECH
supporting this personal vision. Why do you believe is Germany and the
University of Stuttgart the right place to prepare for your future.
Please don't tell us that we are the
'greatest'. Don't repeat the 'marketing' statements of our home page. In
general, don't tell us things we already know.
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| Q22
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Q:
Translation of documents |
A: In order
to be able to check the documents of the step 2 application process, all these
documents have to be either in English or German language. Documents in a
different language (typically national language) have to be provided as copy
of the original and translation to English language.
Translations have to be attested by
'official translators'. Official translators are typically those, which are
either
- registered by the embassies/consulates
- sworn-in at courts
- accredited by the ministries.
Attested copies of documents in English language, issued by the same
organizations as the original documents in national language, are accepted as
well.
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| Q21
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Q:
Bachelor Degree Examination Certificate (BDEC) |
A: In almost all systems we know, the awarding
of a Bachelor degree is bound to a number of conditions defined by the study
regulation. These conditions are typically a number of examinations to be
passed, credit points to be earned and project work. Now we call the
collection of all these events as required by the study regulation and the
resulting marking or grade the "Bachelor Degree Examination". The
Bachelor Degree Examination is therefore characterized by three distinctive
elements:
-
The 'Passing' statement ("Mr./Ms. xyz has passed the Bachelor of ... Examination ...")
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the Examination result ("..in second class (upper).. with GPA ..")
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the Examination date (".. on January 10, 2004")
The importance is with the statement given by
the University, not the document as such, i.e. the statement may be given on
different kind of document or combined with the BDC.
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| Q20 |
Q: The Importance of Deadlines |
A: There are two deadlines of the admission process with a specific importance, Step 1 and
Step 2 deadline. To understand the importance of keeping
these deadlines, a short view on the activities going on around the
deadlines
is given.
Admission to INFOTECH is
-> Competitive
-> non-discriminating and fair
-> governed by the academic admission commission
As we have more applications as seats, we have to select. Selection is based on a number of academic data. Applicants compete for these seats with their academic data. And there is only one point in time, the admission commission meeting day, at which this takes place. All eligible applications are ‘competing’ on this day for selection. Each application, which we would consider after that day, would be selected without fair competition with the other entire. It’s like a sports event and after the final somebody would come up with another high jumper and he/she would get a gold medal without fighting in competition.
It is therefore of
prime importance to match the deadlines. We have, notwithstanding the fact that a small contingency is built into the process, no chance to accept any application after deadline. And in view of fair and equal treatment of all applications, the reason for not meeting the deadline has no importance. Late is late- full stop.
It is also clear that we cannot give any premature statements about being admitted or not. The admission commission at that day decides, and before that day everybody has a chance, with different probabilities, but a chance.
The purpose of the step 1 evaluation is,
to invite only those applications for step 2, which have a real chance of being
accepted for admission. If somebody missed the step 1 application deadline,
there is chance to proceed directly to step 2. However, it should be noted, that
this does not constitute any advantage over regular step 1 application. This
step 2 application will first be judged using the criteria for the step 1
evaluation of this program. Only those 'direct' step 2 applications will be
considered, which would have passed step 1 evaluation if delivered in time as
step 1 application. Please also note, that step 2 application documents will in
no case be returned to the sender.
Modified 24-Mar-08 Top
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| Q19 |
Q: Attestation |
A: Attesting is the act of certifying that a copy is a 'true' copy of the original. Attesting or attestation is typically done by putting a stamp with words like 'this is a true copy of the original' on the copy and a second stamp identifying the organization or person standing for the statement.
Not every 'private' person can be accepted for attestation. Persons, which by virtue of their business or position qualify for attestation, are lawyers, notary public, embassies and consulates as well as state authorities. We accept further the registrars of universities, deans of faculties and directors of public schools.
Documents, which are requested to be attested, never can be
send by
fax or e-mail!
