FAQ Students

Campo | German | Internship | Jobs | Lab courses | Master's Thesis

Valid for students until beginning of study 2021:

The passing of a lab course is only registered in the the Camp platform if both lab courses are passed. Passing only one lab course is not displayed in Campo.

The procedure is: the lab course instructors inform the MAOT office that a student has passed a lab course. This can happen up to some weeks after the student has submitted the last assignment for the course. First, in many cases the assignments have to be corrected before they are evaluated as ‘passed’. Second, some instructors only inform the MAOT office after all (!) students have passed the course not only for any individual student. The MAOT office enters the information in Campo once both courses are passed.

Valid for students from beginning of study 2022 on:

The credits for a lab course are entered into Campo as for any other exam.

The registration period for exams starts about six weeks after the start of courses and lasts two to three weeks. In this period, students can register for the exams recognised for MAOT by themselves in the Campo platform. If students miss to register during that period for good reasons they can still register later by contacting the examiner. However, it is up to the examiners whether they accept it.

Any registrations can be withdrawn up to three working days (Mo – Sat) before the exam date without any reasons. A later withdrawal is only possible with a doctor’s notice.

In any case, students can attend the regular course during the semester at the language center for free.

The language center also offers intensive courses two times per year (usually March and September) which cost 340 € (July 2022). MAOT can cover these fees for each student two times during the time in MAOT. Students have to include in their registration that they are MAOT students and MAOT pays the fee directly to the language center.

MAOT can also reimburse costs for a third participation in this intensive course any other intensive German language course outside the university. In this case, though, students first have to pay the fee on their own and get it reimbursed after the successful (just ‚passed‘) participation. The annual budget for that is limited. Therefore, students have to clarify the reimbursement with the MAOT office before they register for the course.

An official registration of an internship is not necessary. The idea of the internship is that student perform activities equivalent to somebody with a master degree in the same institution. The institution can be a research institute or a company. It is desirable, that the institute is specialised on optics or at least substantially connected to it, but it is not mandatory. For many institutions, it’ll be a matter of course that they are recognisable institutions (Max Planck Institute, FAU institutes, optics companies). In cases of doubt students can informally consult with the MAOT office.

It is possible to do the internship broad. Students can combine the internship with the project report or the master’s thesis. The internship has to last longer than the usual five weeks.

After the internship, students have to submit a confirmation of the internship site that the internship took place and a short report about their activities (2-3 pages). For the confirmation the MAOT form (can be found on StudOn) or any other document showing the same data can be used. Students can e submit the documents at any time before graduation. The MAOT office enters the internship in MeinCampus as soon as they have received the documents.

It is possible to recognise a job at a company or research institute outside the FAU which is done while studying MAOT as an internship. Students have to provide any document (job contract, confirmation by the hiring institute) which shows the duration of the job and the weekly hours, which have to to sum up equivalent to 5 weeks * 40 hours = 200 hours.

A job at the FAU can only be recognised if the supervisor fills an internship record form in addition to the job contract, which students can get from the MAOT office.

Many MAOT students work as research assistants at the university or other research institutes (Max Planck, Fraunhofer). Most students who search for a job are able to find one. The search usually takes one to three months. This depends on open positions, students‘ prior qualification and sometimes just a bit of luck.

Finding a job? Students should apply to potential supervisors. Lecturers sometimes announce open positions during classes. You also find open positions on the websites of the institutes, sometimes in the form general remark such as „we are always looking for competent students interested in working  with us, so please contact us”. Unsolicited applications are also welcome at the various institutes. The best point of contact for this are the group leaders at each institute (mostly post-docs or senior PhD students) whom you can find on the websites.

Applications should include a brief (!) CV (1-2 pages), a transcript of prior education and a short description (maximum 3-4 paragraphs) of how you believe your qualifications / interests match the institute’s research field. Further documents should only be sent on request. If a supervisor is interested in you they will invite you for an interview.

Contracts usually comprise 6-12 hours per week, but can be up to 19 hours. The hourly rate is curently (July 2022) 11.45 € for students with a Bachelor degree.

