SBE Study Plan

In order to have a comfortable yet productive study period during the exchange, each exchange student is advised to take a look at our School's course offerings and prepare an according personal study plan. During the group and personal meetings prior to the semester start, we will discuss the study plan in further detail.
 
 

 CONTENTS

General
            Set-Up
            The ERASMUS+ Learning Agreement     
 
Language and WWU Courses
           Language Courses
           WWU Courses
 
SBE Courses
            Overview
           COURSE DESCRIPTIONS                
           WWU Online Course Catalogue   
           Chairs' websites     

       

Course Features

.

 

  • Set-up of Study Plan / LA

    The SBE Study Plan (in short SBE SP), the ERASMUS+ Learning Agreement (in short LA), as well as any similar document from the home university, all aim at providing a transparent and efficient preparation for the exchange period abroad.
     

    Distinction between an (Online) Learning Agreement & the Study Plan?

             The SBE Study Plan (SBE SP)

             Mandatory for all students enrolled at SBE

    • The SBE SP is mandatory for all exchange students in order to be correctly registered for courses taking place at SBE. Therefore, each exchange student enrolled at SBE will be required to submit this SBE Study Plan. All necessary information are provided during preparation meetings in March (for the summer semester)/ September (for the winter semester). The SP only entails courses offered at SBE. Courses from the language center and courses offered at other departments/ faculties other than SBE are not included in the SBE SP.
    • Timeline for the Summer Semester 2023
      During MAR                           preparation in information and group meetings
      MAR 20                                  deadline for submitting first draft (changes still possible)
      APR 18                                   deadline for submitting final SP
      JUN 13                                    deadline for changes of regular and Term II courses                                              
    • Timeline for the Winter Semester 2023/24
      During SEP                            preparation in information and group meetings
                   Phase of the SBE SP and deadlines:

    Phase 1

    SBE SP #1

    Sep 04 -

    Sep 27

    		 Students take part in Preparation Information Meetings & several Online Group Meetings

    Mandatory submission

    Deadline to submit SBE SP #1 (preliminary):

    Sep 27

    Changes possible to all courses

    Phase 2

    SBE SP #2

    ca.
    Oct 08 - ca. 20

    Students start classes, take part in courses, and are able to actively (re-) consider courses from the preliminary SBE SP

    Mandatory submission

    Deadline to submit SBE SP #2

    ca. Oct 18-20

     

    Binding:

    •  Term I courses
    • Seminars

    Preliminary for:

    • Term II 
    • Regular courses

     

    Phase 3

    SBE SP #3

    		 ca. Oct 20 -
    ca. Nov    		 Students take part in all courses & are able to  re-consider choices for Regular and Term II courses

    In case of changes:

    Deadline to submit SBE PLAN #3:

    with changes to:

    • Term II
    • Regular courses
     
              The ERASMUS+ Learning Agreement (LA)

             Ask your home coordinator if submission is required

    • The LA is not mandatory. If an LA is submitted, the SBE Study Plan will serve as its basis and needs to be identical with regards to courses at SBE.
    • More information see below.

     

    • The ERASMUS+ Learning Agreement (LA)

      The ERASMUS+ Learning Agreement (LA) or ERASMUS+ Online Learning Agreement (OLA) are official documents within the exchange across the European Union, setting up a binding study plan between the three parties of sending institution (home university), the student, and the Receiving Institution (= SBE).
      [ Additonal information from the EU Commission]
       
       
      Filling out the ERASMUS+ Learning Agreement (LA):
      • Use LA template from your home university: Please consult your home coordinator about your university's LA templates and requirements. The home university will provide exchange students with all necessary information about the LA.
      • Electronic LAs: If your University does not use electronic LAs anyway: Due to environmental reasons, we appreciate the LA being submitted electronically. In the near future, we will be switching to the Online Learning Agreement (OLA) along with the EU Commission's guidelines.
      • Study cycle: Always indicate your Study Cycle by choosing "EQF level 6" = Bachelor level  OR   "EQF level 7" = Master level. Otherwise, the LA cannot be accepted if you wish to take Master-level courses.
      • Erasmus code: D MUNSTER01
      • Component titles/ codes: Titles shall be indicated in the language of instruction (i.e. German or English); Component codes are not necessary. 
       

