Welcome to ISME. Studying at Freie Universität Berlin is exciting, but it can be overwhelming at first. To make starting out easier, it’s a good idea to familiarize yourself with resources you’ll be using throughout your studies. The five most important resources for studying ISME are:

1. your account which you use for registering for courses, for accessing your mails, and for using the self-service;
2. the campus managament to sign up for courses and exams and to keep track of your academic progress;
3. the  blackboard platform as learning management system for many of your courses;
4. the course catalog to check which courses are offered by whom, when, and where;
5. our ISME website, of course, where you will find all the important information relevant to the program as well as current events and announcements.

In the following sections, we will guide you through the different aspects of studying ISME to help you understand modules, examinations, grades etc. 

• step-by-step guide to easily start your studies
• incoming students
• first semester
• modules
• ECTS and credits
• registering for courses
• examinations
• grades
• complementary area of studies
• internship
• recognizing acquired qualifications (and ECTS) from other modules, programs, universities etc.
• a step-by-step guide to recognizing acquired qualifications

Further aspects of studying ISME include:

• learning German
• independent language learning
• studying part-time
• leave of absence
• frequently asked questions

Step-by-step guide to easily start your studies

You have been admitted – that's great news. Follow these steps to easily start your studies on campus in Berli

Note: ISME can only provide information and support related to the ISME program itself. For general questions about admission, enrollment, housing, visas, etc., please refer to the Freie Universität Berlin resources listed below.

Important Dates

• October 1 – November 1, 2024: course registration period
• October 10, 2024, 10:15 – 11:45 AM (Berlin time): online ISME program orientation (including Q&A session)
• October 11: deadline to indicate preferences for courses with limited spots
• October 17, 2024, 11:00 – 11:45 AM (Berlin time): online collective office hour for all cohorts of ISME
• October 14, 2024: classes begin

Steps to Start Your ISME Studies

Step 1: Check ISME website

• Review the ISME program website for information about the program, courses, faculty, events, etc.

Step 2: Complete enrollment formalities

• Respond to your admission letter by the deadline stated to confirm you will be enrolling.Inform ISME about your intended enrollment.
• Pay any required enrollment fees by the relevant deadline.
• Submit any other required enrollment documents by the deadline.
• Check if you need to apply for a student visa.

Step 3: Set up student accounts

• Set up your university email address, intranet/portal account, and any other student accounts required.

Step 4: Arrange housing

• Research housing options in Berlin. Student dorms, shared apartments, and private rentals are common options.
• Apply for housing well in advance. The market is highly competitive!

Step 5: Get settled in Berlin

• Arrange travel to Berlin.
• Set up your housing.
• Complete any residency registration required.
• Open a German bank account if needed.
• Create and validate your Campuscard for public transport options.
• Make sure you can access your student email and accounts before orientation.
• Use only your @fu-berlin.de mail for communication within Freie Universität.

Step 6: Inform yourselves about courses and regulations

• Read study and exam regulations.
• Find courses in the course catalog that meet your modules.
• Pay attention to special registration procedures for some departments or central units (e.g. for German courses from the language center)

Step 7: Attend orientation events

• If you are an international students, attend central orientation for international students on DATE TBA, Audimax in the Henry Ford building.
• Attend ISME program orientation on Oct 10, 10:15 – 11:45 AM online.
• Attend ISME collective office hours on Oct 17, 11:00 – 11:45 AM online – here you may already meet students from the other cohorts.

Step 8: Set up campus technology access

• Set up access to the university WiFi network (eduroam).
• Set up remote access via VPN or ZEDAT proxy if needed.
• Watch the introduction to the campus management video.

Step 9: Register for courses

• Registration period is Oct 1 – Nov 1, 2024.
• Indicate course preferences by Oct 11 for limited capacity courses – usually all of the courses in ISME.
• Only ISME courses can be directly registered via the campus management.
• Check whether you have been allocated to your desired courses by Oct 12.
• Register for free spots from Oct 12 – Nov 1, 2024.
• Check course status regularly in case of cancellations.
• Withdraw from unneeded courses to free up spaces, until Nov 1, 2024.
• Check wehther you are enrolled for the relevant courses in the blackboard which is the learning management system of Freie Universität; otherwise contact the relevant lecturer. Course materials and communications may soleley be processes through blackboard, so make sure to have access to all of your courses.

