Exerpt: Examination Regulations MSc Economics Excerpt from the Examination Regulations for the Master’s Program in Economics at the University of Mannheim Please note: This English translation is based on the German version of the Examination Regulations for the Master’s Program in Economics The German original is the only legally binding version Any liability for mistakes arising from the translation of the original shall be excluded Contents General Regulations Academic Degree Duration of the program Program structure Language of instruction Course volume Structure of exams, deadlines Maternity protection and parental leaves Flexible deadlines Recognition of study periods and credits Assessment of exams Admission to the field of study „Economic Research“ Examination Procedure Registration and admission to exams Scope and structure of examinations Re-takes Master’s thesis Passing the program and transcript of records 10 Closing provisions 11 Invalidity of the master’s examination 11 Post-exam review 11 Attachment 12 Attachment 14 -1- Exerpt: Examination Regulations MSc Economics General Regulations Academic Degree Upon successful completion of the master’s curriculum the University of Mannheim awards the academic degree „Master of Science” (M.Sc.) Duration of the program The prescribed period of study is four semesters The program has been designed in such a way as to enable students to finish their studies within this period The curriculum has to be completed by the end of the seventh semester Otherwise, the student has forfeited his right to earn the degree, unless he was not responsible for failing to observe the deadline Upon request, the deadline can be extended by the chairman of the examination board Program structure The master’s program in economics is structured into a one semester introductory phase, a two semester specialization phase and a one semester research phase The detailed program structure depends on the field of study (“Economics” or “Economic Research”) and is shown in the attachments to this document Language of instruction The language of instruction is English In singular cases the examination board can, in consultation with the examiner, allow for other languages of instruction All examinations are conducted in the language of instruction Examiners can decide to optionally allow German as language of examination in case of oral exams The master’s thesis has to be written in English In exceptional and justified cases the master’s thesis can be written in German The decision remains with the supervisor of the thesis Course volume The complete program covers a minimum of 120 ECTS credits One ECTS credit equals a workload of 30 hours Structure of exams, deadlines To complete the master’s program students have to take the following exams:  In the field of study „Economics“: exam for each course, completion of at least two seminars and a master’s thesis -2- Exerpt: Examination Regulations MSc Economics  In the field of study “Economic Research”: exam for each course and a master’s thesis Exams for courses offered by the Department of Economics are usually conducted in the form of written tests at the end of the course These tests can be replaced (for all students likewise) completely or in parts by one or several assignments and/or one or several presentations and/or one or several interim tests and/or an oral exam at the end of the course The pass criteria and weighting of each partial performance should be communicated in advance The decision about the examination type and weighting of each performance lies with the examiner Exams for courses offered by other schools or departments are conducted according to their own examination regulations Students have the right to earn their course credits in other forms than the designated exam type in case they provide medical evidence that they are not able to take the exam partly or completely in the designated form due to a long-lasting or permanent physical disability A request has to be filed on the date of registration for the exam The decision of the examination board has to be put on record Maternity protection and parental leaves Students have the right to take a leave in accordance with maternity protection and parental leave laws A written request to the examination board is necessary During a maternity protection period all deadlines of these examination rules are suspended For students on parental leave the examination board defines new deadlines The master’s thesis cannot be adjourned for the time of a parental leave If the deadline is exceeded in such a case, the assigned topic will be withdrawn and a new topic is assigned after the parental leave Flexible deadlines Upon request, flexible deadlines can be granted if students face family obligations This applies especially to students with children under years old Deadlines for re-takes can be extended by a maximum of semesters As soon as the prerequisites for granting an extension no longer apply, the extension expires In cases of long-lasting illness or disability which makes it impossible to regularly participate in the courses, students can be granted extensions of deadlines Deadlines for re-takes can be extended by a maximum of semesters Students who have been elected