      Changes

      A once-set and signed LA can only be changed once, only during the semester and the home coordinator's approval is required. Students need to use the Change form in the ERASMUS+ documents provided by the home university.
       

       

      Procedure for handing in Learning Agreement (see below)

      If the home university requires a Learning Agreement / Study Plan that needs to be signed by both parties, the SBE Study Plan will serve as its basis and needs to be identical with regards to courses at SBE. Language courses and courses from other faculties other than SBE can be included but are not checked by SBE. Please note the following information below.
     
     
     
     

    • Language Courses at WWU Language Center

        Language Courses @SBE and @WWU    
        Language courses do not take place at the School of Business and Economics, but at the University's own language center:

        • SBE does not oversee the availability and access requirements of language courses. Therefore, all administrative matters of registration, examinations, and transcripts then follow the rules of the respective faculty.
        • After completing a language course, each student receives a certificate that states all essential information (course title; grade, ECTS; ... ). The certificate needs to be sent via e-mail to: here.
        • Students can include language courses in the LA, but not the SBE Study Plan.

        ERASMUS+ students have the opportunity to take a German intensive course that is scheduled approximately 2 weeks before the start of each semester.Further information will be provided by our University's International Office after the application period.

        Additionally, SBE offers certain language courses in Business English and Business French. However, those are partly held in German and therefore require a German level of B2 according to CEFR.

      • Other Courses at WWU

        Other courses @WWU  
        The University of Münster (WWU) offers a wide range of subjects, from archaeology to zoology. If you are interested in taking such courses, please contact the respective exchange coordinator of your faculty of choice. If a course from another WWU department shall be included in the LA (which is not necessary), SBE does not necessarily need the approval by the respective Chair (via e-mail). All administrative matters of registration, examinations, and transcripts then follow the rules of the respective faculty. This means, that after completing a WWU course, each student needs to ask for a certificate that states all essential information (grade, ECTS; ). The certificate needs to be sent via e-mail to: here.

       

       

      • Courses at SBE: Overview

        There are multiple ways to look for course offerings at SBE.

        Information on contents, knowledge requirements as well as time and place of the respective course are to be found here:
              Excel-table
              COURSE DESCRIPTIONS                    (Course Contents)
              WWU Online Course Catalogue       (Up-to-date Schedules; Offerings) 
              Chairs' websites         
         

         

        Overview: Excel-Table Course Overview
             -      Filter choices according to needs
                    (Language, Study Level, Credit Points, Term Structure, etc.)

             -      Get general overview about courses and
                     need for registrations/ applications

         

         
         
         
        Please note Errors may occur and only the official information
        by the Chair, the Online Course Catalogue and  Exam Office are binding.
        If you notice any unclarities, please do not hesitate to contact us.

         

       
       
       

       

      • Study Programs

        In general, students can choose from courses of each study program:

        • B.A.:         Business Administration

        • ECON:      Economics

        • I.S.:          Information Systems

                 Follow for general information on SBE's study programs

         

         

      • Study Levels: Bachelor/ Master

        Study programs at SBE and their usual study period:
        • Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) in Business Administration, Economics or Information Systems:
             >> Usual study period of 3 years ≙ 6 semesters ≙ 180 ECTS
        • Master of Science (M.Sc.) in Business Administration, Economics or Information Systems:
             >> Usual study period of 2 years ≙ 4 semesters ≙ 120 ECTS
         
        As a general rule for exchange students:
        • Master-level exchange students
          can choose from all offered courses (Business, Economics, Information Systems in Bachelor- & Master-level).
        • Bachelor-level exchange students
          can also choose from all offered Bachelor-level courses. Additionally, some Master-level courses are open, too: for a list please see below.
         

