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Academic Office Social Sciences

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Recognition of completed coursework

Recognition of completed coursework and examinations

Recognizing completed coursework means crediting coursework and exams completed in another program at another university or when studying abroad.

Work completed at the University of Hamburg and within the scope of the elective area can also be recognized. Find more information at the following link:

The University decides whether to recognize academic achievements on the basis of examination regulations and subject-specific provisions (FSBs). This process is the responsibility of the competent examinations board. Applications for recognition are assessed on the following principle: coursework and examination results achieved at another university or during another degree program will generally be recognized, provided that the acquired skills and knowledge do not differ significantly from those required by the transfer university (Section 40 of the Hamburg higher education act (Hamburgisches Hochschulgesetz, HmbHG)).

There are 3 steps to the recognition process.

1. Consultation

Before submitting your request, arrange a meeting with your program coordinator (by mail). Your program coordinator is your first point of contact for any questions regarding the recognition of academic achievements.

Decide which modules or partial modules you would like to have recognized. You can find the module descriptions of your degree program in the subject-specific provisions (FSBs).

Once you have contacted the office, you and the program coordinator will agree upon further steps. If a consultation is required, bring the following to your appointment with the degree program coordinator:

  • original transcript of records ()
  • learning agreement (only for semesters abroad)
  • course or module descriptions where applicable (e.g., excerpts from the module handbook, course schedule, bibliographies, meeting schedule, examination materials, etc.)

At the end of the consultation, you will receive a record of your conversation, including the coursework to be recognized.

2 Submitting your request

The electronic application form is available in your STiNE account under “Study management” > “Applications”. Select the form "V WISO Faculty: application for recognition of achievements" and click "Start."

When making your entry, adhere strictly to the information in the record and to the agreements with your degree program coordinator!

Complete the electronic request form using the record, send it electronically, print it out, sign it, and send it to the Social Sciences Academic Office.

3. Processing and notification

The chair of the examinations board decides upon the request. Once a decision has been reached, you will be notified by mail that the decision is available in your STiNE account. Soon after, the recognized achievements will be added to your course account.

For recognition of coursework in sociology or political science as a minor (BA), you must submit notification to the academic office for your major for the information to be entered into STiNE. 

All emails sent to you during the recognition process will be sent to your official University email address only (name.surname@studium.uni-hamburg.de).