Step 10: Begin classes

• Classes will begin the week of October 14, 2024. Be sure to attend from day one!

Important Links

• Provisional ISME Course Catalog for Winter 2024
• Freie Universität Berlin: General Information for New Students
• Campus Management Introduction Video

For any ISME-specific questions or concerns, please contact isme@geschkult.fu-berlin.de.

For general questions about admission, enrollment, housing, visas, etc., please refer to the Freie Universität Berlin resources.

Incoming students

Important information for incoming students has been collected by the Center for Academic Advising and Psychological Counseling. Check out their website on starting your study program and their fact sheets "Newly enrolled – what next?", as well as "GETTING STARTED at Freie Universität" and "studying 101 – a simple guide for students".

First semester

In the first semester, you take at least three to four courses from three modules:

1. Studying the Middle East with a lecture series by all six disciplines contributing to our program AND the methods course,
2. one advanced seminar in the module Interdisciplinary Perspectives on the Middle East,
3. at least one course from the module Reading the Middle East (all readings in English) OR the module Reading the Middle East through Its Languages. You may also take courses from the modules of the advanced area of studies instead. 

These courses introduce you to various aspects of studying the Middle East as a region and as a space of cultural production. They approach the subject from a cross-disciplinary and transregional perspective. They focus on the comparative analysis of historical, social, and cultural formations and address topics such as culture, language, knowledge, literature, identity, gender, human rights, and nationalism. 

You have to register for the relevant courses via the campus management within the dedicated registration period. 

1. To complete the module Studying the Middle East, you have to participate in the lecture series and the methods course AND take one examination with the lecturer(s) of the methods course; this examination consists of a written assignment of approx. 5000 words; it is evaluated on a pass/fail basis.

2. You cannot complete the module Interdisciplinary Perspectives on the Middle East in the first semester; the second part of the module (a methods course) is offered only in the summer semester. The advanced seminar is offered only in the winter semester. So, keep this in mind when planing which module to take in which semester.

To complete the module, you have to participate in one advanced seminar and one methods course AND take one examination; this examination consists of a written assignment of approx. 5000 words; it is graded and counts towards the final grade.

You can take the examination either in relation to the advanced seminar or the methods course and with either of instructors; please note that instructors are only onbliged to evaluate examinations in the very semester that they are teaching the course. 

3. To complete either of the modules Reading the Middle East OR Reading the Middle East Through Its Languages, you have to participate in two courses. The module does not involve an examination according to the new study regulations (2023). 

Understanding modules

Modules are the building blocks of many master’s degree programs at Freie Universität. Typically, a module consists of TWO courses, which can vary in form, such as a lecture and a seminar, or a seminar and a reading course. Various forms of active participation, such as reading literture, writing summaries, giving presentations, may be a requirement for course participation. A module is completed with ONE examination.

Modules are offered either in one semester or over two semesters. If the module is one semester long, you are expected to complete it within that semester. If the module spans two semesters, the first course is typically taken in the winter semester and the second in the summer semester.

Modules may be comprised of very specific forms of courses, like a lecture and a methods course (Studying the Middle East), an advanced seminar and a methods course (Interdisciplinary Perspectives), only reading or tutorial courses dealing with original language material (Reading the Middle East Through Its Languages), or a mix of elective course (like in all of the modules of the advanced area of studies). Thus, while there's a lot of flexibility for mixing and matching courses in the advanced area of studies, some modules require specific course forms, so keep an eye on always choosing courses in both module parts to complete a module.

The purpose of the modules is to help students develop specific skills, and successful completion of a module means you have achieved those goals and are making progress towards the goals of the program. The registration requirements, learning goals, content, and examination requirements for each module are outlined in detail in the study and examination regulations.