into the student body council for at least one year can be granted an extension of deadlines for a maximum of semesters -3- Exerpt: Examination Regulations MSc Economics Recognition of study periods and credits Academic credits received at an accredited university or higher education institution in Germany or abroad or at a university of cooperative education of the Federal Republic of Germany will be transferred if the competences acquired are not essentially different from the academic requirements that will be replaced For the transfer of credits from foreign institutions agreements between the Federal Republic of Germany and other countries concerning the equivalency of higher education and agreements in the context of university partnerships and double degree programs (cooperation agreements) have to be taken into account In case of doubt about the equivalency, the Central Office for Foreign Education can be consulted For knowledge and skills acquired outside of the system of higher education academic credits are granted if a) the requirements for university admission are fulfilled at that time of receiving credit; b) the content and level of the knowledge and skills are equivalent to the academic credits that are to be replaced; c) the criteria for receiving credit have been reviewed in the context of an accreditation process To receive academic credit for documented competences acquired outside of the system of higher education, the applicant has to prove their equivalency - in kind and breadth - with the academic requirements that are to be replaced Knowledge and skills acquired outside of the system of higher education can replace a maximum of 50% of the credits in a degree program The regulations about the transfer of credits from universities of cooperative education remain unaffected The examination board decides about the transfer of credits upon request It rests upon the student to submit all required documents regarding his/her achievements for which he requests to receive academic credits to the examination board If credits are transferred and the grading systems are comparable, the grades are carried over according to these examination regulations and will be included into the calculation of the cumulative grade point average (GPA) For the conversion of foreign grades, the examination board can define conversion rules in accordance with statutory provisions If the grading systems are not comparable or a conversion is not possible, the credits will be transferred as “passed” and will not be included into the calculation of the cumulative GPA Transferred credits are labeled as such in the transcript of records -4- Exerpt: Examination Regulations MSc Economics If a student participates in an exam within a degree program at the University of Mannheim, although he/she already acquired the relevant competences elsewhere, he/she renounces the transfer of credits for these achievements Absence, withdrawal, cheating, and breach of regulations If a student does not show up for an exam for which he registered or withdraws from an exam without a valid reason, he will receive the failing grade 5.0 The same applies if an assignment is not handed in on time If a candidate has a valid reason for withdrawing from or missing an exam, he must present the examination board with certified documentation in writing in a due time In case of sickness a doctor’s certificate has to be provided In case of doubt the university can ask for a certificate from a doctor named by them If the reasons are accepted as valid, the exam has to be taken at the next possible date Existing partial results are taken into account If a student tries to influence his exam grade by cheating or by using prohibited materials or resources, he will receive the failing grade 5.0 A student who disturbs the exam can be excluded from the exam by the examiner or supervisor In this case, the student receives the failing grade 5.0 Within two weeks after the exam, the student can request a review of the decision by the examination board The student has to be informed promptly about incriminating decisions in writing An instruction on the right to appeal has to be included In severe cases students can be excluded from all future exams by the examination board Assessment of exams Grades for exams and the master’s thesis are determined by the examiner or master’s thesis supervisor The following grades are used:  1.0 (very good)  2.0 (good)  3.0 (satisfactory)  4.0 (fair)  5.0 (failed) For further differentiation of the assessment the value 0.3 can be added or distracted from the grade However, the grades 0.7, 4.3, 4.7 and 5.3 are impossible The minimum pass grade is 4.0 ECTS credits are only earned for passed exams -5- Exerpt: Examination Regulations MSc Economics If an assessment is based on more than a single performance, a rounded mean of all performances is calculated The grade is then determined as the grade (from those defined above) which comes closest to this rounded mean In case of doubt the better grade has to be assigned Academic credits which are not graded are assessed as follows:  P (pass)  F (fail) The grades for written exams should be announced within weeks of the exam date and at least weeks before the date of the re- exam