Please make sure to always use your university email account @uni-konstanz.de for email correspondences with the department or your teachers! This way you avoid ending up in the spam folder and make verification easier for us. ILIAS passwords or similar will not be sent to private email addresses. Also important: check your inbox regularly in order not to miss any important emails; these are sent by the department administration and the lecturers exclusively to your university email address. If necessary, set up a forwarding to your private account.
For all
When and how will the introductory sessions take place?
Introductory events are available at the start of each semester. There is a lot of helpful and necessary information.
So be sure to visit!
Do I have to register for my courses?
Yes! Please register for your courses via ZEuS.
Can I take courses in the preference module as optional module?
Courses / exams of the preference module are additionally assigned to the optional module.
ZEuS registration always takes place via one of the two modules - as a student, you must therefore make a decision for one of the two modules when registering. The course and the corresponding exam can be registered independently in different modules!
So if you register for the course within the optional module, for example, you can still register for the exam within the preference module later on. However, the module assignment for the exam is then binding. After expiry of the exam registration deadline, this assignment can no longer be changed.
How do I get an overview of my study performances?
The performance overviews, which you can create yourself via ZEuS, are equipped with a verification code. A certification of performance overviews by the department is therefore no longer necessary!
How to proceed in the case of compensation for disadvantages
General information on compensation for disadvantages can be found here!
Applications for compensation for disadvantages in examinations must be submitted to the Ständigen Prüfungsausschuss or Roland Kissmehl (fb-referent.bio@uni-konstanz.de), the Examinations Office (pruefungsverwaltung.bio@uni-konstanz.de) and the relevant lecturer as early as possible, at the latest 4 weeks before the respective examination.
This is necessary in order to be able to organize the necessary support measures in good time.
For applicants & first-year students
When will I receive my admission and enrollment info?
If you are offered a place at the University of Konstanz, you will receive your offer of admission via the Hochschulstart.de portal by 13.08.2021 at the latest. If you accept your offer of admission to the Bachelor's program in Biological Sciences for the winter semester 2021/22 at the University of Konstanz, we will immediately send you all enrollment information.
Please note: When awarding admissions, Hochschulstart.de is primarily guided by the information you provide. It is therefore important that you prioritize your applications according to your personal preferences. If you receive two admission offers, the application with the lower priority will be immediately and irrevocably eliminated from the process. It is therefore strongly recommended that you prioritize your applications at Hochschulstart.de.
For BSc and BEd students
Is there a free attempt to improve grades?
In the compact courses "Physiology of Plants", "Microbiology" and "Physiology of Animals" there is the possibility of a free attempt to improve grades under the following conditions.
This means: Anyone who has passed one or more of these exams on the first date and would like to take the opportunity to improve their grade can take the exam again on the second date.
The better result counts. This rule does not apply if you cancel your registration for the first date!
Registration for this is handled by the examination administration.
What is the year average grade needed to apply to the master's program?
This year's preliminary average grade for 6th semester students in the Bachelor's program in Biological Sciences is 2.6.
For internal Master applications, please enter this grade in the application form. A certification from the departmental secretariat is not required!
Regarding your own preliminary average grade, no certification is required either. Please take the grade from ZEuS and transfer it to the application form.
Internal applicants do not need a certified ZEuS printout. A ZEuS printout generated by yourself is sufficient!
In which courses are live animals or their preparations used for teaching?
This applies to the following compulsory practical courses:
- "Basic Skills for Biology" and "Cellular & Organismal Biology"
- "Identification of Animals"
- "Compact Course Animal Physiology"
Further informations on the use of animals in teaching can be found in our download area.
For MSc and MEd students
When is the advanced course (VTK) election?
The next enrolment/election of the advanced courses for first-year students in the master's programs Biological Sciences and Life Science will take place on Thursday, 14.04.2022 starting at 15.15 in M 629. Please contact the student council if you have any questions about this.
How can I find out about the advanced courses?
Detailed information on all advanced courses offered can be found in the department's VTK booklet.