Understanding ECTS and workload

In many countries, students in college or university get credits based on the time they spend in class each week. But in Germany and other European countries, they use something called the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS). ECTS credits show not only the amount of time a student spends in class, but also how much work they have done overall and if they passed their exams. To get ECTS credits, a student must go to class regularly, participate actively, do well on exams, and get a grade of 4 or higher on the German scale (which ranges from 6 to 1). At Freie Universität, ECTS credits are called “Leistungspunkte,” while other universities in Germany may use terms such as “Studienpunkte” or “Kreditpunkte”.

Each ECTS credit represents 30 hours of work. To complete the ISME program, you need 120 ECTS credits, which adds up to 3600 hours of work. If you complete the program in four semesters, you’ll need to do 900 hours of work each semester. This includes the time between terms, when classes are not in session, but you’re still working toward completing a module, such as writing a term paper. Over the course of two years, you’ll spend around 40 hours a week for 45 weeks a year.

Registering for courses

If you want to register for modules or module exams at Freie Universität Berlin, you can do it easily online using the Campus Management (LINK). All you need is a valid zedat account (LINK), which you can use to log in to the Campus Management homepage. Once you're logged in, you can navigate through the module registration process.

General information on the Campus Management (LINK) will help you understand how to use the system effectively and avoid any potential issues. So, take some time to read through it carefully before you start. A quick reference guide to using the Campus Management (PDF, LINK) as well as the video tutorial (LINK) may help you once and again during the course registration period, which is always announced on the general website together with relevant orientation events (LINK).

For questions on the Campus Management, please contact the info service as explained in our support tab. 

Examinations

ISME's examination regulations (LINK) govern all matters relating to module examinations. 

One important characteristic of all degree programs at Freie Universität is that students take examinations during studies (in German "studienbegleitende Prüfungen"). 

Modules in ISME are completed by taking a single module examination.

The type of examination required for a specific module (written assignment, oral presentation, etc.) is shown in ISME's examination regulations (new link to be provided soon); the following presents a list of ISME modules and their relevant forms of examination:

• Studying the Middle East: written assignement of 5000 words (pass/fail)
• Interdisciplinary Perspectives: written assignment of 5000 words (graded)
• Reading the Middle East // Reading the Middle East Through Its Languages: no examination
• Histories and Societies of the Middle East // Traditions of Texts and Knowledge in the Middle East // Languages of the Middle East // Literatures of the Middle East in their Social Dimensions: 5000 words (graded)
• Research Perspectives: project outline (approx. 5 pages; pass/fail) // Internship: internship report (approx. 5 pages)
• Communicating Research: presentation (approx. 10 minutes; pass/fail)
• Examinations for modules as electives depend on the relevant examination regulations of the modules themselves. 

The list refers to the new regulations as of winter semester 2023/2024. 

Some module examinations are graded on a pass/fail basis and some are graded using differentiated marks (see the next section); the latter grades are, as a general principle, counted toward the student’s overall grade for ISME. Each module is assigned a certain number of ECTS (usually 15 in ISME) that apply to the overall workload of presence in classes, prepartion of classes or the examination, and the examination itself. At the end of the program, the student’s overall grade is calculated based on these weighted module grades and the grade earned on the master’s thesis.

Grades

When it comes to getting grades at Freie Universität, it's important to note that you'll only receive grades for your module examinations and not for individual courses. The grading system for modules can vary: some modules are graded on a pass/fail basis, while others are graded using differentiated marks. If you're unsure about the grading system for a particular module, it's always a good idea to check with your professor or academic advisor.

The following grades are awarded for individual exams:

1.0, 1.3, 1.7, 2.0, 2.3, 2.7, 3.0, 3.3, 3.7, 4.0, and 5.0.