Registration for lab courses does not happen via Campo, but follows individual procedures. In some cases the instructors or the MAOT office contact the students directly. The usual case, though, is that students find the information about the actual registration procedure in the online catalogue. In many cases this means just to attend the first meeting.

Valid for students until beginning of study 2021:

The passing of a lab course is only registered in the the Camp platform if both lab courses are passed. Passing only one lab course is not displayed in Campo.

The procedure is: the lab course instructors inform the MAOT office that a student has passed a lab course. This can happen up to some weeks after the student has submitted the last assignment for the course. First, in many cases the assignments have to be corrected before they are evaluated as ‘passed’. Second, some instructors only inform the MAOT office after all (!) students have passed the course not only for any individual student. The MAOT office enters the information in Campo once both courses are passed.

Valid for students from beginning of study 2022 on:

The credits for a lab course are entered into Campo as for any other exam.

The master’s thesis is not registered by the students but by the supervisors. The supervisors inform the exam office about name of the student, matriculation number, title and submission deadline. There is no form for that, but supervisors follow their own procedure. The registration is displayed in Campo as the registration for an exam (since formally a master’s thesis is an exam).

The master’s thesis must be presented or ‘defended’. It is up to the supervisor to fix the date (can be after the submission of the written report), location, audience and form. The usual duration is 30 min, but that is not binding. The supervisor informs the exam office about the grade after the presentation. The exam office enters the grade in Campo.

It is possible to do the master’s thesis outside the FAU, both at another research institution or in a company. In this case, it is necessary to have a co-supervisor from the FAU who formally supports the master’s project and is responsible for the final grading. It is up to the students to find a co-supervisor. They are supposed to contact potential co-supervisors early in the process and not only after a final agreement with an external institution has been reached. It is up to the co-supervisors how much they get involved in the project, but usually the involvement is limited.

