Profile Choices in your Degree 

On this website you will find more detailed information on whether and how to determine a specialisation in your degree programme.

Important information

If a specialisation (profiles/focuses/subject areas/first and second language) is offered in your field of study (in some cases the examination regulations stipulate this), there are two different procedures for determining it:

a. Required action for you as a student: free choice of profile via BASIS (independently at the start of studies): 

Provided there is genuine freedom of choice after enrolment, you as a student must choose your profile/focus/subject area via BASIS.

b. No need for action on your part as a student: in the course of admission.

If there are admission requirements for the profiles/focuses/subject areas offered, your profile/focus/subject area is already fixed at the time of enrolment and is booked by the Examinations Office. Only if you have been admitted for several profiles/focuses/subjects will you be asked to make a choice via your programme management.

Important: We use the term profiles here for specialisation. However, in some degree programmes of the faculty, a different term is used. Please note that the procedures described here also apply to specialisations, subject areas and supplementary areas as well as the choice of first and second language.

Required action: free choice of profile via BASIS

In some degree programmes, students can or must choose a specialisation by selecting a profile. You will receive an email from your programme management at the beginning of the semester inviting you to make that choice.

You must make this profile selection independently via BASIS during the profile selection phase (in the winter semester 2023/24 from 01.11.2023 to 01.12.2023) for the following degree programmes. 

Important: Students of the Bachelor's core subject German Studies, Comparative Literature and Cultural Studies make their profile choice in the second semester.

During Summer Term

Bachelor

Master

Germanistik, Vergleichende Literatur- und Kulturwissenschaft [S1] (from 2nd semester onwards mandatory via BASIS)

Kunstgeschichte (mandatory via BASIS)
Transkulturelle Studien / Kulturanthropologie (optional via BASIS)

During Winter Term

Bachelor

Master

Kernfach Romanistik Choice of First/Second Language (mandatory via BASIS) Kunstgeschichte (mandatory via BASIS)
Zwei-Fach Archäologien (mandatory via BASIS) Transkulturelle Studien / Kulturanthropologie (optional via BASIS)
Kernfach Asienwissenschaften (mandatory via BASIS; please take note that your choice is restricted by your choice of accompanying subject)

No need for action: profiles have already been defined during the admission process

In the following degree programmes, you do not need to take any action. The Examinations Office will book the profiles directly into your examination account, as a decision was already made during admission due to the different admission requirements. Only if you have been admitted to several profiles will you be asked via your programme management which profile you have finally decided on. You will not receive a separate notification of your successful enrolment. However, the profile can be viewed in your performance overview ("Notenspiegel") after booking in BASIS.

Summer Term

Master Programmes

  • MA Archäologische Wissenschaften
  • MA Germanistik
  • MA Geschichte 
  • MA Romanistik 

Winter Term

Master Programmes

  • MA Asienwissenschaften 
  • MA Archäologische Wissenschaften 
  • MA Germanistik 
  • MA Geschichte 
  • MA Romanistik 
  • MA Provenienzforschung und Geschichte des Sammelns

Choose a Profile

Please note: New students must register for their examinations in the basic modules without prior selection of a profile in their first semester. This applies even if you already know which profile you want to study. However, when registering for exams in the basic modules, you should keep a possible profile choice in mind.

Only in the second semester, in preparation for the beginning of the specialization phase of your studies, will you need to select a profile. There is also the option to study without a specific profile. This allows you ample opportunity to become more familiar with your program and make a well-informed decision.

How to Choose a Profile via BASIS Using the B.A. Germanistik as an Example

Register for a Profile

You register your profile like an exam. In other words, you first follow the link for exam registration and proceed by navigating through your module tree.

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© Dekanat

Confirm the choice “Profilwahl”

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© Dekanat

Under the link “Profilwahl” (=profile selection), you will find the options for different profiles. As mentioned earlier, you can also study without selecting a specific profile; however, by doing so, you are committing just as you would be if you were choosing a specific profile, such as Germanistik. Click on the profile you wish to study and then click on the “Prüfung anmelden” (=register for exam) link.

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© Dekanat

 Changing your Profile

During the registration period for your profile, you can still electronically opt for a different profile. After the registration period for your profile has concluded, you can no longer electronically change your profile. A profile change can then only be made through the Examination Office of the Faculty of Philosophy, as credits need to be transferred.

 

Error Messages, Additional Information Sources

Please note that you cannot successfully register for an exam or a course outside your profile; you will receive a prerequisite error. If you are a transfer student (changing location or major) and have had credits recognized, please check if your recognized achievements may be allocated to the wrong profile. Use your transcript of records for assistance. If you believe there is an error, please contact the Examination Office.

Also, please refer to the information regarding profile selection on the Institute for German Studies' website. If you have further questions regarding the profiles, please contact your academic advisory service.

For questions about the examination procedure itself, please consult the Examination Office.

Frequently Asked Questions About Profiles

No, because not all degree programmes have a specialisation (profiles/focuses/subject areas/supplementary areas/choice of first and second language). If you do not have a choice when you enrolled in your degree programme and also did not receive an email from your programme management asking you to choose a profile, it will usually not be necessary to do so. If you are unsure whether you have to/can choose a profile, please consult your examination regulations and/or contact your subject advisor.Aufklapp-Text

IMPORTANT: The definition has no restrictive effect. This means that the specification does not have the effect that you can only see and register for the modules offered in your profile. This means that you yourself must pay close attention to which modules are intended for your area of specialisation. Only the modules that correspond to the special curriculum you have chosen will count towards your degree! So you have not necessarily passed your degree programme yet by acquiring the minimum number of credit points, but only when you have fulfilled the conditions required for your profile, in other words, completed all the modules that are required for your profile according to the module plan of the examination regulations.

To ensure that you successfully complete the modules appropriate to your profile, please refer to the study (progression) plans provided on the pages of your institute. If you are unsure about this, please seek advice from your subject advisor.

During the profile selection phase, you can change your mind without restriction and enter this yourself in BASIS. As soon as the phase is over, however, the freely selected profile can only be changed once via the examination office.

 

Warning about changing profiles:

Please note, however, that modules you have already completed may not be included in the new profile and therefore no longer count towards your degree after the change. It is therefore essential that you consult with your subject advisor before changing.

It depends on whether there are admission requirements for the profile you want to change to:

If you would like to change to a profile without special admission requirements, this is possible without any problems once during the course of your studies. Proceed as described in the previous point.

However, if the profile you want to change to has its own entry requirements, this is not possible without further ado. Therefore, if you want to make a change here, you must first clarify this with the Examinations Office (contact form) and your subject advisor. There you must first check whether you also meet the requirements for the desired new profile before the change is made. Possibly, in the course of this, further knowledge and competences in certain areas and corresponding evidence will be required of you (as regulated in the subject-specific regulations of the examination regulations for your degree programme). Before you actually declare your intention to change to the examination office, it is therefore best to seek advice in advance from your subject advisor. In this case, too, a change is only possible once during the course of your studies.

Warning about changing profiles: Even in the case of profiles with restricted access, please note that modules you have already completed may not be included in the new profile.

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