UNIVERSITY POLICY NEWS – WHAT CAN WE EXPECT FOR WINTER TERMIN 2020/21?

Can I study this semester completely online?

Yes. In the Bachelor in Management & Technology, Master in Consumer Science and Master in Management every mandatory lecture will be online. Therefore, you can fully complete your lectures online except for the exams. The university cannot guarantee that your exams will be online. Please make sure you are in Munich during the next exam period next February & March!

Since some modules offered in the Master in Management & Technology are held only on premise, the offer of lectures you can choose from could be reduced slightly. But you should have no problem finding enough online lectures.

Will there be lectures on campus this semester? 

In principle, yes. But only with very limited capacity up to a hundred students, due to the university’s hygiene concept.

Since the batches of TUM School of Management all exceed the 100-student mark, most of the lectures of TUM SOM will remain to be taught online for now.

For the freshmen in the Bachelor program, every lecture as well as the math pre-course can be studied online. 

It is possible for lecture formats to change throughout the semester, depending on the risk of infection in Munich.

Which lectures will be held on premise?

Laboratory courses, practical trainings and student research projects are prioritized to be held on campus. This only concerns the students of BMT and MMT with a technical specialization in chemistry.

Also, some of the seminars offered this semester will be (partly) on premise as well as all of the faculty’s soft skill seminars.

Regarding the Master in Management & Technology, there will be a selection of on-premise lectures in every management specialization.

As for the Bachelor in Management & Technology, Prof. Kolisch is currently planning to incorporate some on-premise elements for his lecture on Management Science for the Bachelor freshmen. 

What will a lecture on campus look like?

TUM is currently developing handouts regarding contact registration and tracing with a QR-Code system. There will be a QR-Code on every seat, that every student needs to scan as soon as they sit down.

For more information, you can look at the university’s press release here. 

Additionally, there will be a 5 min ventilation pause every 45 min in every lecture if there is no special air condition or ventilation system in the lecture hall. On top of that, as you might already know, the use of a mouth and nose cover is mandatory in all traffic and meeting areas, as well as restrooms in university buildings. 

If you had some exams on campus last semester, you might remember the white paper pads that were handed out to us. TUM will continue using them. To reduce waste, it is possible that every student will receive one, that he/she has to reuse and bring along to his lectures.

What about tutorials?

Because of the university’s strict hygiene concept, conducting tutorials on premise is very hard and laborious to implement. Tutors would need to wear gloves, couldn’t use the black-/whiteboard and there would have to be many safety regulations. The faculty of computer engineering held a test tutorial and concluded that collaboration is much easier and better achieved online under these circumstances.

When will we be informed about the lectures’ exam formats and dates?

The goal is, that every lecturer can tell you the format of the exam during the first two weeks of the lecture. The exam dates are currently being planned by TUM’s central administration. The faculty expects the final exam dates to be released between the end of November and mid of December. Right on time with the opening of the exam registration. 

Are there substitute courses to fulfill the requirements for the international experience module?

Yes. A compensation course to fulfill the international experience module requirements will be offered as long as students of TUM SOM are still affected by travel restrictions due to the pandemic. The first course started in October with 15 people and the faculty is continuously booking new courses on demand.

If the pandemic affected your semester abroad with TUM SOMex or TUM exchange, please contact the faculties international office. If you planned on attending a summer/winter school or intended to do an internship abroad, you can ask your study program manager for a consultation. Only after a personal consultation will you be able to take part in the substitute course. 

If you are a participant of the substitute course, the faculty recommends you handing in your report or sign up for the exam as soon as you receive your certificate.

Also be aware that doing an online semester abroad does count as a fulfillment of the international experience module requirements.