How are lab courses entered in the Campo platform?
Valid for students until beginning of study 2021: The passing of a lab course is only registered in the the Camp platform if both lab courses are passed. Passing only one lab course is not displayed in Campo. The procedure is: the lab course instructors inform the MAOT office that a student has passed a lab course. This can happen up to some weeks after the student has submitted the last assignment for the course. First, in many cases the assignments have to be corrected before they are evaluated as ‘passed’. Second, some instructors only inform the MAOT office after all (!) students have passed the course not only for any individual student. The MAOT office enters the information in Campo once both courses are passed. Valid for students from beginning of study 2022 on: The credits for a lab course are entered into Campo as for any other exam.
How and when to register for exams?
The registration period for exams starts about six weeks after the start of courses and lasts two to three weeks. In this period, students can register for the exams recognised for MAOT by themselves in the Campo platform. If students miss to register during that period for good reasons they can still register later by contacting the examiner. However, it is up to the examiners whether they accept it. Any registrations can be withdrawn up to three working days (Mo – Sat) before the exam date without any reasons. A later withdrawal is only possible with a doctor’s notice.
Can MAOT cover costs for German language courses?
In any case, students can attend the regular course during the semester at the language center for free. The language center also offers intensive courses two times per year (usually March and September) which cost 340 € (July 2022). MAOT can cover these fees for each student two times during the time in MAOT. Students have to include in their registration that they are MAOT students and MAOT pays the fee directly to the language center. MAOT can also reimburse costs for a third participation in this intensive course any other intensive German language course outside the university. In this case, though, students first have to pay the fee on their own and get it reimbursed after the successful (just ‚passed‘) participation. The annual budget for that is limited. Therefore, students have to clarify the reimbursement with the MAOT office before they register for the course.
How do students register for an internship and submit documents after the internship?
An official registration of an internship is not necessary. The idea of the internship is that student perform activities equivalent to somebody with a master degree in the same institution. The institution can be a research institute or a company. It is desirable, that the institute is specialised on optics or at least substantially connected to it, but it is not mandatory. For many institutions, it’ll be a matter of course that they are recognisable institutions (Max Planck Institute, FAU institutes, optics companies). In cases of doubt students can informally consult with the MAOT office. It is possible to do the internship broad. Students can combine the internship with the project report or the master’s thesis. The internship has to last longer than the usual five weeks. After the internship, students have to submit a confirmation of the internship site that the internship took place and a short report about their activities (2-3 pages). For the confirmation the MAOT form (can be found on StudOn) or any other document showing the same data can be used. Students can e submit the documents at any time before graduation. The MAOT office enters the internship in MeinCampus as soon as they have received the documents.
Can a job be recognised as internship?
It is possible to recognise a job at a company or research institute outside the FAU which is done while studying MAOT as an internship. Students have to provide any document (job contract, confirmation by the hiring institute) which shows the duration of the job and the weekly hours, which have to to sum up equivalent to 5 weeks * 40 hours = 200 hours. A job at the FAU can only be recognised if the supervisor fills an internship record form in addition to the job contract, which students can get from the MAOT office.
Finding a job at the university
Many MAOT students work as research assistants at the university or other research institutes (Max Planck, Fraunhofer). Most students who search for a job are able to find one. The search usually takes one to three months. This depends on open positions, students‘ prior qualification and sometimes just a bit of luck. Finding a job? Students should apply to potential supervisors. Lecturers sometimes announce open positions during classes. You also find open positions on the websites of the institutes, sometimes in the form general remark such as „we are always looking for competent students interested in working  with us, so please contact us”. Unsolicited applications are also welcome at the various institutes. The best point of contact for this are the group leaders at each institute (mostly post-docs or senior PhD students) whom you can find on the websites. Applications should include a brief (!) CV (1-2 pages), a transcript of prior education and a short description (maximum 3-4 paragraphs) of how you believe your qualifications / interests match the institute’s research field. Further documents should only be sent on request. If a supervisor is interested in you they will invite you for an interview. Contracts usually comprise 6-12 hours per week, but can be up to 19 hours. The hourly rate is curently (July 2022) 11.45 € for students with a Bachelor degree.
How do students register for a lab course?
Registration for lab courses does not happen via Campo, but follows individual procedures. In some cases the instructors or the MAOT office contact the students directly. The usual case, though, is that students find the information about the actual registration procedure in the online catalogue. In many cases this means just to attend the first meeting.
How are lab courses entered in the Campo platform?
Valid for students until beginning of study 2021: The passing of a lab course is only registered in the the Camp platform if both lab courses are passed. Passing only one lab course is not displayed in Campo. The procedure is: the lab course instructors inform the MAOT office that a student has passed a lab course. This can happen up to some weeks after the student has submitted the last assignment for the course. First, in many cases the assignments have to be corrected before they are evaluated as ‘passed’. Second, some instructors only inform the MAOT office after all (!) students have passed the course not only for any individual student. The MAOT office enters the information in Campo once both courses are passed. Valid for students from beginning of study 2022 on: The credits for a lab course are entered into Campo as for any other exam.
Master’s Thesis: registration, presentation, grading
The master’s thesis is not registered by the students but by the supervisors. The supervisors inform the exam office about name of the student, matriculation number, title and submission deadline. There is no form for that, but supervisors follow their own procedure. The registration is displayed in Campo as the registration for an exam (since formally a master’s thesis is an exam). The master’s thesis must be presented or ‘defended’. It is up to the supervisor to fix the date (can be after the submission of the written report), location, audience and form. The usual duration is 30 min, but that is not binding. The supervisor informs the exam office about the grade after the presentation. The exam office enters the grade in Campo.
Can a master’s project be done outside the FAU?
It is possible to do the master’s thesis outside the FAU, both at another research institution or in a company. In this case, it is necessary to have a co-supervisor from the FAU who formally supports the master’s project and is responsible for the final grading. It is up to the students to find a co-supervisor. They are supposed to contact potential co-supervisors early in the process and not only after a final agreement with an external institution has been reached. It is up to the co-supervisors how much they get involved in the project, but usually the involvement is limited.