Examination Board

The examination board is responsible for course recognition and issues concerning courses and examinations.

Contact

With questions regarding Campus Management, official forms, module registration, etc please contact the Examination Office.

With questions regarding the profile areas please contact Prof. Dr. Claudia Schillings (head of the Examination Board).

Members

The members for the MSc Data Science Examination Board can be found on the department website:

Member list.

Important Aspects in the choice of courses

Ungraded Modules

During your studies some ECTS must be ungraded, i.e. you will receive a pass grade only for certain modules. The rules for the MSc Data Science are as follows:

• For all tracks the modules Statistics (10 ECTS), Introduction to Focus Areas (5 ECTS), Programming for Data Science (5 ECTS) and Ethical Foundations of Data Science (5 ECTS) are ungraded.
• In the track Data Science in the Life Sciences the module Research Practice (10 ECTS) is ungraded.
• In the Data Science Technologies track no further ungraded modules are mandatory.

According to the course study and examination regulations there are 25 ECTS ungraded in the Technologies track, while in the Life Sciences track there are 35 ECTS ungraded.

Master's Thesis

For your Master's thesis you need to find a supervisor. Often this may be an instructor of a project you did. Together with your supervisor you must specify the topic and mode of working. If you want to write your thesis in a company, you will still need a supervisor at the university, who must agree with the topic. Find a supervisor before starting to work on your thesis.

Thesis assessors

You need two assessors for your Master's thesis. The first will normally also be your supervisor. Requirements for the assessors are:

• At least one of the assessors must be a professor or a lecturer at the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science at Freie Universität Berlin.
• The first assessor is normally also your supervisor. He or she should be relatable to the topic of your thesis and to data science.
• The second assessor can be a professor or lecturer who is authorized to administer exams.

Thesis registration

Once you have found a supervisor, agreed your thesis topic and found a second assessor, you must complete the Thesis Registration Form, have it signed by both your assessors and then submit it to the Examination Office for processing. Once your registration has been approved by the Chair of the Examination Board, you will receive an email from the Examination Office confirming your registration, topic, offical start date and submission deadline.

Master's thesis Colloquium

According to the course study and examination regulations, the MSc thesis must be 'accompanied' by a presentation. Of course, there can be various presentations for your supervisor. We recommend that the official presentation takes places after submission of the written thesis to present the results. It counts as part of the thesis work as well as towards the grade of your thesis. You should get in touch with your supervisors to arrange for the date and time of your presentation.

Extending the submission deadline of your Master's thesis (RSPO §19.2)

Free translation of the German RSPO text: If the thesis cannot be submitted on or before the deadline due to illness or other extenuating circumstances outside the student's control, and which were not known initially, an application for a deadline extension may be submitted.

Procedure:

• Discuss the request for deadline extension with your supervisor
• Send your request as plain text email to your supervisor containing the following information:
  
  • Surname, first name(s)
  • Student ID/matriculation number
  • Title of your Master's thesis
  • Current deadline
  • Reasons for the need to extend the deadline (This reason cannot be 'I don't have enough time,' see info above). If you are requesting an extension because of sickness, then you must also include a doctor's note attesting your inability to study and take examinations, stating the symptoms of the illness and the period of illness. You must also send the original of the doctor's note to the Examination Office.
  • Duration of the deadline extension and why this is adequate
  • Subject: Deadline Extension MSc DS
• The supervisor should comment (support) the request and forward it to the Chair of the Examination Board
• The chairof the exam board returns the decision to the studentand, the supervisor as well as in copy to the Examination Office.

Please note that you will usually be granted an extension once only, hence submit your request at the right time. It takes a few days to process your request. You should apply at the latest two weeks before the deadline.

Course recognition

Please address requests concerning course recognition to Prof. Dr. Claudia Schillings. Course recognition must be approved by the above using the Course Recognition Form.

To facilitate the recognition of external courses within the M.Sc. Data Science program at Freie Universität Berlin, students should prepare and submit the following documents:

• Course Description / Syllabus
  Provide a detailed description of the course, including:

• Topics covered
• Learning objectives
• Teaching methods
• Assessment methods
• Number of contact hours
• Duration of the course
• Language of instruction

• ECTS Points or Equivalent Credit Information
  Indicate the number of credits the course carries. If your institution uses a different credit system, provide a conversion to the European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS) if possible.
• Official Course Catalog Link or Document
  Submit a link to the official course catalog or an official document from your institution that lists the course, confirming its legitimacy and content.
• Certificate of Completion with Grade
  Provide an official transcript or certificate that includes:
  • Course title
  • Grade achieved
  • Date of completion
  • Institution's official stamp of signature
  • Number of contact hours
  • Duration of the course
  • Language of instruction

• Suggested Module for Equivalence at FU Berlin
  Identify the module within the FU Berlin Data Science program that you believe corresponds to your external course

Once all questions regarding the recognition have beenr resolved and the course recognition form has been filled in and signed, submit it together with the originals of the transcript(s) to the Examination Office.

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