General Electives (AWPF)

Course Catalogue Winter Semester 2024/2025

On this page you will find all the necessary information on the enrollment process for the general electives at the Schweinfurt and Würzburg campuses.

General Information
Application Procedure
Explanations
Languages
Subjects with special admission processes

Information on general electives (AWPF)

1. All bachelor’s programmes offered by THWS include one general elective module (AWPM) with 4 credit hours per week (= SWS), which corresponds to 5 ECTS credits. One AWPM usually consists of two general elective courses (AWPF with 2 SWS or 2.5 ECTS credits each). At German universities, the abbreviation “SWS” means “weekly hours per semester” and is used to state the time per week you will spend in class for any type of course. So, if the duration is “1 SWS”, it means that the course’s weekly duration is 45 minutes in every week of the entire lecture period of a semester. For intensive courses or block courses, the approximate course time in minutes is calculated from the number of weeks of the lecture period multiplied by the number of SWS of the respective course.
   However, students must take into account the requirements of their respective study and examination regulations (SPO).
   Important: Please make sure to meet the standard deadlines for passing the General Electives module according to §§ 36 and 39 of the General Examination Regulations (APO THWS).
   Some AWPF are blocked for certain degree programmes.This can be seen from the respective blocking notices in the online course catalogue.

2. Students may also choose courses offered by Virtuelle Hochschule Bayern (VHB), which are listed in the AWPF catalogue of THWS as “VHB courses”. These courses too will earn students 2 SWS or 2.5 ECTS credits. Other VHB courses will not be recognized as AWPF.

3. Exams usually take place one week before the general examination period and are conducted as written exams with a duration of 90 minutes. Deviating types of examination are indicated in the course catalogue. Presentations must be handed in in writing.
   Since registration for the exam takes place automatically by registering for the AWPF, only students who have duly registered can take the examination (see also: application procedure).

4. Switching an AWPF after the registration period is only possible in specially justified and exceptional cases.

5. Each AWPF can be taken as an optional course (Wahlfach), as far as there are places left after the drawing of places in the main registration procedure.

6. Foreign language AWPF:

   Please make sure to read the following exclusion criteria carefully!
   Should your prior knowledge exceed the course requirements, you will be removed from the course at the beginning of the course.

   Regarding native language or language of instruction at school:
   Foreign language AWPF are only open to non-native speakers!
   If, for example, you are a Russian native speaker, you are not allowed to take a Russian language AWPF. This also applies if your writing ability is low.
   If, for example, you went to school in a country where the language of instruction was French, you are not allowed to take the French language AWPF for the levels A2/B1.

   Basic courses A1a:
   These courses are designed for students without any prior knowledge of the language!

   Basic courses A1b:
   These courses are designed for students either having completed the A1a courses or for lateral entrants with a maximum of 2 years of prior knowledge of the language.
   If you have prior knowledge of the language from 6 months to 1 year of language learning, you can already take the A1b or A2 courses.
   If you have prior knowledge from 2 years of language learning, we rather recommend the courses for the level A2; however, you will also be accepted in A1b courses.

   Basic courses A2a:
   These courses are designed for students either having completed the A1b courses or for lateral entrants with a maximum of 3 years of prior knowledge of the language.
   If you have prior knowledge from 3 years of language learning, we rather recommend the courses for the levels A2/B1.

   Exceptions:
   Exceptions can only be made after personal consultation and approval by full-time foreign language lecturers of FANG (Faculty of Applied Natural Sciences and Humanities). This consultation must take place BEFORE the registration for the AWPF.

AWPF Application Procedure

1. At THWS, the AWPF application procedure takes place as a lottery; excepted from this are the courses in subject group “vhb”. This lottery is based on the requests you made online via https://studierendenportal.thws.de.

   • 1.1. - Each student can initially only apply for one AWPF (a further AWPF can be selected during the period where vacant places can be reserved; see also no. 3). In the application form, you can choose up to four AWPF (1.-4. Wahl = 1st to 4th choice). If you select more than four AWPF, the selection is reset and you are back at selecting your first choice. During the lottery, the course marked as “1. Wahl” (1st choice) is considered first. If there are not enough places in the AWPF to fulfil all “1st choice”-requests, a lottery will decide whose “1st choice”-request is considered. For students whose"1st choice"-request could not be considered, their "2nd choice"-requests and, if necessary, the “3rd and 4th choice”-requests will be used. Please note: For AWPF that are marked as “Intensive Course” (Intensivkurs), a different registration procedure applies that is carried out later!