The final grade for the master’s program is the ECTS weighted mean of all grades received within the curriculum (according to the regulations in attachment and 2) The final grade is:  Very good: for a mean value up to 1.5  Good: for a mean value between 1.6 and 2.5  Satisfactory: for a mean value between 2.6 and 3.5  Fair: for a mean value between 3.6 and 4.0 When determining the final grade only the first decimal place is considered; all further decimal places are cut off without rounding In addition to the final grade a relative grade according to the ECTS scale can be reported in the Diploma Supplement: A = for the top 10 % B = for the next 25 % C = for the next 30 % D = for the next 25 % E = for the bottom 10 % The calculation is usually based on the three previous graduating classes of the master’s program in economics Once a student has earned at least 30 ECTS credits, a provisional GPA can be reported on the transcript of record upon request -6- Exerpt: Examination Regulations MSc Economics Admission to the field of study „Economic Research“ Admission to the field of study “Economic Research” is granted after the first semester Requirements are:  an application by the student;  the completion of all courses in the introductory phase and a mean grade of at least 2.5;  a positive evaluation by the examination board The examination board takes the decision after consulting the lecturers of the introductory phase and, if necessary, an interview with the applicant The admission to the field of study “Economic Research” will be changed into an admission to the field of study “Economics” in case the student  requests it, or  does not pass at least core courses of the specialization phase or does not achieve a mean grade of at least 2.5 in these courses The chairman of the examination board issues an official notification about the decision of admission which contains an instruction on the right to appeal Exams taken in core courses of the field of study “Economic Research” are recognized in the field of study “Economics” in case of a change of the field of study Examination Procedure Registration and admission to exams To participate in exams students have to register for them within a deadline appointed by the Student Service Center The withdrawal of a registration is only possible within the same deadline No registration is necessary for the core courses in the first semester These exams are compulsory and all students are registered automatically Scope and structure of examinations To earn the master’s degree in economics students have to successfully complete the core courses in the introductory phase; the elective courses in the specialization phase -7- Exerpt: Examination Regulations MSc Economics the master’s thesis The core courses and regulations concerning the elective courses can be found in the attachments In the specialization phase students can choose from different lectures, sometimes with a related exercise, and two to four seminars in the field of study “Economics” In cases of doubt the examination board decides about identity of content The duration of exams in the core courses offered by the Department of Economics is at least 30 minutes and at maximum 90 minutes per contact hour and at least 90 minutes in total Details about the duration of exams can be found in the attachments The first exams should always take place in the last week of the lecture period or at the beginning of the following lecture-free period The re-take should take place before the following semester starts and are part of the semester in which the first exam took place The duration of exams in core courses offered by other departments are defined in the attachments The duration of exams in elective courses offered by other departments and the regulations about re-takes in these courses are subject to regulations that are in place at these departments Re-takes Each failed exam from the introductory phase has to be re-taken at the next possible date If the exam was an interim test with a weight of less than 50% of the course grade, the examiner decides if a re-take will take place Missed re-takes count as failed and will be graded as such (5.0) unless the student was not responsible for missing it A second re-take is only possible for one single exam of the introductory phase If this second retake is not passed, the student has failed the master’s program and has forfeited his/her admission A re-take of a passed exam is only allowed for one single exam of the introductory phase For the GPA and provisional PA the better grade will be used Additional re-takes of passed exams are not allowed In the specialization phase no re-takes are possible If a student fails an exam, he/she has to take a course with different content instead Master’s thesis The master’s thesis can be written in any of the following subjects:  Economics -8- Exerpt: Examination Regulations MSc Economics  Statistics and econometrics  Economic history  Economic geography The master’s thesis cannot be started before the fourth semester In addition the candidate has to complete at least one seminar in the field of study “Economics” Furthermore at least 45 ECTS credits have to be earned in the specialization phase The candidate is assigned a