• Semester, lecture period, lecture-free period
  The Bachelor’s programmes of the Faculty comprise six semesters, i.e. studies usually last three years. Students complete the Master's programme in four semesters, meaning two years. A year in each case is divided into the winter semester (October 1 of each year to March 31 of the following year) and the summer semester (April 1 to September 30 of each year). These periods are always the same.
  
  A distinction from the semester period, however, is the lecture period and the lecture-free period. The lecture period means that lectures and seminars take place during this period, the students are therefore located on the campus and attend their courses. In the lecture-free period, no events take place. The students write their exams or complete papers or do internships. Of course, there is also time for vacation. The respective time periods vary depending on the semester. In the winter semester 2011/2012, the lecture period lasted for example, from October 24, 2011 to February 10, 2012. The Christmas holidays were between December 23, 2011 and January 4, 2012. In the summer semester 2012, the courses start on April 16, 2012 and end on July 20, 2012.




• Orientation phase – 2 semesters for everyone
  The first two semesters are almost identical for all students in a single-subject Bachelor’s programme of the Faculty. They usually comprise a total of nine compulsory modules in which you learn the basic problems and approaches in the economic sciences as well as a number of important disciplines. In addition to expertise in business and economics, you acquire particular skills in dealing with information and communication systems as well as in the relevant mathematical and statistical methods. Depending on the chosen course of study you also take a course on civil foundations (business and economics), on computer science (business information systems), or in the selected second subject (for Business Education).
  
  The compulsory modules are:
  
  • Math, 8 credits
  
  
  • Information and Communication Systems, 6 credits
  
  
  • Introduction to Finance, 6 credits
  
  
  • Financial Statements, 6 credits
  
  
  • Statistics, 8 credits
  
  
  • Microeconomics, 6 credits
  
  
  • Macroeconomics, 6 credits
  
  
  • Business and Markets, 6 Credits
  
  
  • Law, 8 credits /Computer Science, 10 credits/ second subject, 7-10 credits

  
  
  An exception is the two-subject Bachelor’s degree, Economics. This programme does not have an orientation phase. Detailed information can be found on the corresponding course page: http://www.uni-goettingen.de/de/36638.html





• In-depth and specialisation studies (3rd-6th semester)
  In the second phase of studies (3rd-6th semester) you will deepen your basic knowledge from the orientation phase. In addition, you can focus your studies according to your individual interests in your discipline and your career aspirations. In the sixth semester, you usually write the Bachelor's thesis. The fourth or fifth semester is also a good time to study abroad. The Faculty collaborates in Europe alone, for example, with over 60 partner universities (Erasmus), as well as with universities in the United States, Latin America, Russia, India, South Africa, and South Korea. Through university-wide programmes, semesters abroad in Australia and China are also possible.




• Research-oriented teaching
  The University of Göttingen is an internationally recognized research university with a focus on research-based teaching. Recent research results are incorporated into teaching. In your studies, you will learn scientific methods and modern theoretical concepts that enable you to independently work out tasks and problems as well as learn about new fields of knowledge. You will receive an overview of your respective area of expertise, learning to recognize connections and transfer their knowledge to new areas and to apply or to quickly become familiar with new topics.
  In addition, you are introduced to scientific work, learn to work out a particular problem within a specified period, to look for relevant literature on the subject, to process it according to the question and to critically deal with the statements of the respective authors. In empirical research, you independently design, for example, questionnaires and with them check your previously made assertions (hypotheses). Especially in the Bachelor's and Master's thesis you should show that you can scientifically work out a topic in a given time.
  
  The professors of the Faculty (especially in business administration) also maintain close contacts with industry and business. Company representatives, for example, hold lectures, in courses and public lecture series. Together with companies and consulting firms, our professors offer workshops or award theses. Once a year, the Career Service of the University holds a career fair ("Practice Exchange") for all students at the University where you can speak directly with businesses about internships and job offers.

The first days and weeks at the University

No fear of math
Even before classes start, you can brush up your math skills in the so-called "math preparatory course." Participation in the prep course is voluntary. The course repeats selected material from school mathematics. Mathematics is an important method in economics in order to represent processes and relationships accurately and correctly, and therefore an important foundation for your studies. You do not need to have taken math as an advanced placement class in school, but should have an interest in numbers and an aptitude for analytical thinking.


The orientation week
The first week of classes is your orientation week. On the first day of lectures you will be divided into small groups that are supported by advanced students. In numerous information sessions and the first lecture you will get to know your fellow students and create your schedule. In addition, you will take a tour of the library, have breakfast with lecturers of the Faculty, explore Göttingen on a city rally and will celebrate your first student party.

Detailed information: http://www.uni-goettingen.de/de/13557.html