In this video, the working groups also introduce themselves and their VTKs.
Examinations & theses
When do the exams take place in winter semester 21/22?
The expected dates for the exams of the winter semester can be found on the respective curriculum page as soon as scheduled.
How and when can/must I hand in a doctor's certificate?
If you cannot take an exam for health reasons, you must provide a certificate. The form can be found here. It must be signed by the doctor and submitted to the department.
You have to do so within two days after the exam. Provisionally you can send the certificate by email to the secretary's office (not to the examination office or the lecturers). Regardless of this, you must send us the original by post:
Universität Konstanz
Fachbereich Biologie
Fachbereichssekretariat
Universitätsstr. 10
Fach M 633
D-78457 Konstanz
An additional call or email in advance is not necessary. If you are on site, you can also drop the certificate in the department mailbox. If you submit the certificate by post only, the postmark will be taken as the date for the deadline.
When do I have to decide whether to credit an exam in the preference or optional module?
Courses / exams of the preference module are additionally also assigned to the optional module. The course and the associated exam can be registered independently in different modules!
The module assignment for the exam is binding. After expiry of the exam registration deadline, this assignment (preference or optional module) can no longer be changed!
Wann kann ich mit der Masterarbeit beginnen? Was sind die Voraussetzungen?
Die 13 Pflichtmodule müssen komplett sein, um die Bachelorarbeit beginnen zu können. Die Studienleistungen aus dem Wahlpflichtbereich und Schlüsselqualifikationen können Sie bis zum Ende des Studiums erbringen.
Was ist der spezifische Aufbaukurs?
Der spezifische Aufbaukurs ist der praktische Teil der Bachelorarbeit. Die Bachelorarbeit ist dann das Zusammenschreiben.
Wie lange dauert die Bachelorarbeit?
Im Studiengang Biological Sciences dauert die Bachlorarbeit drei Monate und kann auf Antrag bis zu einem Monat verlängert werden. Wieviel Zeit dabei der Laborarbeit und dem Schreiben eingeräumt wird, bestimmen Sie zusammen mit der betreuenden Person. In der Regel entfallen ca. vier Wochen auf das Verfassen der Bachelorarbeit, oft laufen dies und das praktische Arbeiten aber auch parallel.
How do I apply for a place for the bachelor thesis?
Please apply / choose a place for the bachelor thesis only if you will have fulfilled all open compulsory modules by January 2023 (exams 1st to 4th semester according to the study plan and exams for the three compact courses).
There are two ways to get a place for the bachelor thesis:
1. direct application to the working group or supervisor.
You can use this form to apply directly to a maximum of two working groups.
2. elections take place in January (organized by the students' council).
An overview of the available BA-places per working group or person can be found here. A detailed explanation of the procedure for allocating bachelor theses here.
These regulations apply to students in Bachelor of Science programs. Students in the teaching degree: You apply directly to a working group. A prerequisite for writing a Bachelor's thesis in Biology is to have completed at least one flexibilization module in Biology.
The application for admission to the bachelor thesis is made separately and should usually be applied for by the student at the beginning of the sixth semester of the bachelor program (Biological Sciences) or at the end of the fifth semester of the bachelor program (Life Science).
Where can I find the forms "Application for the issue of the topic of the Bachelor's/Master's thesis"?
Since we hand you over administratively to the Central Examination Office with the Bachelor's or Master's thesis, the corresponding forms "Application for the issue of the topic of the Bachelor's/Master's thesis" (German: "Antrag auf Ausgabe des Themas für die Bachelor-/Masterarbeit") can be obtained there. Your contact person there is Manuela Hafner.
How can I apply for an extension for my thesis?
Please apply for an extension of the deadline for the submission of the Bachelor's or Master's thesis informally to the Standing Examination Committee (addressed to the departmental administrator Roland Kissmehl). Your first supervisor must also sign this application.
Miscellaneous
Where can I find open positions for student assistant jobs?
All offers can be found here or as posting on M6.