First-year offers for new students
These courses are aimed at first-year Bachelor students or first-year students on teacher training and state examination degree programs. They are held in German.
Prospective students and students in their first undergraduate semester have the opportunity to take part in preparatory courses before starting their studies. In the courses, the school curriculum of the respective subject is often repeated and a preview of the content of the first semester is given. All courses are free of charge and voluntary, but participation in the orientation weeks or online introductory courses for the respective subject is highly recommended.
Online courses and orientation weeks
Various courses are offered that can prepare students for scientific and mathematical studies and / or repeat secondary school lessons.
Online courses
- StudOn course: Einstieg in das Studium am Department Biologie
- The Chemistry “Brückenkurs” is also recommended.
Chemistry Brückenkurs (29.09.-10.10.25)
Chemistry preparatory course for major and minor students
In the winter semester 2024/25, a joint course will once again be offered for both major students (Chemistry, Chemistry Teacher Training, Molecular Science, Pharmacy and Food Chemistry) and minor students (e.g. Biology, Integrated Life Sciences, Geosciences, Chemical and Bioengineering, Materials Science, Nanotechnology, Molecular Medicine, Modulstudien Naturale, etc.). This voluntary two-week preliminary course takes place directly before the official start of lectures. The supervised course includes a review of school knowledge in chemistry, an introduction to the university, the Department of Chemistry and Pharmacy, the Student Service Centre and the student council initiatives and an introduction to everyday student life at FAU. As in previous years, the 2024 bridge course will be offered as a ‘hybrid course’. In addition, students on the Chemistry, Chemistry Teacher Training, Molecular Science, Pharmacy and Food Chemistry degree programmes can take part in face-to-face exercises in small student groups.
Further information can be found in the StudOn course below. The bridging course is voluntary and free of charge, in German, and registration is now possible with a valid IdM identifier on StudOn* at: https://www.studon.fau.de/crs5831354_join.html.
Contact:
Dr. Olaf Brummel (Adak. ORat)
Chair of Interface Research and Catalysis
Contact
Dr. Tanja Retzer
Chair of Interface Research and Catalysis
Contact
Orientation week (07-10 October 2025)
Tthe Departments of Mathematics, Physics and Data Science are offering an orientation week aimed at all first-year students on the following degree programs
- Data Science B.Sc.
- Teaching degree for secondary schools Mathematics
- Teacher training for secondary schools Physics
- Mathematics B.Sc.
- Technomathematics B.Sc.
- Physics B.Sc.
- Business Mathematics B.Sc.
The orientation week is designed to make it easier for first-year students to start their studies. Valuable information and tips on the course of studies, the timetable, the organisation and the most important online portals of the university are provided. Last but not least, the orientation week is also a good opportunity to get to know each other. The introductory events are led by the professors who are also giving the first lectures, supported by the Student Council Initiative Mathematics / Physics / Data Science. The orientation week takes place on campus. The orientation week program is currently being updated and will be available on StudOn by the beginning of October at the latest. The event is voluntary, but participation is strongly recommended. Registration is not required. You can find more detailed information on the following website: https://mp.fsi.fau.de/index.php/ersti-infos/orientierungswoche
Welcome Day for International Students (24. April 2025)
Our Welcome Day for international students (Data Science and CAM) are the place to get up to speed! On 24. April 2025, we are going to provide you with all information needed to have a successful start to your studies at FAU! We will cover important information all around studying at FAU such as timetables, right of examination, ECTS and much more. We will give you with tips on how to succeed not only at university, but also outside of it by introducing you to our buddy program and showing you ways to meet and connect with other students. Do you have questions regarding life in Germany? We will provide some pointers regarding learning German, finding a job and an apartment, getting health insurance and familiarize you with all you need to know to about life in Germany. We will also show you around campus, teach you the best ways to stay mobile in Erlangen and across Germany and introduce you to our Student Council Initiative.
Are you interested? Great! You can sign up for our Welcome Days by StudOn There you will find all information about the programme like where to meet, when it starts etc.
Start: 9:30 at Ü 2, Cauerstraße 11, Erlangen
Online self-assessment test
The online self-assessment test for prospective Mathematics students “Online-Selbsteinschätzungstests für Studieninteressierte im Fach Mathematik” can help them decide whether to study Mathematics.
Further online courses
- The Online Mathematics Brückenkurs OMB+ is specially designed for prospective and current students to prepare them for the mathematics content of their Physics degree program.
- The Online Physics Brückenkurs helps to repeat the school material from the upper secondary level and to make it easier to start the first two semesters in Physics. It is also suitable for prospective students and students of other sciences or engineering degree programs. You can register for the online course at any time. If you are not yet enrolled at FAU, you can register on the FAU learning platform StudOn via a self-registration link.
Geography
Introductory events by the Central Student Advice Center
Geosciences
It is recommended to attend the Online Mathematics Brückenkurs OMB+ and the Chemistry Brückenkurs.
MSN students can participate in all courses, orientation weeks and bridge courses (Brückenkurse) listed on this page.
Preparatory courses from other Faculties
Other Faculties and central institutions also offer preparatory courses for first semester students. Students of the Faculty of Sciences can also take part in the following courses.
FAU’s Central Student Advice Center (ZSB) offers general online counseling sessions for various target groups, such as new students starting their studies in different faculties, students with disabilities, or an information session on FAU’s various online services.
Online repetition course
The Repetitorium is an unsupervised virtual offer for self-study and is aimed at all students of the Faculty of Engineering (especially computer science related courses) who want/need to refresh their programming experience in object-oriented languages. However, students of the Faculty of Sciences who acquire programming skills during their studies (especially mathematics) can also take part. It is intended to make it easier for beginners to get back into programming by introducing their building blocks using the Java programming language as an example together with the recommended development environment Eclipse. The online course is free of charge and can be started at any time.
Further information and the online course can be found at: https://www.studon.fau.de/studon/goto.php?target=crs_2226036