     1.2. - The time of application has no influence on the success in the lottery. During the application period you can change your AWPF choices as you wish. Before making your final choices, please make sure that the choices you make have been well considered as well as no other obligations prevent your participation in the desired AWPF. AWPF exams take place from 18th January 2025 through 24th January 2025 (exams are generally written during the usual course session; dates cannot be changed/postponed).

     1.3. - The results from the lottery can be viewed online in the online student portal. Under "Meine Kurse" (my courses), you can check which of your requests was successful. If there is no course available, none of your requests was drawn in the course of the lottery. During the period where vacant places can be reserved, you will have the opportunity

     • to reserve a place in case none of your requests were fulfilled during the lottery;

     • to register for an additional AWPF;

     • to register for an AWPF as an optional course.

2. Information on the application period are available in the online student portal.
   During the application period, you can enter up to four AWPF requests (1.-4. Wahl = 1st to 4th choice); however, the lottery will draw only one of your choices, i.e. you will be able to take the maximum of one course from the four you selected. Please note: Before making your final choices, please make sure that they have been well-considered and that no other obligations prevent participation in the desired course.
   Attention! Only students who are properly enrolled or re-enrolled at THWS can take part in this application process.
   Attention! Master’s students are generally excluded from participating in the AWPF programme.
   Please note: For AWPF that are marked as “Intensive Course” (Intensivkurs), a different registration procedure applies that is carried out later! Information on the application period for Intensive Courses are available from the online student portal.

3. The results from the lottery are available in the online student portal about two hours after the application procedure was closed.
   There is no lottery for the registration for vacant places. Registration for vacant places takes place on a first come, first serve basis.

4. When the assignment process is closed, you can cancel your registration by an e-mail from your THWS student account:
   For cancelling courses in Würzburg write to awpf.fang-wue[at]thws.de
   For cancelling courses in Schweinfurt write to awpf.fang-sw[at]thws.de
   This procedure also applies if you want to register for (again) vacant places.

5. Registration for courses offered by the Virtuelle Hochschule Bayern (VHB) takes place exclusively online (https://www.vhb.org). Please note relevant information in the respective course description.

6. AWPF courses start on
   
   Thursday, 10^th October 2024
   
   at the announced times and places.

   Please bear this information in mind! All information is subject to change!

   The electronic info-boards in THWS buildings usually display only the information relevant for the respective building.

7. If you realize later that you cannot attend an AWPF, please cancel the AWPF officially. Important: Cancellation per e-mail is only accepted if sent from an THWS e-mail account, because only these accounts can be clearly verified. Cancellation from other e-mail accounts will not be accepted.

8. Fully booked AWPF
   The maximum number of participants in an AWPF cannot be exceeded. To make optimum use of available seats, procedure is as follows: If you miss the first course session without prior excuse, you can be removed from the list of participants. Excuses can be sent informally by e-mail to the dean’s office of the respective course location:
   For courses in Würzburg write to dekanat.fang-wue[at]thws.de
   For courses in Schweinfurt write to dekanat.fang-sw[at]thws.de

9. All AWPF offered at our University can be taken by all properly enrolled students, regardless of their study location (Würzburg or Schweinfurt).
   Please take into account any travel time.

Explanations:

Abbreviations used:

Use the link below to view current course information displayed on the electronic info-boards in the various THWS buildings. https://infoboard.thws.de

Only courses listed here are considered approved AWPF. Please also note the blocking notices! In the student portal, you will see the courses already filtered by the applicable blocking notices. So the courses you see there are the courses you can register for.

Languages

Information regarding the levels of language courses

The language courses at the Faculty of Applied Social Sciences and Humanities (FANG) follow the CEFR, i.e. theCommon European Framework of Reference for Languages. Course names indicate the desired language level (A1, A2, B1, B2, C1, C2).

For more information about the CEFR and possible self-assessment, please see
http://www.goethe.de/Z/50/commeuro/303.htm
http://europass.cedefop.europa.eu/LanguageSelfAssessmentGrid/de

We expressly ask you to make use of consultations at the beginning of the semester or to arrange consultations:
For information on the language offerings in Würzburg, please contact Frau Prof. Dr. Hansen. Questions on the offerings for Spanish can be addressed at Frau Akad. Oberrätin Kreiner-Wegener.
For information on the language offerings in Schweinfurt, please contact Frau Akad. Direktorin Schäfer.

