Study planning

Here you will find information on planning your studies for the B.Sc. Software Engineering

Good planning is an important basis for successfully completing a degree program. The respective study plan (SVP), which you can find on the page of your examination regulations, always serves as a starting point.

Each Bachelor's degree program is designed for 6 semesters of full-time study. The study plan is structured accordingly. However, there are circumstances in which this study plan cannot be adhered to, e.g. due to part-time jobs, illness or the repetition of examinations. It is then up to you to reschedule your studies and adapt them to the specific circumstances. This page is designed to help you understand the study plan and find ways to reschedule or postpone your studies. The main goal is always the successful completion of your studies.

Planning your studies using the example of the 2025 examination regulations

The current examination regulations serve as the basis for the presentation of restructuring options. Here is the corresponding study plan:

Compulsory modules must be completed. They cannot be replaced. In the plan above, all modules with a yellow or light yellow background are compulsory. Particularly, the modules in the first two semesters provide basic knowledge for the modules from semester 3 onwards and should therefore not be postponed. Especially, the modules of the orientation examination (yellow slots in the plan) must be passed by the end of semester 3! For all other modules, their respective order in the plan is not mandatory, but follows a certain logic. In general, modules that do not build upon each other can be rearranged.

Please note: Most modules - whether compulsory or elective - are only offered once per year, i.e. either only in the winter or only in the summer semester. Please take this into account if you have to reorganize your studies. Exceptions to this are seminars, projects and the Bachelor's thesis.

The elective area comprises various catalogs, which are shown in the plan as modules with grey or green color. It is important to determine in advance which modules are available in which catalog and when they are offered. Each catalog contains modules from both the summer and winter semesters. If the general plan stipulates that you should take an elective module in winter, but you would like to take one of the modules in this catalog that are only offered in summer, you will have to restructure your own plan. You can do this, for example, by attending modules from a higher semester instead, provided they can be brought forward. Otherwise, you will have to complete significantly more than the recommended 30 ECTS credits in one semester or your studies will take longer than the standard period of study. However, this can then have an impact on BAföG, for example.

Therefore, please decide early in your studies which modules you would like to take in the elective area, as the frequency of courses offered must be taken into account when planning your studies.

Note: The modules from the gray area can also be selected in the green area, but not vice versa!

Note: A restructuring of the study plan often leads to a longer duration of study. However: the maximum period of study must not be exceeded. Exceeding the standard period of study can have a negative effect on BAföG.

The “Practical course software engineering” (SoPra) module is scheduled for the third semester. In this module, you will learn about various concepts related to the programming of software systems. Working in small groups (3–4 students), you will develop a program to solve a central assignment. Here, you will learn about software development in an iterative process, from specification to delivery. The specific technologies and the task will be determined by the instructor.

Note: The Practical course software engineering takes place in parallel with the courses offered in the current semester.

Interdisciplinary key qualifications must be completed in every Bachelor's degree program. The idea is to offer you the opportunity to look beyond the boundaries of your own program. For example, you can learn a foreign language, acquire knowledge in legal matters or deepen your knowledge of very specific programs.

In the Bachelor's degree programs of the Department of Computer Science, two second key qualification must be completed. You can choose both freely from the courses offered by the university. There is a separate registration phase for key qualifications. You can find more information here.

Seminars are offered every semester. They are open to all Bachelor's degree programs in the department. Registration takes place at the end of the previous semester so that the participants' presentations can start right at the beginning of the new semester. Some seminars are held as block events at the end of the lecture period. Please check the seminar descriptions for further information. The seminar should not be taken before the 4th semester.

The seminars offered in the next semester will be published here. You will be informed about the start of pre-registration by e-mail and can then upload your priority lists.

In this module, teams of 6 to 12 students will work on a software engineering project over a period of 6 months. The project covers the entire life cycle of software systems, including requirements analysis, design and specification, implementation, evaluation, deployment, and operation of the system over a specified period. The practical component is supported by a specialized seminar that complements the knowledge gained. The results are documented in a scientific publication and presented on a poster during the project day, which takes place once per semester.

You can obtain information about registration, etc. from the study program manager and additional information about the study project Software Engineering can be found here.

The propaedeutic course is an extensive literature review that is part of the bachelor's thesis. It should be seen as a kind of introduction to the topic of the bachelor's thesis. The result of the propaedeutic course can be examined separately or integrated into the thesis as a paragraph or chapter. However, it must always be graded separately from the thesis.

Important: The propaedeutic course and thesis have to be completed with the same examiner.

The final thesis should show that you can work independently on a scientific task within a specified period of time and present the results appropriately. As the name suggests, the final thesis marks the end of your studies, but does not necessarily have to be completed as the last module. As it usually takes some time to find a topic and clarify the details, you should start planning your thesis once you have completed approximately 150 ECTS credits. A good place to start looking for a topic is to think about what you liked during your studies and what you were good at.

In the Informatik-Marktplatz in ILIAS we have collected open topics and the contact persons of all departments for you.

Important: The propaedeutic course and thesis have to be completed with the same examiner.

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