Glossary

(Latin: nourishing mother), name for the university

Another term for c.t., means that an event starts 15 minutes after the hour.

"Alumni" comes from the Latin term "alere" and means to nourish, raise and care for. An "alumnus" (m) or an "alumna" (w) is in the strict sense a pupil of an institution or educational establishment. In the plural, the term "alumni" or "alumnae" is used. "Alumni" is the term used in the English-speaking and increasingly also in the German university sector for the so-called "former students" of a university.

Universities define the group of people they count as alumni in different ways. Clausthal University of Technology defines this as its graduates, exmatriculated students or doctoral candidates. In addition to former professors and lecturers, alumni also include all former academic and non-academic staff at Clausthal University of Technology.

To a certain extent, the target group of alumni work also includes students who are still active. They are regarded as our "pre-alumni".

Most professors have assistants who support them, particularly in teaching. Assistants carry out practicals and exercises and supervise Bachelor's and Master's theses. The assistants are usually doctoral students.

The General Students' Committee (AStA) is the executive body of the student body, the student cabinet, so to speak. It is elected by the student parliament, which in turn is elected by all students. The AStA members are students themselves and represent the interests of the student body in the university committees.

Latin name for "lecture hall", a room in which lectures are held.

The Audimax (short for Auditorium Maximum) is the largest lecture hall at a university. In Clausthal, it is located directly in the main building. This is also where, for example, first-year students are welcomed.

The Bachelor's degree is the first academic degree that can be obtained at a university and at the same time the first professionally qualifying degree of a multi-level study model. The standard period of study for Bachelor's degree courses at Clausthal University of Technology is six semesters. In Clausthal, the general university admission requirement is sufficient as an admission requirement for a Bachelor's degree course.

Federal Training Assistance Act (BAföG), a law under which students receive state support during their studies, see also the information page on BAföG. Half of the BAföG consists of a non-repayable study grant and the other half of an interest-free loan.

The conclusion of an employment contract between the university and a professor is referred to as an appointment. The preliminary negotiations on salary, staff positions, research funding, etc. are referred to as appointment negotiations.

Cum tempore, also known as the academic quarter. After a time such as "10 a.m.", "c.t." means that the respective lecture begins at 10:15. Lectures usually last 90 minutes, but are arranged in 2-hour blocks so that it is possible to move from one institute to another between two lectures without any problems. So if a lecture in the 8-10 a.m. block says "Begin: 8 a.m. c.t.", the lecture begins at 8:15 a.m. and ends at 9:45 a.m. The opposite of c.t. is the abbreviation s.t., which indicates that the lecture begins on the hour.

Another name for the university campus. At Clausthal University of Technology, the campus area consists of the Feldgraben area and the Tannenhöhe. Some institutes are also spread across the city.

A university in which the individual institutes are located close to each other is known as a campus university. This statement applies to Clausthal University of Technology. At many universities, the individual institutes are spread across the urban area of a large city, meaning that students have to travel from one institute to another in the short time between lectures. A campus university eliminates this problem.

A colloquium (Latin for scientific discussion) is a lecture by a scientist from the university or a guest from another university on his or her current research project.

The dean is the managing professor of a faculty. In terms of the administrative hierarchy, the deans are located between the president and the heads of the institutes. The institutes at Clausthal University of Technology are divided into three faculties and consequently there are three deans in Clausthal.

The academic work that is written to obtain a doctoral degree is called a dissertation.

After the master's degree, the doctorate is the next possible title in a university career. The process of obtaining a doctorate is called a doctorate. TU Clausthal awards a "Dr. rer. nat." or a "Dr.-Ing." after successfully completing a doctorate, depending on the subject area.

All persons teaching at a university are referred to as lecturers. These are primarily the professors, but in some cases also academic staff with permanent positions at a university.

The termination of a course of study and the associated administrative removal from the university is known as exmatriculation.

A student council is a group of students from a particular subject area. The student council, i.e. the students, elect a so-called "Fachschaftsrat" (often referred to incorrectly as "Die Fachschaft"), which represents the students in the university committees. In addition, the student council often collects old exams and exam protocols to make it easier to prepare for exams and tests.

The faculties are effectively the main departments of a university. Several institutes belong to each faculty. Clausthal University of Technology has three faculties.

The new Bachelor's degree courses as well as the previous Diplom and Magister degree courses are referred to as undergraduate degree courses. In other words, all degree courses that do not require the completion of a previous degree course. Master's degree courses, for example, are not undergraduate degree courses.

Academic procedure by which the ability to teach independently in a specific subject area is demonstrated by means of a habilitation thesis and disputation. The habilitation represents the next academic degree after the doctorate and is in many cases the prerequisite for applying for professorships.

Students from around the third semester onwards can take on so-called assistant scientist jobs (Hiwi jobs for short), in which they correct and calculate homework for students from younger semesters, etc. The exercises in which the homework is calculated are called tutorials and the Hiwis are therefore often also tutors. In addition to the financial gain, tutors can consolidate their own knowledge and practise giving lectures without stress.