The following terms are used for module and overall grades falling within the average ranges below:

1.0 through 1.5	= Very Good
over 1.5 through 2.5	= Good
over 2.5 through 3.5	= Satisfactory
over 3.5 through 4.0	= Sufficient
over 4.0	= Not Passed

If the overall examination has been passed, the diploma supplement shows not only the overall grade, but also the grade distribution for all graduates of the same program (or, if the number of graduates is too small, for all graduates of this and similar programs) for the preceding six semesters.

Complementary area of studies

ISME's complementary area of studies (15 ECTS) allows you to choose between three options:

1. to take the module "Research Perspectives" of 15 ECTS (see information in the course catalogue of each semester) or

2. to do an internship of 5, 10 or 15 ECTS* (see the next section) or/and

3. to choose modules (totalling 15 ECTS) from other master's prgrams from the entire course catalog of Freie Universität Berlin (or even other universities), provided that there are free spots in the course and that the lecturer agrees to your participation and that ISME's academic advisors have confirmed your module choice and its being-in-line with the regulations for the complementary area of studies.

If you plan to take modules from other departments or universities, you won't be able to register through campus management. Instead, you'll need to fill out a form which can be found in the download section (LINK) and submit it to the Office for Academic Affairs at the Department of History and Cultural Studies. Without submitting the form, you won't be able to take the exam or receive ECTS. Once the form has been processed, the modules will be documented in campus management for your convenience. If this isn't possible, you can request a module/participation/examination certificate from the relevant module's lecturers and have your academic advisor recommend the transfer of ECTS.

Internship

Learning objectives of the internship module according to the study regulations

By completing an internship, participants in the module acquire experience in the professional application of knowledge from Interdisciplinary Studies of the Middle East in relevant institutions, organizations and companies, e.g. in university and non-university research institutions, in documentation institutions, journalism, archives and museums, in international organizations, non-governmental organizations, in working with migrants, in tourism; in adult and continuing education, furthermore, in the mediation of intercultural problems in academic and non-academic teaching and education settings, in knowledge transfer, management, and social, political and cultural lobbying, especially in companies and organizations operating internationally or in special world regions.

Content of the internship module according to the study regulations

The internship module introduces students to the demands and nature of applying knowledge from Interdisciplinary Studies of the Middle East to professional work through an internship of at least nine weeks at an institution of their choosing. It is also possible to do complete shorter internships with a total workload of at least 120 (5 ECTS), 240 (10 ECTS) or 360 hours (15 ECTS). Before the internship, it is advised to draft an agreement between the student and the internship host, in which the rights and obligations of the parties involved during the internship are defined. An internship report serves as feedback to the degree program coordinator; the report consists of an objective description of the work done and a reflection on the transfer of the student’s knowledge acquired through research to practical contexts. An official confirmation from the internship-providing party needs to be submitted with the internship report.

Please note that you can also combine multiple shorter internships to amount to 9 weeks (full-time) or 360 hours for 15 ECTS; or you may do a short internship and also choose modules from other programs, all amounting to 15 ECTS for the complemetary area of studies.

Process

To plan your internship, you should first contact the academic advisors and share with them the details of your internship. Once you have confirmed the institution, the location, and the duration of the internship, you can register for the internship module through the campus management during the registration period. Usually, this registration takes place in April (for the summer semester) and October (for the winter semester).

Once you have completed the internship, you must submit a confirmation from the institution where you completed the internship, including the number of hours, tasks, and duration, to the academic advisors at isme@geschkult.fu-berlin.de. Additionally, you should provide an internship report of about five pages. The academic advisors will review your report and confirm your completion of the module in the campus management.

Freie Universität's career service (LINK) supports students with questions regarding internships.

Internship Report

In the internship report of 5 pages, you should relfect on your internship experience in writing and relate it to your studies and career goals. This demonstrates that you can systematically present, analyse and evaluate the requirements of a field of activity, practical issues and your own learning processes during the internship.

The internship report is part of the module requirements. Send it by e-mail to isme@geschkult.fu-berlin.de after completion, together with an official confirmation of the internship by the internship provider. We will read it and document the completion of the module in the campus management accordinly.

The report remains with ISME. With your permission and the permission of the respective internship provider, we will publish reports that are particularly worth reading in our internship report database.

