Courses and examinations

To attend a course in the Department of Social Sciences, you must register via STiNE in a timely manner.

You must register for courses with limited places during the general registration periods. Places are allocated according to fixed rules to ensure effective study and learning in all degree programs.

There are several consecutive registration periods every semester: 

(First) general registration period

This is the first and most important opportunity to register for courses. You can register later only with certain limitations. This means that you should register for all courses in this (first) period.

At the end of this period, place allocation is subject to a priority principle, meaning the date of your registration during this phase plays no role in increasing your chances. By the end of this period, timely registration in STiNE have the status “pending.”  As a rule, places are allocated within a day after the first registration period ends. Subsequently, you can see the final status of your registration (“accepted” or “rejected”) in STiNE.

Late registration period

The late registration period can be used to register for courses for which there are still remaining slots after the first general registration period. Students who have failed to register in the first general registration period should definitely take this opportunity to register.

At the end of this period, places are also allocated according to a priority principle, meaning when you registered during this phase plays no role in increasing your chances.

First-semester general registration period

You can register for courses in the Department of Social Sciences in the winter semester only. During the registration phase for first semester, first-semester student should use the their orientation week to inform themselves and then register for first-semester courses. 

The first-semester registration phase also applies to courses that are open to both first-semester and higher-semester students. Check the valid registration period in STiNE.

At the end of this period, places are also allocated according to a priority principle, meaning the date when you registered during this phase plays no role in increasing your chances.

Changes and corrections phase

In the changes and correction phase, you can register only for those courses in which places are still available. At the same time, you can withdraw from courses in which you have been allocated a place. Students who do not wish to accept the offer of a place in a course should withdraw so that other students can register for it.

Current registration dates

You can register for courses only in the periods mentioned above. See registration dates and deadlines on the STiNE website.

• Registration periods for the current semester

Seminars and foundation courses have a limited number of places as a rule. Student preferences will be taken into account in the allocation process for seminars and foundation courses wherever possible. Nonetheless, the allocation of places can cause considerable hardship in individual cases. To compensate for this, at the beginning of the changes and correction phase (in the first 2 weeks of the lecture period) students can submit a so-called “hardship application” to request later admission, providing they meet the following criteria:

• The date or location of a course is not acceptable for a student with a disability or chronic illness, for a parent of a child or children under the age of 14, or for a student caring for a relative;
• There are scheduling clashes with mandatory courses;
• The student’s life situation results in other hardships.

Request requirements

To apply for subsequent registration in a course, you must have already tried to register for the course via STiNE by the deadline in the first registration phase.

If you are not offered a place in the first registration phase, try to register again on the first day of the second registration or changes phase. Hardship requests can be submitted at the beginning of the changes and correction phase only if there are no places available.

Processing of requests for retroactive registration can only begin at the start of the lecture period (not beforehand!) and should be submitted by the end of the first week of the lecture period.

Submitting the request

If there are simultaneous course options, indicate 2 further alternatives in order of preference.

Also indicate which course, should you be allocated a place, you wish to then withdraw from. You will automatically be withdrawn from that course if you are admitted to the course you really want.

Use the web form below to submit your request.

• Application for subsequent admission to a course

Information about registering for and choosing exam slots

• Pursuant to academic regulations, students have 3 attempts (teacher training students: 4) to pass an exam for a module or module component.
• Exam attempts are generally independent of attending a course. This means that if you want to take an exam as part of a course, you need to note the examination times for that course.
• The option “Date in a later semester,” which you can choose when registering in STiNE, means you are withdrawing from the exam.
• If there is still a valid registration following the general registration period or the changes and correction phase and you have neither withdrawn nor submitted a hardship request, then you will receive a “5” as a grade.

If you do not take an exam you registered for, the exam will be graded with a “fail” unless there are compelling reasons for you to have missed the exam or you have notified us of the missed deadline (e.g., due to illness or other reasons for which you cannot be held responsible).

Missing written exams

If you miss one or several examinations due to illness or other reasons for which you are not responsible and you can no longer withdraw from the exam, submit a form about missing the examination(s) immediately. Use the web form below and attach proof of the reasons for missing the exam (e.g., a doctor’s note) when you report the missed exam.

• Reporting missed written examinations (doctor’s note)

Important: Teacher training students must use Form 5 from the ZPLA and send it to Bogenallee 11, 20144 Hamburg.

• ZPLA form

Extending completion period for term papers, project reports, etc.

If you cannot meet deadlines for term papers, project reports, or other coursework due to illness or other reasons for which you are not responsible, we recommend that you first inform your teacher and agree to an extension, meaning a later due date, for the work.

If you cannot agree to a new due date with your teacher (e.g., because the teacher is not reachable), then you can request an extension from the examinations board directly. Use the web form below and attach proof of the reasons for missing the exam (e.g., a doctor’s note) when you report the missed exam.

• Request to extend due date for term paper

The completion period for final theses can be extended based on the submission of a doctor’s note. Submit the request using the web form below and include proof (e.g., doctor’s note).

• Extension request for final thesis

If your request is granted, the new due date will be posted on your STiNE account. You will not received any further notice.

The subject-specific provisions for the degree programs stipulate the various maximum extension periods (generally half of the standard completion period). If necessary, consult the pages for your degree program to the subject-specific provisions for your subject. 

• Degree programs in the Department of Social Sciences

For further extensions, submit an informal request (that you write and explain yourself) separately to the chair of the examinations board. The application can be granted only in cases of particular hardship for which the student is not responsible. You will receive a letter of notification about the decision.

Term papers, written submissions for oral reports, and similar exam tasks must be submitted to the teacher by the deadline electronically, meaning attached as a PDF to an email or on paper. See the STiNE comments for the course in question for the form in which you must submit the exam (see: More tips on examinations). As a rule, you cannot hand in term papers, written versions of oral presentations, or similar exam assignments to the Social Sciences Academic Office.

See the respective course annotations in STiNE to find out when the completion period for an exam ends (meaning the due date). See the link below for teachers’ contact details:

• Teaching staff in the Department of Social Sciences

Graded exams completed in courses offered by the Department of Social Sciences can be picked up after you have received confirmation of receipt and upon presentation of your student ID at the help desk in the academic office. The regularly updated overview of exam documents ready to be picked up indicates which teachers and courses have graded exam documents (term papers, project reports, written exams, etc.) that you can pick up in the academic office.

• Overview of exam documents ready to be picked up