topic according to the subject chosen from the examiner The candidate may also suggest a topic The issuance of a topic, supervision, and assessment of the master’s thesis can only be administered by professors, junior professors, and affiliated professors A assigned topic can be returned once within the first four weeks of the processing time; in this case the master’s thesis is treated as if it has not started yet The processing time depends on the field of study and is given in the corresponding specific attachment The supervisor makes sure that topic, problem and scope can be dealt with in the scheduled processing time The finalized master’s thesis has to be submitted in duplicate to the supervisor The deadline can also be complied with by submitting the master’s thesis as a registered letter The date of issuance and submission has to be put on record The examination board may require an electronic copy In exceptional and justified cases the examination board may grant a deadline extension to candidates who have applied for postponement of submission of their master’s thesis The maximum extension is four weeks In addition, the application for a deadline extension has to be submitted one week prior to the end of the processing period at the latest The candidate must have the approval of his/her supervisor The candidate has to attach an appendix containing all sources used Additionally, a written assurance has to be included stating that:  The work has been done independently and without the use of other sources except for those listed in the appendix  All passages which are directly or indirectly taken from external sources are labeled as such  The work has not been presented in this or any similar form to any examination authority before The master’s thesis is assessed by the examiner who has issued the topic The assessment is made according to the “assessment of exams” part In case of failure (5.0) a second assessor has to be designated by the examination board If the two assessments differ, the final grade is calculated as the arithmetic mean of the two individual grades (and rounded to the nearest available grade -9- Exerpt: Examination Regulations MSc Economics of the grading system) In case of doubt the better grade has to be assigned Submitting late automatically leads to “failed” (5.0) without consulting a second assessor The candidate should be informed about the grade he/she received for the master’s thesis no later than two month after submission The minimum grade for passing the master’s thesis is 4.0 If passed, the candidate earns the amount of ECTS credits assigned to the master’s thesis (see respective attachment) A failed master’s thesis can only be re-taken once When re-taking the master’s thesis a new topic is issued A passed master thesis cannot be re-taken The supervisor can require the candidate to attend an accompanying master’s colloquium Passing the program and transcript of records The program is passed if at least 120 ECTS credits have been obtained The binding regulations regarding the composition of these credits can be found in the attachments and The program is ultimately failed if any re-take is failed at the latest possible date Every candidate who passed the program is awarded a transcript of records both in English and German The transcript of records contains: All examinations including the master’s thesis with all ECTS credits and grades (both in text and numerical); The topic of the master’s thesis as well as the name of the examiner; The cumulative grade point average (GPA) (both in text and numerical); A final grade as outlined in the section “Assessment of exams”, line (3) The transcript of records will be date stamped with the date of the last examination In case this date is not determinable, the last lecture day of the semester is regarded to be the final date Every transcript of records has to be signed by the chairman and his/her deputy of the examination board Together with the transcript of records every candidate is given a certificate (both in English and German) which awards the Master of Science (M.Sc.) degree and contains the final grade The certificates are date stamped with the same date as the transcripts of records They will be signed by the dean and his deputy and sealed with the seal of the University of Manheim The academic title must not be born before receiving these certificates Outstanding performances (up to a final grade of 1.2) will be acknowledged with the assessment “graduated with honors” on the transcript of records and the certificates - 10 - Exerpt: Examination Regulations MSc Economics In addition to the transcript of records every candidate receives a Diploma Supplement according to the European Diploma Supplement Model The Diploma Supplement includes a transcript of records listing all modules, the corresponding grades, and awarded ECTS credits In case of an ultimately failed master’s examination an official notification will be issued In case a candidate has ultimately failed the master’s examination he/she can request a written statement listing all the exams taken and grades obtained This statement will also contain the information that the candidate ultimately failed the master’s exam Closing provisions Invalidity of the