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| Q18 |
Q:
Step 2 Documents |
A: For the step 2 application, the following documents are
compulsory. A (AT) denotes, that the documents have to be attested. Attestation,
see also
Q19 can be done, by the issuing authority, the university registrar, deans of faculties, directors of schools/colleges lawyers, advocates and notary public.
-Application Form
- Bachelor Degree Certificate
BDC (AT)
- see also
Q24 If the BDC is not yet available, a statement of
the university about the expected finishing date can be used for step 2. In
that case, it may be needed to show the BDC at time of enrolment.
- Bachelor Degree Examination Certificate BDEC
(AT)
see also
Q21
- Final/Temporary Transcript
(AT). If the final transcript is not yet available, a temporary may be used for step 2. In
that case, it may be needed to show the final transcript at time of enrolment.
- TOEFL/IELTS test results. If your education was fully in English, then we kindly ask you to send us a statement from your university confirming that. In that case you do not need to provide the TOEFL/IELTS test.
- 2 reference letters from persons who know you and your capabilities (e. g. professors of your university).
- Curriculum vitae
- Letter of Motivation
- Copy of your passport.
It should be clearly stated, that attestation (some people call it certification) of documents is done in order to prove that the document in question is a true copy of the original. To do this the person doing the attestation typically stamps and signs the copy, or puts a seal on the copy. Now, faxing such a copy does not make sense, as it inverts the whole thing. A fax is nothing then a copy of the original, which needs to be attested ...
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| Q17 |
Q: Credits |
A: INFOTECH follows the ECTS (European Credit Transfer System) for assigning credits.
The minimum credits to be achieved in regular Courses, Lab, Seminar,
Internship and Master Thesis are
- 114 ECTS credits for program INFOTECH'00 (students
taking up their studies up to and including winter term 2008/09)
- and 120 ECTS credits for program INFOTECH'09 (students
with intake winter term 2009/10 and further)
This is in-line with government regulations, which allow a maximal ‘burden’ of 30 credits/term.
Modified on Jul 15th, 2008 Top
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| Q16 |
Q: German and Master Marking System |
A: The German Marking system is different than all other ones. The lower the value of the marks, the better the marking is. The German Marking system is from 1.0 to 4.0 with 5.0 equal to ‘fail’. 1.0 is the best marking, 4.0 the lowest marking used in transcripts. The 5.0 marking is typically not displayed in transcripts.
To differentiate the markings, intermediate markings are typically used for examinations. The full scale is therefore 1.0, 1.3, 1.7, 2.0, 2.3, 2.7, 3.0, 3.3, 3.7, 4.0, 5.0. In some cases, more differentiated marks are necessary, examples are the marking of the Master Thesis or the Overall Marking of the Master of Science Examination. In these cases the scale is 1.0, 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 1.5 ....... 4.0, 5.0.
The grading (marking) of the Master of Science Examination is calculated as sum of (credit points times grades) of the individual exams divided by sum of credit points.
Verbal grades are used for the ‘Certificate of Examination’ (Zeugnis ueber die Master of Science
Pruefung) with the following equivalences:
‘With Distinction’ (Mit Auszeichnung) 1.0 to 1.2
‘Very good’ (Sehr Gut) 1.3 to 1.5
‘Good’ (Gut) 1.6 to 2.5
‘Satisfactory’ (Befriedigend) 2.6 to 3.5
‘Sufficient’ (Ausreichend) 3.6 to 4.0
Top
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| Q15 |
Q: How much does it cost to Study in Stuttgart |
A: As of summer term 2007, all
students have to pay the following duties per term:
- Tuition fee of EUR 500.00
- Administration fee of EUR 40.00
- Student Services fee of EUR 71.10
The figures given are based on summer term 2007, they are subject to change.
You should estimate some EUR 600.00 spending per month
(2007 cost index) on your cost of living (including mandatory health insurance, cost for your flat,
books etc.) e.g.
- Rent app. EUR 220.00 to 300.00 w/o meals
- Health insurance EUR 60.00
- Semester Ticket for public transportation EUR 25.00
- Food app. EUR 150.00
- Other app. EUR 100.00
Have in mid, that this amount only allows a moderate standard of living. There are some opportunities for student jobs, however in planning your study here, don’t rely on a student job for financing.