      • ECTS  / Course Load / Grading

        ECTS / Course Load

        The ECTS number stands for the number of credit points that are awarded if the course is passed.
        • ECTS include both class attendance hours & self-study time.
        • The usual course load for one semester comprises 30 ECTS. Provided the home university approves of the Learning Agreement/ Study Plan and in consideration of grant agreements, SBE allows every exchange student to fulfill less or more credits than the usual 30 ECTS.
        • European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System and the conversion into time:
           

           1 ECTS credit point         ≙        between 25-30 of working hours      

          30 ECTS per semester    ≙        40 hours work/ week             
                         
                                                       ≙        full-time employment
          As 1 credit point shall represent about 25/30 of working hours (both class hours and self-study time), the usual course load for a regular student of 30 ECTS per semester means an 8-hour work day, or 40-hour working week, respectively.
          >> Find further information on the website of the European Commission:  >> What are ECTS?

         

                     

         

        Grading

        SBE's Institutional Grading Scale
         
        SBE Grade
        ECTS Grade
        Description
        1,0 – 1,5
        A
        Excellent
        Outstanding performance
        1,6 – 2,0
        B
        Very good
        Performance clearly above average
        2,1 – 3,0
        C
        Good
        Performance above average
        3,1 – 3,5
        D
        Satisfactory
        Performance on average
        3,6 – 4,0
        E
        Sufficient
        Performance with deficiency
        4,1 – 5,0
        F
        Fail FX/
        Performance which does not meet the requirements
         
         

         

      • Language of Instruction

        Courses at SBE are held in either English or German. Students may self-evaluate and then choose from all offered courses. In order to follow classes properly, we advise students to have at least  Level B2 according to CEFR, the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages.

      • Semester Structure: Regular, Term I / II

        (Schematic overview of a usual semester.)
         
        Regular                               Courses are usually held throughout the whole semester (= regular courses).
         
        Term I /Term II                  Each semester consists of two periods, Term I and Term II.
                                                     Some courses are only held in either Term I or Term II of the respective semester.
                                                     Exams for Term I courses will be written in the middle of the semester,
                                                      whereas Term II exams will take place during the regular exam period.

      • Course Type: Lectures / Tutorials / Seminars

        Courses at SBE are organized as either  
             -    Lectures    (with or without Tutorials)   
                   or
             -    Seminars.
         
         
        Lectures and Tutorials (L/T)
        The majority of courses are held in the mode of Lecture/ Tutorial. Lectures are commonly held by a professor and are aimed at laying a profound theoretical foundation. Lectures are usually accompanied by Tutorials (synonyms: exercises / practices / "Übungen"). 
        • Schedules:
          Tutorials usually take place separately, thus, have differing schedules (see Online Course Catalogue for schedules).
        • No PRIOR registration / No mandatory attendance:
          For both Lecture and Tutorial, there usually is NO PRIOR registration, attendance is NOT compulsory.
        • ECTS (=Credit Points))
          In order to pass the course and gain the total amount of credit points, the final examination at the end must be passed.
          Only, and only if, the final exam is passed, ECTS can be granted.
          Mere attendance in either L/T does not give any credit points.
          Caution/ Common Misconceptions: Although credit points in the Online Course Catalogue for L/T are often
          displayed separately, ECTS can only be gained as a whole and not in parts.
         
                    Tutorial?
                   In some instances, Lecture and Tutorial are organized in one single format, therefore, do not have
                   separate schedules.
         

