Bachelor’s degree programs at Freie Universität typically last six semesters (exceptions: Italian Studies and French Studies, both of which last seven semesters). Almost all programs begin in the winter semester only.
All academic courses are combined into modules, which are completed when a student takes a graded module exam (which may consist of several sections). There is no single large final examination; instead, the module exams are automatically considered part of the bachelor’s degree examination (Bachelor-Prüfung), and all module exam grades are counted toward the overall grade on the bachelor’s degree exam. As a result, most courses in the bachelor’s degree programs are required courses that demand regular, active participation (for details, see the study and examination regulations).
Credits are awarded for the efforts a student has invested toward a module after the exam in that module is passed: One credit under the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS) is equivalent to 30 hours of work on that subject by the student (class attendance, self-study, preparing for module exams, time spent taking exams, required professional internships, etc.).
A six-semester program always comprises 180 credits, which means students should plan on earning an average of 30 credits each semester. In this system, the amount of time a student needs is 30 x 30 = 900 hours over six months (no teaching activity, or vorlesungsfreie Zeit, is not the same as a semester break (Semesterferien), but instead is time set aside for exams, block courses, internships, etc.).
The sequence of classes (Studienverlaufsplan) is shown in the appendix to the study regulations for each discipline. This chart shows which modules should be completed during which semesters (many course sequences start only in the winter semester and are taken over two consecutive semesters).
In the core subject, the student writes a bachelor’s degree thesis, which is typically about 25 pages long and must be prepared within eight weeks; sometimes there is also a thirty-minute oral examination on the content of the student’s paper (details are also shown in the study and examination regulations).