During the VISA process, both the local embassy and the Aliens Office in Stuttgart may need a proof of your financial plan, as they have to make sure, that you have enough funds to pay for study on your own. They may not accept as statement, that you will collect funds by student jobs.
The German student affairs association (Deutsches Studentenwerk) offers a specially developed value-for-money service package for foreign students, which substantially help foreign students, begin their studies and life in Germany. For further information, please click
here.
Modified on Jun 28, 2007
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| Q13 |
Q: E-Mail Policy |
A: In those days of threat by Viruses, Trojan Horses and Worms we apply a strict policy with regards to
e-mails:
Basically we distinguish two types of mails
- mails which ask for information
- mails, which aim at changing your
application/admission information or status
The first type could be answered by using
standardized reply text modules or by inserting text into the original mail.
In this case our reply is for information only and does not constitute any
binding for us. Answers imbedded in the received mail-text may be signed of
with the initials 'MW'.
The second type will always be answered by a
message with the introducing text 'THIS IS AN OFFICIAL MESSAGE OF ..',
followed by your reference number, a message number and the date.
All e-mails we send you are of plain text type - no html, sometimes with attachments of type '.txt’,'.gif' or '.jpg'. Always be suspicious on different kinds of e-mails bearing our e-mail address.
On the other side, we are
only opening/reading e-mails with no attachments at all or with attachments of
type '.pdf','.txt', '.gif' or '.jpg'. Be sure not to include any other type of attachment.
Please make sure, that your e-mail address is working and your e-mail box is not full. We are not able to retransmit e-mails in case we get a negative response.
Top
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| Q12 |
Q: Overall Average, Grade, GPA, Marks |
A: There are several systems around, which are used for allocating marks to exam
performance.
In almost all systems, single individual examinations receive a grade (also called marks or marking). This grade is listed on something, which may be called marks sheet or transcript. In many cases a ‘weight’ of this individual grade is expressed by associated Credit Points.
Now the overall average grade is the (weighted) average of the individual
examination grades, which counts for the Bachelor degree, i.e. the ‘Bachelor Examination’ as a result of the averaged individual results, receives the Overall Average (Grade).
Now if this is a weighted grade (i.e. CreditPoint*Grade divided by sum of CreditPoints) in many systems it is called Grade Point Average (GPA) or Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA).
The numerical systems used differ mainly in the highest grade obtainable; examples of scales are 100%,
20, 5.0, 4.0.
Now in applying for the program use the value given on your transcript/certificate. Don’t worry about average or weighted average. If you have to calculate the value by yourself use the weighted principle for the average whenever possible. If
Credit Points are given, the weighted principle should apply.
It is obvious, that non-numerical grades like
'passed' cannot contribute to the average.
Modified April 10, 2007 Top
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| Q11 |
Q: German Intensive Class/Course |
A: Master's students do not need to know German when embarking on their Master's program.
As of program INFOTECH'09 students have to proof German proficiency
at time starting the Master Thesis project (which itself is done in English).
It sounds like a good idea - if you are on beginners level
for German - to use the time upfront the first semester (September) to attend
the free-of-charge German Intensive Course. This German Intensive Course lasts for six weeks and is designed specifically for the needs of Master's students. The course is taught by the staff of the Department of Intercultural Training of the
Universitaet Stuttgart.
Please note the following rules:
- Participation in the language courses requires regular presence in the classes. Any participant who misses class more than three times (intensive courses)
) without excuse will be expelled from the course.
- Attendance to the German course has to be
requested by a special form, the GRF, sent to all admitted applicants.
Modified Jul 14, 2008 Top
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| Q9 |
Q: 4-year Bachelor degree |
A: INFOTECH admission regulations require candidates to have a qualifying Bachelor degree with a regular study time of 4 years. This requirement is independent of the term structure of the University awarding the degree (i.e. 2 terms or 3 terms). It implies, that the 4-years cannot be split over more than 1 university, except they have a common curriculum.
