Need to know & FAQ

Information & Explanations

• The Campus

  The campus of the TU Darmstadt is large. Primarily it is divided into two parts, the Campus Stadtmitte and the Campus Lichtwiese. In addition, there are several other places in Darmstadt where the TU is located.

  The old main building, the karo 5, the ULB, the Mensa Stadtmitte and the Maschinenhaus are located in the city center (Stadtmitte). You can find there primarily the computer scientists, physicists, mathematicians and law and economics and electrical engineers. The largest lecture hall is the Audimax (S1|01 A1). The Darmstadtium and the Stadtschloss are located right next to karo 5.

  The Lichtwiese is rather on the outskirts of the city in the southeast of Darmstadt. There you will find primarily the mechanical engineers, chemists, biologists, architects and material scientists. There is also a cafeteria and the ULB Lichtwiese, which are essentially similar in function to their counterpart in the city center. Otherwise, Lichtwiese is home to many machine halls and the Lichtenberg Cluster.

  In addition to the two campuses, there are several buildings in the city that belong to or are used by the TU. These include the Stadtschloss as a prominent example and some rather inconspicuous buildings, which are distributed over the city area. There are also cooperations with institutes such as those of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft.

• Web portals of the TU

  At the TU, there are several web portals, sometimes only for individual departments (e.g. at FB20). Let's start with the most important first:

  TUCaN

  The TU CampusNet (TUCaN for short) is the web portal through which the administration of the modules takes place. There you can register and deregister for modules and events ("Courses > Registration"). This has to be done for the module as well as for the event and sometimes there are several events per module (e.g. lecture and exercise). It is important here that you do not register via "Additional courses" unless you want the CP not to be credited.

  You can also view your exam and module results here and register for exams ("Examinations > My examinations > Exams offered for registration"). Only if you have registered for an exam, it can be credited. Please note the registration period. You can deregister up to 7 days before the exam at the same place. If you do not show up for an exam, it will be considered as failed, unless you have a medical certificate. Furthermore, you can find the study certificates in TUCaN in the tab "Service > My Documents".

  For students of the M.Sc. Computer Science it is important that you first have to choose a minor and elective areas ("Courses > My elective subjects") before you can enroll in modules in each of them.

  Moodle

  Besides TUCaN, there is also Moodle at the TU Darmstadt. This is used for the courses. It is important to mention here that there are two different Moodle. On the one hand the university-wide TU-Moodle and on the other hand the Moodle of the department, also called "Lernportal Informatik". Both are usually used during the course of studies. They partly differ in functionality and design. The registration for courses in the TU-Moodle happens automatically together with the TUCaN registration for the respective module. In the Lernportal Informatik, this must be done explicitly via the course list.

  On Moodle you can usually find the lecture slides, info about the course (and exam), exercises and recordings. Forums offer a possibility for exchange and questions. Submissions and the choice of test dates are also made via this platform.

  Registration for exercises is done via TUCaN as well as via Moodle. This depends on which platform the organizer prefers. If the exercise date is to be selected via Moodle, the selection in TUCaN is invalid. A selection in TUCaN is nevertheless important due to the exam registration. Since the dates in Moodle do not have to match TUCaN, there may be incorrect entries in the TUCaN timetable.

• Study structure / The order of the study program

  For successful completion, at least 180 credit points (CP) must be earned for the bachelor's degree or 120 CP for the master's degree. Depending on the degree program, these must be earned in different areas and in certain compulsory modules. The minimum number of CP must be achieved in the respective area and cannot be substituted by others. More details are provided in the regulations of the individual study program. One CP corresponds to an effort of approximately 30 hours. This gives you a 40-hour week if you adhere to the standard period of study. The standard period of study for the Bachelor is 6 semesters and for the Master 4 semesters. Detailed information can be found in the examination regulations and in the module handbook as well as from the student advisory service.

  If you want to know what applies to your study program, you can find an overview on the department's website where you can access the applicable regulations (general examination regulations, module handbook, etc.) for your study program.

• Forms of teaching

  At the university there are three main forms of teaching. The lecture, the exercise and the practical course. The lecture is led by a lecturer and the students listen. Questions can be asked, otherwise it is not very interactive. It is usually given with presentation slides, although some instructors prefer blackboards or other analog methods.

  The exercise serves for practical practice and consolidation of the material from the lecture. In smaller groups, tasks are completed and supervised by tutors. If necessary, the achievement of a certain minimum number of points is a prerequisite for the admission to the exam.

  The practical course is for gaining practical skills. It is often accompanied by introductory lectures and otherwise consists of individual or group work in which one solves programming tasks or the like.

  Also worth mentioning is the "Sprechstunde", in which you can ask questions about the topics of the lecture. However, this is not offered everywhere and is optional.

• Advice and contact persons

  The Examination Office is responsible for all formalities concerning the organization of modules. This includes the registration and deregistration of modules as well as the associated examinations. Sick leave, grade registration and some applications (e.g. maternity leave) are also included. It is located in S2|02 D117. There is a mailbox in front of the study office for paper applications, forms, verifications, etc. Requests to the study office are best sent by e-mail – preferably with an indication of how you can be reached. Applications should therefore also be sent in advance by e-mail (PDF incl. signature). Medical certificates should preferably be submitted online.

  The Student Advisory Service is in charge of all other study-related concerns at Department 20. There is a separate contact person for each of the Bachelor's, Master's and teaching degree programs. Please note the information on the official page. There you will also find more details about the communication channels and possibly answers to your questions.