Formal requirements
The following requirements apply to the internship report:

• Length: 1500 words (corresponds to about 5 pages) WITHOUT cover page!
• Font size: maximum 12 pt with a line spacing of 1.5
• Continuous text
• Report language: English
• PDF format

Content and key questions
Cover sheet

• Your name and address, matriculation number, field of study, date of submission
• Name of the organisation/company, department, area of work, time and duration of the internship, supervisor if applicable, location

Introduction

• Provide information on the sector, name, headquarters, size of the company or organisation providing the internship, number of employees, size and tasks of the department/area in which you worked.
• Briefly outline the professional field in which you completed the internship and give an overview of the tasks you were given.
• Describe how you made contact and the application process. Did you have several interviews/offers? Was the application process easy or difficult?
• What expectations did you have of the internship? What goals did you pursue with the internship?

Main part

• What activities did you carry out during your internship? Did you mainly observe or did you take on qualified tasks (did you plan, research or organise, were you involved in projects)?
• What demands were placed on you and how did you cope with them? Were you able to use the specialised knowledge you acquired during your studies? If so, in what form?
• What was your day-to-day work like (working hours and pace, co-operation within the department and with other departments, activities and areas of work, etc.)?
• How would you rate the supervision situation? Were you trained, were you integrated into the team, did you have contact persons and your own workplace? Did you receive feedback on your performance?
• Did difficulties arise due to a lack of knowledge, the workload or with colleagues? How did you solve these problems?
• What knowledge and skills (professional, social and methodological competences) were you able to acquire or deepen during the internship?

Conclusion

• How does the internship experience, the tasks, the knowledge etc. relate to your studies in ISME?

• How did the internship affect your ideas about the further course of your studies and your career choice?
• Did the internship open up new perspectives for you, or did the practical experience discourage you with regard to your career choice?
• How would you rate the internship overall? What did you like and what did you not like at all?
• Did the internship open up opportunities for further co-operation and contacts?
• Would you recommend other students to do an internship in this company (with reasons)?

A little tip on the side:

• If you make a few notes from time to time during the internship, the report will be all the easier to write afterwards. Don't put off writing your report for too long! If your memory is still fresh, the wording will be much easier to remember.
• Unfortunately, it sometimes happens that the information section about the employer is copied word for word from the website and included in the internship report. It goes without saying that this is not right. The academic advisors are experienced readers and here you run the risk of having to revise the report again.
• If you have completed several internships, please only write an internship report on one of the internships you have completed, or summarise all the internships in one report.

Recognizing acquired achievements (and ECTS)

The transfer of acquired achievements that you have already gained or that you gain during your studies from other departments or universities may be of interest if:

• you have already enroled at Freie Universiät and wish to include any achievements gained at other universities or in courses other than the program that you study,
• you wish to change from the old to the new program regulations within ISME,
• you wish to include acquired qualifications gained at other departments or universities in order to apply for a higher semester within ISME.

To recognize acquired achievements, please contact the academic advisors with all the necessary information and documents (such as module certificate or exam- and/or attendance certificates) who will forward a recommendation to the examination committee. The committee will decide on the transfer on the basis of this recommendation. The examination office (LINK) will then send you the final decision via mail.

For orientation

We as academic advisors process reccommendations for the recognition of acquired qualifications twice per semester, winter: November, February; summer: May, July. Please note that the study and examination offices currently require up to six weeks for processing. 

Recognizing acquired qualifications step by step

1. contact ISME's academic advisors

If you plan to take a module or course outside of ISME and wish the qualifications that you acquire later to be recognized, e.g. in the complementary area of studies, consult ISME's academic advisors in advance – so before starting the courses – about the options of recognition in your individual case. Write to us with complete details on the courses, e.g. course number, instructor, title, module (!) or program to which the courses belong.

