Bachelor's Program in Sociology

There may be different periods to register for courses. Please regularly check the School’s website for up-to-date information. Usually, the respective program managers will also inform you about the registration periods for the courses in your core subject and the supplementary modules by e-mail. An additional registration period may apply to your minor, depending on the subject you choose.

You need to register for courses during the semester break between the fall and the spring semester. You can select your courses for the fall semester from early to mid-August and your courses for the spring semester in January/February.

Registration is done via Portal².

Each semester, you need to register online for those examinations you would like to take at the end of the lecture period. You will need to do so within a period defined by Student Services.

Please note: The exam registration period falls within the lecture period, which means that you cannot register for your examinations via the Student Services’ campus management system before the lecture period starts.
Each semester, the periods during which you can register for exams will be published on the Student Services’ website.
Online registration is done via Portal².

Portal^² is the University of Mannheim’s campus management system. Using the portal, you can, for example, view the course catalog, create a course schedule, and register for examinations.

Portal²

ILIAS is the e-learning platform we use at the University of Mannheim. On this platform, teachers can upload important course material, such as lecture scripts and slides, to make them available to you. If you have not yet joined the ILIAS group that corresponds to one of your courses, please contact the teachers of the respective course or their secretaries. The University IT will help you in case you have any technical questions.

ILIAS

It is possible to spend a semester abroad and still complete your degree program within the standard period of study. In fact, we encourage you to go abroad during your studies.

If you would like to have the courses and examinations you take at a university abroad recognized, please contact the program managers or the departmental exchange coordinators before leaving. A Learning Agreement is required to make sure the credits you obtain abroad are recognized.

You can apply for leave of absence during your studies citing a valid reason (section 61 subsection 1 of the Act on Higher Education of the Land of Baden-Württemberg (LHG)).
A valid reason for being granted an academic leave of absence is for example:

• an internship,
• a semester abroad,
• maternity leave / parental leave / parenting, or
• health issues.

The application must be filed before the semester it corresponds to begins. Further information can be obtained from Student Services.

According to the examination regulations, students can only take one minor. If they attend additional courses on a voluntary basis, they will not appear on their transcript of records. However, teachers may issue a document that proves a student’s successful attendance upon request.

Procedure and registration

According to the examination regulations, the bachelor’s thesis should be written in the sixth semester. The final module includes the bachelor's thesis and a colloquium. Colloquiums help you plan your bachelor's thesis, and you attend them during the preparation period. They enable you to discuss your thesis with your teachers and your fellow students and to exchange ideas. You will write your bachelor's thesis on a topic that is associated with one of your advanced modules. You must have completed the corresponding advanced module prior to registering your bachelor's thesis.

Final thesis in the Social Psychology module

In the course of the fall semester preceding the semester the thesis is due to be written in, an e-mail will be sent out to all eligible students. They will be asked whether they would like to write their bachelor's thesis in Social Psychology. If the number of students intending to write their thesis in this particular advanced module exceeds the number of available places, the places will be awarded by lottery.

Final thesis in the General and Specific Sociology, Comparative European Societies, and Methods modules

All students who would like to write their thesis in a different module will receive an e-mail towards the end of the fifth semester and will be asked to indicate the following:

• their preferred advanced module (Comparative European Societies, General and Specific Sociology, or Methods of Empirical Social Research),
• a (broad) topic or an area they would like to focus on in their bachelor's thesis,
• whether they would like their thesis to be in English or German, and
• whether they would like their thesis to be statistical in nature.

Students will be assigned to the different colloquiums according to the topic they stated. However, they are not bound to their decision and can change the topic even after they have been assigned to a colloquium. In the spring semester, colloquiums are offered in each advanced module. After all students have been assigned to their colloquiums, we will send you an e-mail with the details and register you for your colloquium in Portal². Consequently, you do not need to register for a colloquium in Portal² yourself.

Please do not complete the registration form for the spring semester if you intend to postpone your bachelor’s thesis until the fall semester. In the fall semester, you can simply register for the colloquium in Portal² yourself. Only one colloquium will be available at that time; however, you can register for all advanced modules (except for Social Psychology) within this colloquium (parallel groups).

Registration for the bachelor's thesis is done during a colloquium session, where the students fill in the registration forms together. The teachers are responsible for forwarding the forms to Student Services.

The preparation period for your bachelor's thesis varies depending on the examination regulations applicable to you:

Examination regulations 2013: April 3, 2018 - May 15, 2018 (6 weeks acc. to examination regulations)

Examination regulations 2015: March 20, 2018 - May 15, 2018 (8 weeks acc. to examination regulations)

Examination regulations 2017: tbd (12 weeks acc. to examination regulations)

You will receive an e-mail informing you about the exact dates in due time.