  For foreign matters , contact is best made by e-mail so that a consultation appointment can be arranged. Please provide documents for the recognition of services rendered abroad via the Hessenbox. Further documents can be sent by mail or Hessenbox. In addition, the information on the websites of the International Relations and Mobility Department applies.

• Complaints and requests

  You can contact us as a student council with numerous subject-related problems or concerns. Unfortunately, we can't always help with everything. Instead, the AStA can provide numerous points of contact in the areas of student rights representation, social issues and culture. If you think that not everything in your courses was in accordance with the APB, the AStA has a complaints form where you can report any problems.

  The TU also offers a complaints and improvement management system where you can complain about anything related to studying and teaching. You can find more detailed information and contact options on the TU website. If you have the feeling that these services are not the right contacts or you would prefer to take your problem to students, you can always contact us. We as the student council will then seek a personal conversation with those responsible.

  In the event of abuse or discrimination by organizers, tutors or other fellow students, you can contact the relevant TU team. On their contact page you will find various ways to get in touch and contact persons. If in doubt, you can also contact us.

• Other notes

  Disadvantage Accommodations

  It is possible to apply for compensation for disadvantages at the TU. This can be due to pregnancy, illness or disability, for example. To apply, you will need a medical certificate with specific recommendations from a specialist. The contact persons can be found on this page.

FAQ

Here you will find a compilation of frequently asked questions, which we will update as needed. The HRZ may already be able to answer some technical questions on its FAQ page.

Technical

• How do I use the university WLAN (eduroam)?

  You can find instructions on the HRZ page.

• How do I register for courses?

  The formal registration is done via TUCaN. It is important that you register for the module and the course(s). It is important that you do not register modules via "Additional courses" if you want them to be accredited. The course content is usually offered via Moodle. Depending on which course is offered, you also have to register for it in the computer science Moodle. Sometimes it takes a little time to make the courses available; it happens that the Moodle course is only published in the first week of lectures.

• How do I get access to Moodle courses?

  If the course is offered in the TU-Moodle, the registration happens automatically with the event registration in TUCaN. In the computer science Moodle, you must select the course from the catalog (found on the " Startseite") and register for it. For some courses you will need an enrollment key, which you will get from the lecturers. Full instructions for Moodle can be found on the YouTube channel of Dr. Guido Rößling. You can find the playlist here.

• How do I use the university VPN?

  You can find instructions on the HRZ page. For KDE users we recommend the OpenConnect plugin for NetworkManager.

Start of study

• Which lectures do I have to take?

  This depends on your course of study. To see which lectures are included in the regular study plan, please refer to the overview for the respective study program. You can find a list of all of them here. Please note that the order and scope of the lectures are usually not obligatory.

• How can I use the Deutschland-Ticket for students?

  If you are enrolled at the TU, you can claim the ticket. You can find detailed instructions on the AStA website.

• Do I have to ask if I want to use the university sanitary facilities?

  No.

Study

• What hardware do I need?

  A normal laptop is recommended for everyday use at the university. Some prefer a tablet for taking notes, but programming on these is rather cumbersome. You don't need a high-performance device, the minimum requirements are a processor with 2 cores and 4 GB RAM. More convenient is a laptop with 8 GB memory and 4 cores, but such requirements are not necessary.

• Where can I learn in the university?

  At the university there are many different places to work and study, you can find an overview here. Otherwise, maybe other fellow students can help you and tell you their favorite places.

• When are the deadlines for module registration, exam registration and re-registration?

  The dates for module registration and re-registration can be found on the TU website. The exact registration periods for courses and exams can be found in TUCaN. Some modules (such as language courses) may have slightly different deadlines.

• How do I receive Bafög?

  The Studierendenwerk Darmstadt offers an overview page for this. There is also an official page where you can apply online. If none of this helps you at all, you can simply talk to us in the student council room.

Miscellaneous

• What offers can I take advantage of as a student in Darmstadt?

  As an enrolled student at TU Darmstadt, you have numerous advantages. For one thing, you can visit many cultural institutions at reduced prices. This also applies outside Darmstadt. Secondly, there are several offers that the AStA has negotiated: As a student, you can attend events at the Staatstheater free of charge, provided there are still free tickets available. All information and conditions can be found on the AStA website. This also applies to the Theater Moller Haus and the Landesmuseum in Darmstadt.

  In addition to these cultural offers, students can also use the "book-n-drive" (car sharing) and "Call a Bike" (DB rental bikes) campaigns thanks to the AStA. These are particularly practical if you don't have your own car or bike or if you spontaneously need a quicker means of transportation.

• How do I find an apartment?

  The housing situation in Darmstadt is very difficult. It is therefore important to start looking a few months before you start your studies or before you move. A first place to start is the dormitories of the Studierendenwerk Darmstadt. However, as there are only a limited number of places available there, you should also try other student residences. Otherwise, there are private housing offers and offers from bauverein AG. The following options are available for searching for private offers: immobilienscout24, eBay Kleinanzeigen, notices in Darmstadt and good personal contacts.

• Where are good bars and cafés?

  Darmstadt has a large number of small cafés and pubs where you can stop for a drink. Personal recommendations for cafés are Le Café Bleu, Fräulein Mondschein, 3klang and Café Chaos. For pubs, it's worth checking out Hotzenplotz and Hobbit. Otherwise, it's always worth asking fellow students, as everyone has different preferences.

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