Freshmen
Welcome to the Department of Economics at the University of Mannheim.
You can find out when the semester starts and ends here. Courses held at the Department of Economics in past semesters as well as those taking place in the current and next semesters are listed in the course catalog. Modules available at other schools or departments are listed on this site.
The section, About the Bachelor’s Program, provides useful information to help you settle into your program. We also recommend reading the information provided by the departmental student committee.
Shortly after your registration for the Economics program, you should attend the introductory week for first-year students that is organized by the departmental student committee. It takes place one week before the lecture period begins. As the departmental student committee represents the interests of students of Economics at the university, you should contact its members first of all if you have any questions. The committee has its own website which provides information on all that the committee does, and explains how you can get in touch. In addition, you can seek general academic advising at the Student Services office. The team there can answer your questions on studying in general. The Academic Advisor can support you with matters relating specifically to your Economics degree program. The Department Manager, Dr. Thorsten Lindenbauer, provides subject-specific academic advice at the Department of Economics. His consultation hours take place on Tuesday mornings in room 4.09, or by appointment. You can contact him by phone on +49 621 181-1773, or by sending an e-mail.
By the way, we organize a refresher course in mathematics that takes place before the lecture period begins. The course gives you the opportunity to revisit the material learned in math classes at school. Another course also takes place at the start of the lecture period. Those pupils who did not choose math as a main subject focus during their final years of German upper secondary education, or similar, will find these courses particularly useful. The content covered serves as a basis for the modules taught in the first semester of the program. The course dates are published here approx. three to four weeks before the course starts. This page also provides information on how to test your current math skills and revise particular topics on your own.
After enrolling in your degree program, you will have a few busy weeks before the program actually starts. From registering to finding an apartment, students have a lot on their to-do list to start with. The Studierendenwerk advises students on some of these tasks. Their website contains information on finding suitable accommodation, the services offered by the BAföG Office (BAföG financial support cannot be paid retroactively), the semester ticket for public transport, legal advice, international student ID cards, the Mensa, and much more. The university’s Commissioner and Counselor for disabled students and students with chronic illnesses is Mr. Alexander Holzer. The website of the University IT (> E-Mail) explains how to activate and use your university-e-mail address. It also contains information on the ecUM smart card used at the University of Mannheim.
When you have a spare moment, you should take a look at the Department of Economics’ website. It contains useful maps of the university and the city. It also provides a general overview of the Department in the About the Department section of the site. There you can find a list of our senior professors and their fields of research, details of the available facilities, the programs of study, and other important information. You should also take a look at the Examination Regulations for the bachelor’s program, Subject-Specific Attachment 1 and Subject-Specific Attachment 2 when you get time – maybe once the introductory week organized by the departmental student committee is over. Visit the PC room during a break, and don't forget to register for the vwlstudium mailing list.
Once you’ve seen the PC room, take some time to get to know the other Economics facilities. Find out where the important places are located, such as the lecture halls (also in A5, 6), the departmental student committee, the Economics library (in the new Mittelbau section of the Schloss), the dean's office, and the notice boards. This will make your first day of classes a lot easier. It is also worthwhile finding out how to reach the other places on campus (quickly), such as the lecture halls located in the Schloss and in A3, the University Library, the Mensa, etc.
We wish you the best of luck for your studies in Economics.