Besides the work in the “Fachschaft” and the VS, there are even more ways to participate in matters of the University:

• The Faculty Council (“Fakultätsrat”/FakRat) is an advisory committee of the faculty and usually meets once a month during the lecture period. It advises e.g. in matters of the opening/closing of degree programs, the appointment of new professors or course offerings of the different programs. In the Faculty for Chemistry and Earth Sciences (the chemistry programs fall under this faculty) there are six seats for students in the FakRat (two of those usually go to chemistry students). Similarly, in the Faculty for Biosciences (the biochemistry programs fall under this faculty) there are eight student seats (three of those usually go to biochemistry students). The student members have active voting rights. The seats are filled every year during the Committee Elections in the summer semester.
• In the Study Commission (“Studienkommission”/StuKo) teaching materials and lecture lists are decided upon and current topics and problems of the programs are discussed. The four student members have active voting rights and can introduce their own ideas and constructive criticisms. The StuKo usually meets once or twice per semester to make decisions for the following semester.
• The Exam Committee (“Prüfungsausschuss”/PA) discusses and decides hardship applications, crediting of exam results and extensions of Bachelor’s and Master’s theses. There is a separate PA for every degree program and the students have an advisory role.
• An Appointment Commission is called when a new professor is to be appointed. Candidates give talks and are subsequently questioned by the commission (it can also be useful to get information about the candidates from their previous university). Usually, one student member is part of each commission.
• The Quality Assurance Funds Commission (“Qualitätssicherungsmittelkommission”/QSMK) decides the allocation of our assigned Quality Assurance Funds (“Qualitätssicherungsmittel”/QSM). The commission is made up of the members of the FSR and five more students. It meets once every semester (beginning of January and May respectively) to decide over applications.

The members of the StuKo and PA are elected in a FSVV (usually at the end of the summer semester) for two semesters. The members of the QSMK are elected at the beginning of December, also for two semesters. Members of the Appointment Commissions are only chosen when necessary.

If you want to know more about what the committees do or want to become student member of a committee, feel free to contact us.