master’s examination If the candidate cheats during an exam and this is discovered after the transcript of records has been released to the candidate, the examination board is authorized to correct the awarded grade retroactively and also to declare this exam partly or fully failed In case the prerequisites for participating in an exam were not met by a candidate but he/she still participated and passed the exam and received a transcript, the following rules apply: As long as the candidate did not try to deceive about not having fulfilled the prerequisites, he/she still passes the exam However, if the candidate has deliberately ignored missing prerequisites, the case is subject to the examination board’s decision The candidate is given the opportunity to make a statement on his/her situation before a decision is made Any false documents and certificates will be retracted and if applicable a new, corrected document is issued Post-exam review Upon request candidates are granted a post-exam review The examiner or the Student Services will set the time and place for the review Any request for a post-exam review has to be made within a year after receiving the grade for that exam - 11 - Attachment Field of study: Economics Degree: Master of Science (M.Sc.) Course volume in ECTS credits: 120 - 126 For courses offered by the Department of Economics in the field of study „Economics“, the following ECTS credits are awarded: - Lectures: for each semester hour in the specialization phase: 2,5 ECTS credits - Exercises: for each semester hour in the specialization phase: ECTS credits - Seminars:  for semester hours: ECTS credits  for semester hours: ECTS credits  Exceptions: No credits for the department seminar and CDSE seminar! If credits from courses in other master’s programs at the University of Mannheim are recognized, the ECTS credits awarded there apply If the European Credit Transfer System is not used, credits will be awarded according to the above scheme Introductory Phase (1st semester) Core Modules Duration of exam (min) ECTS credits Modul 1: E700 Mathematics for Economists 135 Modul 2: E701 Advanced Microeconomics 180 Modul 3: E702 Advanced Macroeconomics 180 Modul 4: E703 Advanced Econometrics 180 30 Specialization Phase (2nd- 3rd semester) Elective Modules Elective Modules from the master’s program in economics at the Department of Economics, including at least and max seminars From the following master’s programs at the University of Mannheim 15 ECTS credits can be recognized: „Mannheim Master in Management“(Business Administration Module), „Master in Political Science“, „Master in Sociology“, „Master in Law“ and „Master in Mathematics 60 – 66 Research Phase (4th semester) Research Module Master’s thesis (and, if required, attendance at a master’s colloquium) The processing time is four months 30 Total: 120 - 126 Attachment Field of study: Economic Research Degree: Master of Science (M.Sc.) Course volume in ECTS credits: 120 - 126 For courses offered by the Department of Economics in the field of study „Economic Research“, the following ECTS credits are awarded: - Lectures: for each semester hour in the specialization phase: 2,5 ECTS credits - Exercises: for each semester hour in the specialization phase: ECTS credits - Seminars:  for semester hours: ECTS credits  for semester hours: ECTS credits  Exceptions: No credits for the department seminar and CDSE seminar! If credits from courses in other PhD programs at the University of Mannheim are recognized, the ECTS credits awarded there apply If the European Credit Transfer System is not used, credits will be awarded according to the above scheme Introductory Phase Core Modules (1st semester) Duration of exam (min) ECTS credits Modul 1: E700 Mathematics for Economists 135 Modul 2: E701 Advanced Microeconomics 180 Modul 3: E702 Advanced Macroeconomics 180 Modul 4: E703 Advanced Econometrics 180 Sum 30 Specialization Phase Core Courses (2nd semester) Modul 5: E801 Advanced Microeconomics II 135 Modul 6: E802 Advanced Macroeconomics II 135 Modul 7: E803 Advanced Econometrics II 135 Modul 8: E804 Advanced Microeconomics III 135 Modul 9: E805 Advanced Macroeconomics III 135 Modul 10: E806 Advanced Econometrics III 135 30 Elective Courses (3rd - 4th semester) Elective Modules from the courses offered by the Graduate School At least four courses have to be chosen from the CDSE program 40 - 46 Research Phase Core Courses (3rd - 4th semester) E800 CDSE-Seminar (in the 3rd and 4th semester) no ECTS credits Department seminar no ECTS credits Research Modul (4th semester) Master’s thesis (dissertation proposal) The processing time is eleven weeks 20 Total: 120-126 ... English In singular cases the examination board can, in consultation with the examiner, allow for other languages of instruction All examinations are conducted in the language of instruction Examiners... will also contain the information that the candidate ultimately failed the master’s exam Closing provisions Invalidity of the master’s examination If the candidate cheats during an exam and this... obtained The binding regulations regarding the composition of these credits can be found in the attachments and The program is ultimately failed if any re-take is failed at the latest possible date