FAQs for first semester students

On the following website you will find information on your introductory events, as well as pre- and bridge courses.

Information events on this topic are held in the faculties at the beginning of the semester.

The Fachhochschule Dortmund is aiming for an in-person semester. If possible, the corona pandemic should be countered by a sensible hygiene concept, not by a lockdown.

Students register for the individual courses themselves via the study portal (OSD or HISinOne).

In some faculties, such as the Faculty of Computer Science and the Faculty of Business Studies, you will be assigned to a group by the faculty.

Please contact the coordinator of your study program.

A module is a teaching unit consisting of one or more courses with a common learning objective. Courses can vary depending on the study program, e.g. lectures, seminars, exercises, tutorials or internships. You will receive detailed information about the courses on your study program in the introductory events.

You can find the module handbook on the website of your study program. Select your study program from the courses on offer. We have linked the module handbook under "Further information".

On the following website you will find the schedule of when the upcoming semesters start and when lecture-free periods are. Please note that the start of regular courses may vary depending on the study program.

On the following website you will find information about your introductory courses as well as pre-courses and bridge courses. Please note that not all faculties offer preliminary courses.

You can find the module handbook on the website of your study program. Select your study program from the courses on offer. We have linked the module handbook under "Further information".

Please contact the coordinators from your degree program.

You can find contact persons on the website of your study program. Select your study program from the range of courses on offer. Further down the page you will find the heading "Who can help me?" and there you will find the head of degree program and the degree program management. You will also find contact details for student advisors. These are students from your faculty who are also available to answer your questions.

Depending on the faculty, there are other important contacts and committees. There are, for example

• The General Student Committee (AStA)
• The student council
• Mentoring
• The practice offices
• The examination boards
• The Student Advisory Service
• The Student Advisory Service
• The Student Parliament (StuPa)

You are welcome to use our Digital Campus in ILIAS: Arrive, get to know each other, exchange ideas - under this motto, the Digital Campus in ILIAS offers plenty of room for interaction. The platform is created by students for students and is not visible to lecturers and employees, so that there is a protected framework for exchange.

You can also establish contact with students via the AStA (General Students' Committee) or the student councils of your study program.

There are also student advisors in every faculty. They can answer your questions about studying and tell you about their experiences on the study program.

For ODS, please contact: supportfh-dortmundde 

For HISinOne, please contact: studienportalfh-dortmundde 

In principle, documents for enrollment must be submitted by the deadline stated in the letter of admission.
Subsequent submission is only possible if documents are still missing. The deadline for this is set individually by the Admissions Office. In some cases, the deadline may be agreed with the applicant, e.g. if the practical part of the university entrance qualification is still missing.

Check your e-mails daily to receive further information about the start of the semester.

Proof of payment of the semester fee must be submitted with the enrollment documents.

The examinations usually take place at the end of the lecture-free period. Depending on the study program, there are also examinations during the semester, such as presentations and assignments.

There are no fixed examination times for all study programs / faculties.

You can register for examinations via the HISinOne study portal.

ILIAS stands for "Integrated Learning, Information and Work Cooperation System". It is a learning management system that is used as a central teaching and examination instance at Fachhochschule Dortmund. What does this mean for students? You will find course materials in ILIAS and can view teaching videos from lecturers. You can upload your own work or presentations, share content and create folder structures. You can receive and send messages. In short, you can view digital content from courses, upload your own projects and stay in contact with lecturers and students. You can also book consultation appointments via ILIAS or view your timetable.

HISinOne is a study portal. Students can use it to register for their examinations and courses. You can also view and print out your semester ticket and your transcript of records. You can manage your timetable and change the image of your FH Card.

ECTS is the abbreviation for European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System. It is, so to speak, a currency system for students' study effort. Credits (also known as credit points) are the quantitative unit of measurement for the study effort. As the average workload of students can hardly be measured in any other way than in hours, the credits are also assigned a corresponding hourly value.

One semester of full-time study corresponds to 30 credits or one year to 60 credits. Since a workload of 36 to 40 weeks of 40 working hours each has been determined for full-time students in Europe, it has been agreed to assign a value of 25 to 30 working hours to a credit; this in turn corresponds to a workload of 1,500 to 1,800 hours per year. Credits are awarded for all work completed. In addition to attending courses, they also include the time spent preparing for and following up on courses, examinations and self-study.

A course of study is completed when the prescribed number of credits has been achieved. A Bachelor's degree requires 180-240 ECTS credits, a Master's degree 60-120 ECTS credits.

Credits fulfill two different functions. On the one hand, they facilitate the academic recognition of academic achievements when changing universities and thus promote student mobility; on the other hand, they increase the transparency of study programs by serving students as an indicator of achievements made and still to be made and by clearly defining the performance requirements of courses and modules in advance.

Arrive, get to know each other, exchange ideas - under this motto, the digital campus in ILIAS offers plenty of room for interaction. The platform is designed by students for students and is not visible to teaching staff and employees, so there is a protected environment for mutual exchange.