Winter semester 2020/21 also not a standard semester

Teaching in the winter semester 2020/21 will start on Monday, November 2, 2020, but there is no rule without exception: in some degree programmes, teaching will start as early as October, as will the preliminary courses offered by the departments. The regular end of the lecture period is 12 February 2021. Some departments are expected to start with examinations in the first half of February. There will be no return to the usual attendance in the winter semester either. Lecturers and students should prepare themselves for hybrid teaching.

Lectures and preliminary courses

The Department of Social Policy and Social Security Studies will start on 5 October 2020 with the Bachelor's degree programme Social Security Management - Accident Insurance.

This will be followed by master degree programmes in the Department of Management Sciences: on 12 October 2020 the MBA programme CSR and NGO Management will start and on 23 October 2020 lectures will begin in the on-the-job master degree programmes Management Accounting and Management Control and Innovation and Information Management.

In the other degree programmes, lectures will start on 2 November. Pre-courses will be held before the start of the regular courses. Further, detailed information can be found on the websites of the departments. Information on welcome events and preliminary courses is also provided by the student secretariat: Erstsemester-Begrüßung der H-BRS (German)

Schedule of lectures

As things stand, the university is planning a hybrid winter semester. This means that the courses will be held partly face-to-face and partly online. Compared to the summer semester 2020, more courses will be offered in class again, provided that the infection situation allows it. In particular, however, large courses in cramped lecture halls should be avoided. On the other hand, courses with a high practical component such as labs, hands-on training and practical courses should be made possible. The specific planning is carried out by the departments.

However, depending on the development of the infection and new regulations by the state, it may become necessary to switch back to online operation entirely. This is also one reason why the Master's degree programmes Autonomous Systems (including the preliminary courses), CSR & NGO Management and Analysis and Design of Social Protection Systems have already decided to switch to 100 % digital teaching in the winter semester 2020/21.

The current planning is based on the Corona Epidemic University Ordinance (CE-VO), valid for the time being until 31 December 2020, until which time the regulations of the Presidium will also apply. The option of extension lies with the state. The university assumes that there will be an extension.

Foreign students and international exchange

Students from abroad and exchange students of the H-BRS are faced with special challenges in the current situation. The university advises: If it has not yet been decided whether the winter semester for a degree programme will be conducted completely online, students should assume in their planning and preparation that lectures will also be held in class at the university. Students should prepare themselves for attendance at the university. In addition, it is recommended that students regularly consult the pages of the respective department for further information.

Exams in the current summer and upcoming winter semester

In May, the President's Office had already extended the periods for conducting the examinations of the summer semester: The first examination phase of the summer semester 2020 will continue until 31 July 2020. The second examination period in the summer semester 2020 runs from 1 September to 31 October 2020. The first examination period of the winter semester 2020/21 starts after the lecture period. Some departments already use the first two weeks of February for examinations.

Students can find detailed information on examinations on the respective department website or on the internal teaching and learning platform LEA.

The regulations made by the President's Office on 6 May 2020 regarding corona are currently valid until 31 December 2020; the provisions contained therein regarding examinations, examination regulations and the recognition of examination results are valid until 31 October 2020. Depending on the state of infection, the President's Office will decide on an extension and, if applicable, inform the students about it.