During your studies

At Technische Hochschule Mannheim, we always talk about first, second, third hour, etc. instead of saying from 8 am to 9.30 am, for example. The table on this page shows this time pattern, which applies for all degree programmes except for Communication Design (bachelor and master).

You will notice that the 3rd hour differs among departments and alternates between winter and summer. The reason is to prevent the canteen from becoming too crowded.

The current timetables for your degree programme are available on the central site: Stundenpläne

Once you have identified your program and semester on the table (all abbreviations are listed under Glossary), you can generate a personalized timetable.

As an exchange student, you’ll probably attend courses from different semesters. In this case, you can consult Alle Fächer to find the courses on your Learning Agreement.

You should familiarize yourself with the venues as soon as possible.

Campus Map

The different buildings are designated by one letter each. The room numbers identify the floor first, as you know from hotels: S014 stands for building S, ground floor, room 14; H1008 stands for building H, 10th floor, room 8.

The room numbers can identify lecture rooms, laboratories, offices, etc.

Professors and lecturers are frequently identified through the use of abridged names on lists and tables. You can usually see their complete names either on the same page or on the department's website; this will also provide you with the right contact partner for different areas (head of department, institute director, basic cycle advisor, etc.).

Professors and some other teaching staff are university members. They have their offices and consultation hours on campus. Additionally, numerous experts from outside the university also offer courses. These lecturers are only available immediately before and after their teaching hours. Generally, they are not available for supervising final theses.

You must register for each exam you wish to take. Please take a screenshot from POS of you registration and your student ID card with you whan you sit the exams.

Exchange students: Please use the "Exam Registration for Exchange Students (PDF)" form, which you can find on the SCS website, to register. 

Double-degree students: Please register for your exams using the Exam Organization System (POS) (you can find a how-to-guide here). If an exam you want to register for does not appear in your POS, please write an e-mail to pruefungsamt@th-mannheim.de and ask them to register you for the exam.

Degree-seeking students: Please register for your exams using the Exam Organization System (POS) (you can find a how-to-guide here). NOTE: Some registrations are automatic, e.g., for required courses in your semester. In these cases, you do not need to register, but if you decide not to take one of these exams, you must cancel the corresponding registration – otherwise, your absence will still be considered a failed attempt. For other exams, e.g., electives, you must register yourself.

 The grades for the examinations are determined by the respective examiners. The following grades are to be used for the evaluation of the examination performances:

For a differentiated assessment of the examination performance, the individual grades can be increased or decreased by 0.3 to intermediate values; the grades 0.7 and 4.3 as well as 5.3 are excluded.

Technische Hochschule Mannheim awards ECTS = European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System credits. One credit corresponds to a student workload of 30 hours.

It is extremely important to reregister for the following semester. This procedure is called Rückmeldung  and the registration opens at the end of the current semester for several weeks. So, if you want to stay at Technische Hochschule Mannheim for another semester, you have to pay your semester fees until a certain deadline.

After the deadline closes, you still can register for the next semester but you will need to pay an additional fee.

Should you not register at all, after a while an automatic disenrolment (Exmatrikulation) occurs, i.e. you would no longer be a student at Technische Hochschule Mannheim and will have to accept all the consequences.

Find the current fees and the necessary information for the payment here.

You may have to extend your residence permit; To do this, you must provide the authority with proof of sufficient funding. 

You can have the validity of your HSCard reprinted at the machines in the Building H in the Student Service Center (1st floor) or in the L-building (library) on the ground floor. 

Exchange students: Please follow the instructions in our database Mobility Online if you want to stay an additional semester.

Usually you will write your final thesis during your last semester.

You can carry out the research project for your thesis in a company or at a university, in Germany or abroad. You should start applying in time, especially if you plan to go abroad.

Wherever you develop your project, you will need an academic supervisor from Technische Hochschule Mannheim, usually from your department or a related institute. You should never sign a contract with a company before receiving final confirmation that your supervisor will actually take you on.

As soon as your company, subject and supervisor are fixed, you have to register the thesis with the Examination Office. After that, the clock starts ticking. The time period to complete a bachelor’s thesis is four months, and six months for a master’s thesis.

