1. University of Paderborn Gerd Szwillus, Head of the Examination Committee April 2010

2.  Elements of the Master Programme ◦ Classes ◦ Seminars ◦ Project Group ◦ Master‘s Thesis ◦ German Language Course  Structure ◦ Areas ◦ Modules  Scope  Examinations

3.  Class + Exercises (Vorlesung mit Übungen) ◦ 2 hrs lecture and 1 hr exercises per week (V2+Ü1) ◦ Lecture  all students meet  teacher talks ◦ Exercise  students meet in subgroups  tutor moderates discussion with students  students present prepared homework

4.  Seminar (Seminar) ◦ 2 meeting hrs per week (S2) ◦ Teacher proposes topics (Seminarthemen) ◦ Every student  selects one topic to work on  prepares a talk with slides (Seminarvortrag)  submits a written elaboration (Ausarbeitung)

5.  Project Group (Projektgruppe) ◦ Workload: Half-time for one year ◦ New PG topics are presented to the Master students in a public event (Projektgruppenvorstellung) ◦ Interested students apply for PG and … ◦ … 8 to 16 students are accepted ◦ Working for two semesters on a project (often: concept and implementation of some software) ◦ Highly self-organized

6.  Master‘s Thesis (Masterarbeit) ◦ Workload: Full-time for one semester ◦ What has to be done?  Literature review  Research  often: implementation of some software  Writing a thesis (~ 80-120 pages) on scientific level  All this: within 6 months (formally checked!) ◦ First a planning phase (typically 1 month) ◦ Then the performing phase (5 months)

7.  Master‘s Thesis (Masterarbeit) ◦ Finding an advisor (Betreuer)  adress professors working in an interesting area  adress project group organizer  ask friends ◦ Finding a topic (Thema) is an interactive process between student and advisor  own ideas?  project group topic?  discussion with the (potential) advisor!

8.  German Language Course (Deutschkurs) ◦ Hosted by the International Office (Akademisches Auslandsamt) ◦ Obligatory (no Master‘s degree without!) ◦ May cover the „Studium Generale“ part ◦ Paid by the Computer Science Institute

9.  Four areas (Gebiete) ◦ SWT&IS: Software Technology & Information Systems (Softwaretechnologie und Informationssysteme) ◦ MuA: Models & Algorithms (Modelle und Algorithmen) ◦ ESS: Embedded Systems & System Software (Eingebettete Systeme und Systemsoftware) ◦ MMWW: Human-Machine-Interaction (Mensch-Maschine-Wechselwirkung)  Every student chooses one of the four as area of specialization (Vertiefungsgebiet)

10.  Modules (Module) ◦ Every module  belongs to one area (of the four)  contains a catalog of classes or seminars (from that area)  is described in the module handbook (Modulhandbuch)  is studied by taking two classes from that catalog ◦ Every student has to  study three modules in her/his area of specialization  one module each in the three other areas  (Hence every student has to take six modules overall)

11.  Handbook of modules (Modulhandbuch, MHB) ◦ available on-line as PDF from http://www.cs.uni-paderborn.de/cshome http://www.cs.uni-paderborn.de/cshome ◦ exists in two versions  „old“ = 2004  „new“= 2009 ◦ since winter 09/10 only 2009 is relevant!

12.  Currently existing modules

13.  Example: Module III.2.1 „Algorithms 1“  Studying this module means: taking two of these classes!

14.  Every student has to … (ECTS credits) ◦ study three modules in her/his area of specialization (24)  including one seminar in some module ◦ study one module in each of the other three areas (24)  one more seminar (instead of a class) is allowed ◦ successfully take part in a project group (30) ◦ write a Master‘s thesis (30) ◦ complete the German language course (if not yet done before) or study a side subject or do „general studies“ (12)

15.  Possible structure (but not obligatory!): everything else before thesis (minimum of 54 ECTS before thesis)

16.  Modules, PG (even thesis) can be shifted

17.  Modules need not to be done within one semester!

18.  MuA 1 & MuA 2 in one module  Same for SWT 1 & SWT 2 and MMWW 1 & MMWW 2  ESS 1 …ESS 6 must be matched to three modules, e.g. ESS 1 & ESS 4 ESS 2 & ESS 3 ESS 5 & ESS 6

19.  MuA 1 & MuA 2 in one module  Same for SWT 1 & SWT 2 and MMWW 1 & MMWW 2  ESS 1 …ESS 6 must be matched to three modules, e.g. ESS 1 & ESS 4 ESS 2 & ESS 3 ESS 5 & ESS 6

20.  MuA 1 & MuA 2 in one module  Same for SWT 1 & SWT 2 and MMWW 1 & MMWW 2  ESS 1 …ESS 6 must be matched to three modules, e.g. ESS 1 & ESS 4 ESS 2 & ESS 3 ESS 5 & ESS 6

21.  MuA 1 & MuA 2 in one module  Same for SWT 1 & SWT 2 and MMWW 1 & MMWW 2  ESS 1 …ESS 6 must be matched to three modules, e.g. ESS 1 & ESS 4 ESS 2 & ESS 3 ESS 5 & ESS 6

22.  MuA 1 & MuA 2 in one module  Same for SWT 1 & SWT 2 and MMWW 1 & MMWW 2  ESS 1 …ESS 6 must be matched to three modules, e.g. ESS 1 & ESS 4 ESS 2 & ESS 3 ESS 5 & ESS 6

23.  MuA 1 & MuA 2 in one module  Same for SWT 1 & SWT 2 and MMWW 1 & MMWW 2  ESS 1 …ESS 6 must be matched to three modules, e.g. ESS 1 & ESS 4 ESS 2 & ESS 3 ESS 5 & ESS 6

24.  Modules ◦ one oral exam about the two classes (resp. a seminar)  Project group ◦ permanent evaluation throughout the project  Master‘s Thesis ◦ evaluation from the advisor and a co-advisor  Language Course ◦ DSH certificate after the course

25.  Repetition ◦ Oral exams (modules) can be repeated twice ◦ Master‘s Thesis can be repeated once ◦ Project group can be repeated twice ◦ German Language Course can be repeated infinitely

26.  Compensation (applies to oral module exams only) ◦ Based on concept of an exam container ◦ Size: 16 ECTS credits or two modules ◦ Successful or failed oral exam  can be placed into the container  retry something else with a „clean“ situation  e.g. a second module in one of the non-specialized areas  e.g. a fourth module in the specialized area  swap container exams and non-container exams  e.g. to improve the degree  e.g. to eliminate one or two module exam failures

27.  Student fails three times in oral exam of module ESS-2  no more repetition possible   ESS-2  Container  Student succeeds in ESS-4

28.  Student succeeds, but performs weak in oral module exam MMWW-A for MMWW (degree: 3,0)   MMWW-A exam  Container  Student tries oral exam MMWW-B for MMWW  succeeds with 1,0 (has 1,0 as degree for MMWW !)  or: succeeds, but even worse (4,0)  MMWW-A exam  Container MMWW-B exam  Container (student can only fall back on degree 3,0 for MMWW!)

29.  Final failure  Container is full (2 modules)  Neither by swapping nor by further exams can the student fulfill the requirements  3 modules in the specialization area  one module in each of the other areas OR  Two attempts for a Master‘s thesis failed 

30.  Final failure  Container is full (2 modules)  Neither by swapping nor by further exams can the student fulfill the requirements  3 modules in the specialization area  one module in each of the other areas OR  Two attempts for a Master‘s thesis failed  But this will NEVER happen, of course!!!!!

31. Thank you for the attention!