         

        Seminar Courses

        In a seminar course, students are expected to conduct research on an academically relevant topic and hand in the results in form of a self-written paper that holds up to scientific standards. The aim is to get acquainted with academic writing and prepare for the bachelor/ master thesis. The seminar course consists of a limited number of participants as to allow interactive group works and discussions. Therefore:

        • A PRIOR APPLICATION is always required. 
          Without the specific confirmation by the Chair, students cannot take part in a seminar course.
          Each Chair organizes the application process for itself, which means that deadlines and access methods (i.e. random principle; first-come first-served (fcfs); individual application) vary among the courses. Please check the Chair's Website for further specific information.
        • Students are graded on the written paper, often in addition to a presentation, and/ or the contributions made during the seminar. Attendance is mandatory.
        • Study Plan/ Learning Agreement
          If a seminar is included in the Learning Agreement, the course can only be regarded as preliminary and might need to be changed. Due to the limited number of places available, some seminars cannot admit exchange students as the places available need to be given to students who will graduate from WWU; therefore those courses are often booked out even before the semester start. Exchange students will get all important information on offerings and deadlines before the semester begins.
         
         
         

      • Master: Major

        Only refers to Master-level courses in the Business Administration program (MSc B.A.) and indicates the respective Major:
         
        At SBE, there are 4 possible Majors:
         
        Accounting
        Finance
        Marketing
        Management
        .
         

      • MASTER-course Availability For BACHELOR-level students

         
        • Master-level students can choose from all Master-level and Bachelor-level courses.

          Note: Seminars will always require a prior application at the Chair directly.

         

        • Bachelor-level students can choose from all Bachelor-level courses & several Master-level courses, depending on the current study level.
         
         
         
                        If you are in your 4th year of a 4-year Bachelor program and you want to pursue Master-level courses:
                        If you are in your Bachelor's level but would like to pursue a specific Master-level course that is not available:
        SBE supports exchange Bachelor-level students to participate in Master-level courses if the necessary prior knowledge for participation in Master-level courses can be proven. As often group work is involved fellow students in the course will need to rely on each other and share common basic knowledge. Therefore, please double check if you have
        a) the necessary basic knowledge for that course, and
        b) enough time to participate in group work.
         
        Consult your home coordinator and ask to send an email to incoming@wiwi.uni-muenster.de, including Transcript of Records from home university
         
        Optional from student's side:
        • highlight courses that show building-up of knowledge in that field of Accounting, Finance, Marketing, Management
        •  include max 100 words of motivational text.

        The respective Chair needs to decide if a participation is reasonable.
         

      • ACCESSABILITY: Prior Registration/ Application at Chair?

        The majority of courses at SBE can only be attended without a prior registration or application. In those cases, there is no limitation to places so everyone willing to participate is able to participate.
         

                 Rule of thumb:

        • Lectures/ Tutorials:       No prior application necessary / required / possible
        • Seminars:                         Required prior application
                                                      >> See respective Chair's Website
         
        Seminars
        Due to the limited number of places available, some seminars cannot admit exchange students as the places available need to be given to students who will graduate from WWU; therefore those courses are often booked out even before the semester start.
         
         
        Group Work Involved?
        If group work is involved, fellow students in the course will need to rely on each other and share some common basic knowledge. Therefore, please double check if you have a) the necessary basic knowledge for that course, and b) enough time to participate in group work .
         

      • SCHEDULES: Times and Place

        Times
         
        • Online Course Catalogue
          Schedules  (times and places) are always kept up-to-date in the Online Course Catalogue (OCC)- in German called "Vorlesungsverzeichnis" ("VVZ").
        • Learnweb-course
          As soon as the semester begins, all courses from SBE will also have a digital course on the  WEBSITE LEARNWEB. In those courses, the Chair will commnicate with students, also about up-to-date scheduling. Therefore, make sure to enroll in all Learnweb-courses.
         
         

        Locations

         
        Additional Scheduling Questions
         
         

                Mandatory attendance?

        • For the majority of lectures and tutorials at SBE, there is no mandatory attendance. Please check the Online Course Catalogue for the particular course.
        • All Seminars, however, do have the obligation to attend.
         
         

                Select Overlapping courses?

        • Regardless of mandatory attendance or not, our experience has shown that actual attendance and the passing of a course do have a positive correlation, meaning that students attending a class have a higher probability to pass.
        • On these grounds, it is advised to not choose overlapping courses in the study plan.
         
         

                 Cum tempore?