Combining a 2 or 3 years bachelor with a master does NOT create a 4-year
Bachelor.
The time frame of 4-years represent a certain amount of hours spent on the academic subjects and therefore a certain knowledge level. To qualify, it’s sufficient to have the proof by the awarding university about the regular study times; individual study times have no influence. Country specific exceptions from the rule may apply. See separate
QaA.
Top
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| Q8 |
Q: Shift of Admission |
A: In case you can not take the admission for a specific program the following
holds:
- The admission awarded by the university is always for a specific term (e.g. winter term
2008/09). The admission letter clearly states for which term the admission is valid. In other words, the
Admission Letter is void for all other terms.
- Candidates who ask for a
"shift" are typically put on top of the step-2 selection list for that
program.
- In some cases shift request may be accepted immediately
on admission level
- In any case, after a "shift", the known procedure for admission letter, dormitories,
German class etc. restarts
- Necessary step in case of a shift
request: You need to request the shift by sending an e-mail. Clearly state the program
(PYxx) to which you want to shift.
Text Modified on Nov 20th,
2006
Text Modified on Jan 26th,
2007
Text modified on July 5th, 2007
Text modified on Jul 14, 2008 Top
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| Q7 |
Q: Step 1 Qualification |
A: Step 1 qualification is actually subdivided in
two parts. In a step 0 we check the step 1 ‘Qualification for Application for Admission’ Basic Data (BD) versus the INFOTECH requirements. This is done shortly after receipt of the step 1 e-mail in order not to waste your time until step 1 deadline.
The data we check are:
- Type of Degree: Non-compliance disqualify
- Study Field: Non-compliance disqualify
- Regular study time for Bachelor: Non-compliance disqualify (exceptions see separate topic)
- English Proficiency: If not given we request to supply until step 1 deadline
The GPA provided plays an important role in our step 1 evaluation procedure
which takes place shortly after step 1 deadline.
Modified Jul 14, 2008 Top
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| Q6 |
Q: Bachelor Degree vs. Master Degree |
A: INFOTECH is a Master program which builds on fundamental knowledge of subjects like Electrical Engineering, Computer Science and Higher Mathematics. These fundamentals are typically taught in Bachelor programs. Master programs are more on advanced subjects. Students with a Master in a qualifying field, but with a Bachelor in a non-qualifying field, usually do not have the fundamentals required. That’s why a Master degree does not compensate a Bachelor degree in a qualifying field.
As a consequence, the Bachelor degree should be given on the application form rather than the Master degree.
Top
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| Q4 |
Q: Degrees awarded by German Universities - Study Time |
A: As an exception to the rule, that only 4-years Bachelor degrees are accepted: Bachelor degrees from German Universities as well as Diploma-Degrees like Dipl.-Ing (BH/FH) with a regular study time of 3-years are accepted.
Top
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| Q3 |
Q: English Proficiency |
A: Proof of English Proficiency is a prerequisite for admission. Currently we accept
- TOEFL computer based with 213 points or
better,
- TOEFL paper-based with 550 points or better,
- TOEFL Internet based with 80 points or
better,
- IELTS with band 6.0 or better,
- CAE/CPE Certificate in Advanced English/
Certificate of Proficiency in English
- 'MoI' (Means of Instruction) i.e. a statement by the undergraduate university that the bachelor was entirely taught in English
The nationality of a country, whose official
language is English is NO proof of sufficient English proficiency.
TOEFL institutional test results cannot be accepted.
Top
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| Q1 |
Q: International Non-European Students: Bachelor with less than 4 years. Previous Education recognized by University |
A: If the University awarding the Bachelor degree recognizes previous studies, but has in general a 4-years Bachelor program, then this is accepted.
The university has to certify, that the regular study time for the degree is 4 years. The GPA or overall average is that what is defined by the university awarding the degree. They have to decide how to handle previous study results.
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