We reccommend always taking whole modules instead of individual courses since modules are designed with specific qualification goals in mind which can only be achieved when completing a whole module and not just a part of it. Check the relevant study and examination regulations to learn about the workload of the modules, examination, forms of participation etc. Note that two courses plus one examination do NOT necessarily have a workload of 450 hours (like most ISME modules) and, thus, do NOT amount to 15 ECTS. When recognizing achievements, we must rely on the workload specified for the relevant modules that you study.

2. register for the relevant module or course via this form (LINK)

Registering for modules and courses for which you cannot register directly in the campus management, e.g. when taking courses from other departments, is important, since only once registered you're officially allowed to take examinations and get ECTS for courses.

Note that when you take modules or courses from other programs, departments, universities, you always take them according to the study and examination regulations to which the module or course originally belongs. These regulations form the basis for transferring the ECTS later.

Also note that it may technically not be possible to add every module or course to your campus management record directly; a registration for such modules or courses would remain in your file with the Office for Academic Affairs.

3. participate in the courses and completing them

4. get a participation, examination, or module certificate

If the module or course you are taking cannot be directly documented in the campus management, you need to have the relevant instructors fill out forms confirming your participation and – if applicable – examination; if you take a whole module, you need a module certificate. For the Department of History and Cultural Studies, you can find the relevant forms here (LINK). 

Please note that every department has their own forms and certificates and you will always need a form from the relevant department. 

5. request from the academic advisors to reccommend the recognition of acquired qualifications as previously agreed (see no. 1)

Send the participation, examination, or module certificate to ISME's academic advisors and add the following information:

- for which module / part of ISME should the achievements be recognized;

- if the achievements from a single course should be recognized for one of ISME's core or advanced modules, to which module part the course should be transferred; this is especially important if you have already taken courses in one part of module and need the recognition for the other part in order for the module to be complete. You can find the module numbers (usually starting with 0593 for ISME) in the campus management. 

6. see the transfer in the campus management

After a processing time of 4 to 6 weeks, you will be notified by the examination office and see the documenation in the campus management.

In case the recognition is pending, contact the examination office directly.

Learning German

Learning German is not only beneficial for your studies in Germany, but it also adds to your personal development. Freie Universität offers German language courses from level A1 onwards, and the best part is that they are free of charge for all master students enrolled in English-taught programs (LINK). So, while you study at ISME, take the opportunity to improve your German language skills.

By the way: Qualifications from the German language courses can be recognized in your complementary area of studies at ISME.

Here (LINK) is an overview of how to register for German language courses at Freie Universität.

Independent language learning

At the Centre for Independent Language Learning (LINK), you have a lot of options to learn a new language to complement your studies or to simply broaden your horizons. Whether you prefer to learn independently or with others e.g. in a tandem (LINK), the facilities are available to you. They offer a variety of materials, workshops, and study guides (LINK) to support your learning journey, and their team of student assistants are always ready to help you out.

If you want to know more about their offerings, take a virtual tour of the Centre for Independent Language Learning (LINK), or better yet, drop by and see them in person!. Don't miss out on this chance to improve your language skills and make new friends in a welcoming atmosphere.

Studying part-time

If you would like to utilize our teaching and support resources as a part-time student please apply for part-time status (LINK) within the respective immatriculation or re-registration deadline, no later than at the start of the semester (April 1st or October 1st). Your semester fees and contributions remain unchanged during part-time studies.

A semester studied on a part-time basis will be counted as half of a subject semester (Fachsemester) and a full university semester (Hochschulsemester).

There will be no entitlement to a distinctive part-time study curriculum.

Leave of absence

A Student who wishes to interrupt their studies or are unable to participate in the regular course of study during the upcoming semester may apply for a semester-long leave of absence (LINK, in German "Urlaubssemester", Section 14 of the Bylaws on Academic Matters "Satzung für Studienangelegenheiten" of Freie Universität Berlin).

Semesters on leave do not count as study semesters "Fachsemester"; therefore, they are not counted as the standard study period in a degree program "Regelstudienzeit", which is used as the basis for examination deadlines. They are solely considered for the total number of university semesters "Hochschulsemester".

Frequently asked questions