You’ll need to hand in a printed version (cover sheet and binding can be made in the inhouse printing office). After that, the supervisor will fix a date for the oral defence. The final grade consists of both marks.

You need to take leave of your studies for a semester? Then you will have to apply for a so called “Urlaubssemester”. 

You can apply for an “Urlaubssemester” in the Campus portal.

A leave of absence can only be granted for the current semester. The application must generally be submitted before the start of the lecture period for the respective semester. In unforeseeable hardship cases, the application can also be submitted after the start of lectures. The leave of absence must then be requested immediately after the reason for the leave of absence arises. 

If you have any questions regarding the leave of absence, please contact the Examinations Office.

If you had to apply for a residence permit for your studies, please remeber to contact the Foreigners' Office (Ausländerbehörde) about your leave of absence. You will have to explain why you want to leave your studies, that you are planning to resume your studies after and submit proof of the reason for your leave and a letter of support from your department (Bescheinigung Studienfortschritt).

Our International Office was one of your first points of contact on arrival, and it will remain one of your most important references during your stay.

The friendly team is glad to give advice and assist in many situations.

The IO also offers Welcome Days and runs a lively Culture program with excursions and other activities.

Stay informed and participate as often as possible. The spaces go very quickly!

Very important: should any kind of difficulty occur, do not hesitate to contact the responsible persons and get advice at once, as timely action is usually already half the solution!

In most cases the appropriate contact person can help. You can find them at the International Office and in your department, as well as at other locations at Technische Hochschule Mannheim.

You can easily identify the responsible person for your study or exchange program, for internships, etc. In many departments you will find a designated advisor for international students.

See also info here.

Our Career Center offers a really broad range of advisory and assistance services, from block courses, workshops, individual coaching and support for start-ups. 

And all this for free if you‘re studying with us!

International students are explicitly encouraged to contact the Career Center.

Your fellow students also offer their help.

Numerous students become tutors and help students from lower semesters to cope with difficulties in different academic subjects.

Do not hesitate to get in touch with your Fachschaft (department's students association) for advice and support during your studies.

At university level, the AStA (similar to a students' union) cares about the concerns of all students.

By the way – your’re welcome to get involved too!

One of the best pieces of advice we can give you is to join other students and set up learning groups.

Attend the tutorials offered by students. They have already gone through what you are experiencing now and can help you cope with difficulties and expectations.

moodle is a useful learning platform where professors and students can exchange information concerning the courses.

You can find lots of suggestions for exciting destinations here.

But how can you get there?

Public transport allows you to travel across a huge region easily. Here are some suggestions for destinations nearby:

• Explore beautiful Heidelberg and Speyer, as well as the attractive landscapes and picturesque towns in the Neckar Valley (Neckartal with Hirschhorn, Eberbach or Bad Wimpfen), on the Mountain Route (Bergstraße including Weinheim)
• Go and visite the Palatinate region, for axample the Wine Route (Weinstraße including Bad Dürkheim, Deidesheim, Neustadt, Freinsheim, etc.) which begins in the German Palatinate region and continues well into France.
• Cross the border and explore Wissembourg in the French region of Alsace.

As for destinations further afield from Mannheim, you can cross the whole of Germany and part of Europe without changing trains, which is a great advantage. With the ICE high-speed trains you can reach Hamburg, Munich or Berlin within five hours.

In the last few years, coach companies have begun transporting passengers to major destinations. They’re comfortable and much cheaper than the regular train fares.

A very popular way of travelling among students is the so-called Mitfahrgelegenheit (several people in one car sharing the costs). This is possible with friends but also through one of the different platforms which connect people travelling to the same destination. Ask your fellow students about their experiences and which agency they would recommend.

Mannheim has direct connections to the international airports in Frankfurt and Stuttgart. You can also book cheap flights from Frankfurt/Hahn, which is accessible by car or shuttle bus. Watch out for the purchasing conditions and additional costs. Cheaper carriers also now fly from Frankfurt International airport.