The following course levels are offered and lead to certificates:

Overview of desired levels:

A1 Can understand and use familiar everyday expressions and very basic phrases aimed at the satisfaction of needs of a concrete type. Can introduce him/herself and others and can ask and answer questions about personal details such as where he/she lives, people he/she knows and things he/she has. Can interact in a simple way provided the other person talks slowly and clearly and is prepared to help.

A2 Can understand sentences and frequently used expressions related to areas of most immediate relevance (e.g. very basic personal and family information, shopping, local geography, employment). Can communicate in simple and routine tasks requiring a simple and direct exchange of information on familiar and routine matters. Can describe in simple terms aspects of his/her background, immediate environment and matters in areas of immediate need.

B1 Can understand the main points of clear standard input on familiar matters regularly encountered in work, school, leisure, etc. Can deal with most situations likely to arise whilst travelling in an area where the language is spoken. Can produce simple connected text on topics which are familiar or of personal interest. Can describe experiences and events, dreams, hopes & ambitions and briefly give reasons and explanations for opinions and plans.

B2 Can understand the main ideas of complex text on both concrete and abstract topics, including technical discussions in his/her field of specialisation. Can interact with a degree of fluency and spontaneity that makes regular interaction with native speakers quite possible without strain for either party. Can produce clear, detailed text on a wide range of subjects and explain a viewpoint on a topical issue giving the advantages and disadvantages of various options.

C1 Can understand a wide range of demanding, longer texts, and recognise implicit meaning. Can express him/herself fluently and spontaneously without much obvious searching for expressions. Can use language flexibly and effectively for social, academic and professional purposes. Can produce clear, well-structured, detailed text on complex subjects, showing controlled use of organisational patterns, connectors and cohesive devices.

C2 Can understand with ease virtually everything heard or read. Can summarise information from different spoken and written sources, reconstructing arguments and accounts in a coherent presentation. Can express him/herself spontaneously, very fluently and precisely, differentiating finer shades of meaning even in more complex situations.

Language programme

The labour market increasingly demands qualified foreign language skills. The Faculty of Applied Natural Sciences and Humanities meets this demand by continuously expanding and intensifying its foreign language programme. In the context of general elective courses, students enrolled at THWS can acquire an extended qualification by successful participation in course packages, which is confirmed by a certificate.

Basic language programme: UNIcert Basis®, I, II

• UNIcert® Basis: French, Spanish, Italian
  Target group: Participants without prior knowledge or lateral entrants after consultation (Prof. Dr. Maike Hansen) Course package includes: Three courses with 2 credit hours per week (SWS) each, ungraded reading comprehension exam and a short graded oral exam
  Contents: basic speaking situations, textbook contents
  Stages: consecutive (Levels A1a, A1b, A2a)

• UNIcert® I: French, Spanish, Italian
  Target group: Participants without prior knowledge or lateral entrants after consultation (Prof. Dr. Maike Hansen) Course package includes: Five courses with 2 credit hours per week (SWS) each, graded oral exam in the last course level
  Contents: basic speaking situations, textbook contents
  Stages: consecutive (Levels A1a, A1b, A2a, A2b, A2/ B1)

• UNIcert® II: French, Spanish
  Target group: Participants with prior language knowledge at the level B1 or with UNIcert® I
  Course package includes: for lateral entrants two courses with 2 credit hours per week (SWS) each (for B1 and B2) as well as a graded oral exam Contents: current texts, speaking situations, intercultural matters and more

For more information, please visit our UNIcert® pages:
https://fang.thws.de/fakultaet/awpf/unicertr/

Information on “VHB-Kurse”

VHB courses are offered by Virtuelle Hochschule Bayern.

Important: Only the courses of the Virtual University of Bavaria listed in the AWPF catalogue at THWS will be considered as a general elective.

Enrollment and information take place exclusively via https://www.vhb.org. Please submit your certificate of achievement after successfully completing the examination so that the grade can be recorded (dekanat.fang-wue[at]thws.de). For "Internetkompetenz" courses, the grades are transmitted directly from the vhb. Note: A VHB course corresponds to a general elective (especially regarding ECTS points and SWS, if not stated separately in the general elective program of the THWS).