General Information

Welcome to the Department of Earth Sciences at FU Berlin! On this site you will find some basic information on studying Geology, Geography or Meteorology as a a guest student. If you have any questions relating to your (prospective) studies, feel free to send us an email or visit us during our office hours. 

For all administrative questions regarding Erasmus (questions not specifically related to Earth Sciences), please contact the university’s general Erasmus office. On their Website, you will also find useful information concerning the organisation of your stay in Berlin. In addition, the online portal Distributed Campus Portal contains further helpful information.

Choosing your classes

You will find all classes offered by the Department of Earth Sciences in the university’s course catalogue. The department’s studies are organized into modules which often consist of different types of classes, such as seminars, field trips and lectures. Please also check with your home university which classes will be accepted by them as part of your stay.

ECTS points are unfortunately not listed in class descriptions in the course catalogue since students usually have to complete whole modules during their studies. Please note that it is thus recommended to attend whole modules. However, as an Erasmus student you may just pick the courses you are interested in. In that case, please contact the respective lecturer beforehand. You will find the ECTS points for whole modules in the study and exam regulations. Please also consider the latest study regulation when you are choosing classes.

Additionally, the FU offers classes specifically for international students. You can find more information about those courses here.

The majority of courses is taught in German. Therefore, at least a CEFR B1 level in German is required.

At the beginning of the semester, you have the opportunity to visit several courses you have chosen beforehand. In the second or third week of the semester, you will have to decide which of the courses you want to attend for the rest of the semester. Please keep in mind that it is necessary to include all courses you decide to attend in your Learning Agreement. The Learning Agreement needs to be signed by the Departmental Erasmus Coordinator. This also applies if you make any changes to it during the mobility.

Grading system

FU-Note	ECTS-Note	ECTS-Grade
1.0 – 1.5	hervorragend	excellent (A)
1.6 – 2.0	sehr gut	very good (B)
2.1 – 3.0	gut	good (C)
3.1 – 4.0	befriedigend	satisfactory (D)
3.6 – 4.0	ausreichend	sufficient (E)
4.1 – 5.0	nicht bestanden	fail (F)

Transcript of Records (ToR)

At the end of your stay, the Department for International Affairs, Student Exchange Office / SSC will issue you a Transcript of Records for your home university upon request. The application should be submitted within three months after the end of the semester. 
The Transcript Office is responsible for Erasmus+/ Erasmus+ Worldwide and Direct Exchange. You will be informed in time by e-mail about the necessary steps until the Transcript of Records is issued. If you have any questions, you may contact incoming@fu-berlin.de directly.

Further Questions

In case you have further questions concerning your choice of courses or any other issue that is specifically related to the Department of Earth Sciences please contact the Departmental Erasmus Office.

Administrative matters can be forwarded to the General Erasmus Office at FU.