Further information can be found on the Hiwi jobs page.

Enrolment is the process of registering for a degree program; it takes place after a successful application for a degree program.

An institute is the association of all professors and academic staff who work on a superordinate subject area, e.g. Institute of Computer Science. Within an institute, depending on its size, there may be individual working groups for different sub-areas.

Designation for fellow students.

A consecutive degree program is a degree program that consists of a Bachelor's degree and at least one Master's degree based on it.

The Bachelor's degree is an undergraduate degree, the Master's a subsequent postgraduate degree. There is a subject-related connection between the Bachelor's and the Master's, they build on each other in terms of content, in contrast to a non-consecutive Master's degree course and a continuing education Master's degree course.

Around nine out of ten Master's degree courses are consecutive and are therefore similar in content to the previous single-cycle courses with the Diplom and Magister degrees. However, the advantage of the Bachelor's/Master's system in this case is that there are several Master's degree courses to specialize in for a Bachelor's degree, so that you do not have to decide on the entire course of study before the first semester.

In many European countries, the Master's degree is the second academic degree that students can obtain at universities after completing a scientific education. The standard period of study for Master's degree courses at Clausthal University of Technology is four semesters. To be able to study a Master's degree course, you must have completed a suitable Bachelor's degree and possibly meet other admission requirements.

Every student receives a so-called matriculation number upon enrolment. This student number is used for the internal recording and administration of all matters and must be provided for examinations and written exams, for example.

The canteen of a university is called Mensa. The TU Clausthal canteen is centrally located on the campus and can be reached on foot in 5-10 minutes, even from the most remote institutes. The canteen offers different dishes every day, which can be put together in components, at low prices. In the event that the next lecture is not due immediately after lunch, the canteen also has a cafeteria where you can have a coffee or an ice cream after your meal.

If there is a numerus clausus for a degree course, this means that prospective students must have met certain entry requirements, such as a certain average grade in the Abitur, in order to be able to study this degree course. A numerus clausus is often introduced when the university cannot provide enough places for applicants. At Clausthal University of Technology, all undergraduate degree programs, i.e. all degree programs that can be studied directly after the Abitur, are numerus clausus-free.

The usually 8 to 12-week industrial placements during a degree course are known as internships. The aim of an internship is, on the one hand, to acquire basic business knowledge and skills and, on the other, to get to know the professional tasks and working methods in different areas. In many degree courses, an industrial placement is a compulsory part of the curriculum. In principle, however, students on all degree courses can complete internships. The Internship Office will be happy to help you find an internship.

The title of professor is an academic title awarded to university lecturers.

The entire process of obtaining a doctorate is called a doctorate.

The academic year is divided into two semesters, a winter semester (October-March) and a summer semester (April-September). Most of the time within a semester is taken up by the lecture period. The remaining lecture-free period is often referred to as the semester break, although this is not entirely correct, as examinations, tests and internships take place during this time.

Just like a lecture, a seminar is a course at a university. In a seminar, students present the results of their own work in the form of lectures. The topics are usually assigned by the supervising professor before the seminar begins. A seminar is therefore a larger form of what would be called a presentation at school.

The Senate is the highest elected decision-making body of a university.

Scholarships are financial grants to support studies that generally do not have to be repaid. Scholarships are awarded by a large number of non-profit organizations and companies and are usually linked to a particular social commitment or special academic achievements. For more information, see the Scholarships page.

The Studierendenwerk is an institution that does not belong directly to the university and operates various service facilities. The Studierendenwerk OstNiedersachsen is responsible for TU Clausthal. (The Studierendenwerk OstNiedersachsen is responsible for a total of 10 universities). Among other things, the Studierendenwerk runs the canteen and the student halls of residence. BAföG applications are also submitted to the Studierendenwerk.

Further information can be found on the page Studierendenwerk .

General education courses for students of all disciplines.

The Student Center (StuZ for short) is a service facility operated by the AStA where, for example, photocopiers are provided for students. Some student councils are also based in the StuZ building.

Sine tempore, without delay. In contrast to c.t., this means that a lecture begins on the hour. So "10 o'clock s.t." means that the lecture starts at 10:00.

Course in which the material of a lecture is prepared or followed up in small groups. Tutorials are often used to solve exercises related to the lecture or to discuss homework. The tutorials are usually held by students from higher semesters who are employed by the university as student assistants.

Lectures are the core of the courses. In a lecture, a lecturer, usually a professor, gives a presentation on a specific topic.

We speak of postgraduate, supplementary or continuing education courses if these courses supplement an earlier - usually undergraduate - course of study.

The student residences are large halls of residence run by the Studierendenwerk, which are very close by and are characterized by student-friendly prices. Thanks to the direct connection to Clausthal University of Technology, every room in the halls of residence has at least 100 Mbit/s fast internet access - usually even 1000 Mbit/s. Clausthal has around 1250 places in halls of residence. This very high number of places in relation to the number of students means that practically every prospective student receives a room or apartment in a hall of residence.