        • If not noted otherwise, courses always start cum tempore, which is Latin and and indicates that a course will not start on the hour but 15 minutes later.
        • For example, if a lecture is scheduled from 14-16 o'clock, the lecture will actually start at 14:15 o'clock and end at 15:45 o'clock (15 minutes earlier). Consequently, there will always be 30 minutes between two courses.

         

      • Exam schedules

        Exam Schedules
        Examination schedules (time and place) will be published after the start of the semester by the examination office on its website.
        As the English version of the website, often, is not up-to-date, it is advised to use the information on the German website:

         

        Under the subject "Prüfungstermine", you will find 4 separate pdf-documents:

        • "Prüfungen vorgezogener Zeitraum"
          Bachelor/Master                                                             >>  Term I courses/ examinations
        • "Prüfungen regulärer Zeitraum"         
          Bachelor/ Master                                                            >>  Regular and Term II courses / examinations

        Caution: Always check the exam schedules again before the examination takes place, as sometimes, updated documents were uploaded.

      • FINAL COURSE REGISTRATION AT EXAM OFFICE

        By submitting the final Study Plan, courses will be registered at the examination office. If an SBE course is not listed in the SBE Study Plan, the course cannot be passed (or failed in that matter). ALL courses taking place at SBE will require this registration (e.g. regardless of a prior registration/ application).

         

        >>
        Differing course registration for regular and exchange students
        The reasoning for differing course registration methods between regular and exchange students: Exchange students are able to select from a unique variety of courses, including most degree courses in Business Administration, Economics, and Information Systems, but with certain constraints, too. Therefore, the official registration procedure (at our School’s examination office) differs fundamentally from the procedure that fellow regular students need to follow. Those other regular students register online via the website “Flexnow”. All exchange students, on the other hand, will be registered for all SBE courses on the basis of the final SBE Study Plan.

      • Course Material

        Course material: On WEBSITE LEARNWEB.

        >>
        Make sure to attend the FIRST SESSION of each course in every case as, often, course entry is protected by a specific password, which is handed out at the first course meeting.

       

       

       

      • Consultation

        In order to have a productive consultation, make sure to:

                 A:     download the Excel table as a basis
                 B:     keep prior e-mails attached / below &
                          use same e-mail address

        >> Consultation hours
              >> Group Meetings before semester start (March / September)

      • Submission

        Procedure for submission of SBE Study Plan:
         Follow the instructions on this website
         

        If you need your LEARNING AGREEMENT - or similar document - to be signed on the basis of the final SBE Study Plan: Reach out to incoming@wiwi.uni-muenster.de

        Timeline for the Summer Semester 2023:
        MAR 20:          deadline for submitting first draft of SBE Study Plan (changes still possible)
        APR 15-18:     deadline for submitting final SBE Study Plan
                                  (changes still possible for Term II courses and courses with a later application deadline)
        JUN 13             deadline for changes of regular and Term II courses       

        Before sending make sure to go through the provided information above:        
         Pay special attention to:
                   >>  possible prior application requirements
                   >>  access restraints to Master-level courses
                   >>  prevention of timetable conflicts

         

        Please note/ Disclaimer: The Study Plan / LA is no guarantee that courses will take place.
        Moreover, for courses that require an application, each student is responsible for following the Chair's Website instructions.

         

      • Changes

        SBE Study Plan:
        Changes are possible - once -until APR 18 (SS 2023) or OCT XX (WS 2023/24).
        However, with regards to
                        >>   Courses with an application deadline after APR 18/ OCT XX (tbd)
                        >>   Term II courses, Regular coures
                 
                        changes will still be possible until June 13.

         

        ERASMUS+ Learning Agreement:
        A once set and signed ERASMUS+ (Online) LA can only be changed once and the home coordinator's approval is required; use the Change form in the ERASMUS+ documents from your home university to document changes.
        See for the respective semester and its deadlines/ requirements and submit the Changes in the same way as the original LA/ Study Plan.