Frequently Asked Questions
Qustions
Q30: Conditional Admission / Incomplete DocumentsQ29: APS Certificate
Q28: Scholarships
Q27: INFOTECH program
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
Q15: How much does it cost to Study in Stuttgart
Q13: E-Mail Policy
Q12: Overall Average, Grade, GPA, Marks
Q11: German Intensive Class/Course
Q9: 4-year Bachelor degree
Q8: Shift of Admission
Q7: Step 1 Qualification
Q6: Bachelor Degree vs. Master Degree
Q4: Degrees awarded by German Universities - Study Time
Q3: English Proficiency
Q1: International Non-European Students: Bachelor with less than 4 years. Previous Education recognized by Uni
| Q & A | ||
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| Q30 | Q: Conditional Admission / Incomplete Documents | A: The decision process for granting admission has two elements: The admission commission of the Master program INFOTECH selects the candidates for admission based on academic performance, seat capacity and other criteria. Those who have been selected have to pass a second process for checking legal admission requirements according to INFOTECH admission regulation and the  University Law of the State of Baden-Wuerttemberg. These legal requirements are mainly the proof of first level degree (Bachelor degree certificate) from a - in Germany - globally recognized Higher Educational Institution, see the anabin database and the English Language Proficiency proof. If all these requirements are met at day of step 2 evaluation an Unconditional Admission Letter (UAL) will be issued. This letter allows for enrolment into the program any time in September or October. Now, if one of the compulsory documents is not available at step 2 evaluation day (esp. Degree Certificate and Language Proof), but it's the belief of the admission commission that the documents will be available at time of enrolment (September/October) a Conditional Admission Letter (CAL) can be issued. With a CAL you need to present the missing document(s), stated in the admission letter, to the admission officer at enrolment in Stuttgart. In that case, please do not send these documents after step 2 deadline to Stuttgart. Once issued, the CAL will not be converted to UAL. The same procedure is applied for missing APS at time of Step 2 evaluation. It should be noted however, that for the Visa application, the German embassies may request these documents even if we granted conditional admission. Please see also Q24. |
| Q29 | Q: APS Certificate | A: The Academic Evaluation Centers (Akademische Pruefstelle - APS) are located at the German Embassy in Beijing, P.R. of China , German Embassy in Hanoi, Vietnam and German Embassy in Ulan Bator, Mongolia .
The APS issues a certificate which is a compulsory condition for admittance to any Master Program of the University of Stuttgart, including the INFOTECH Master Program. This rule apply for all applicants using a Bachelor degree of a chinese, vietnamese or mongolian University. The APS as original has to be attached to the step 2 application documents. If not available before step 2 deadline, the APS might be presented at time of enrolment (September/October). In that case the admission letter will be conditional. Please choose only one of those two possibilities and do not send the APS certificate after step 2 deadline. |
| Q28 | Q: Scholarships | A: The Universitaet Stuttgart is not in a position to award
scholarships to students of Master programs.
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| Q27 | 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 |
| Q25 | 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. |
| Q24 | 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, which is September/October. 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:
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 |
| Q23 | 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. |
| Q22 | 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 |
| Q21 | 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 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. |
| 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. |
| 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! |
| 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.
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
This is in-line with government regulations, which allow a maximal ‘burden’ of 30 credits/term. |
| Q15 | Q: How much does it cost to Study in Stuttgart | A: Please see the pdf document Cost of Living (CoL). Have in mid, that the amounts given 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.
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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
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. |
| 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. |
| 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:
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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. |
| Q8 | Q: Shift of Admission | A: In case you can not take the admission for a specific program the following
holds:
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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:
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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. |
| 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. |
| Q3 | Q: English Proficiency | A: Proof of English Proficiency is a prerequisite for admission. Currently we accept
The nationality of a country, whose official
language is English is NO proof of sufficient English proficiency. |
| 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. |
