FAQ - The name of the program is MSc in Econometrics. - The homepage of the programm is https://www.econometrics.ruhr. - More Information and official documents are provided at the Chair of Statistics' (TU Dortmund University) Website: https://statistik.tu-dortmund.de. - The terms of study can be found here: https://statistik.tu-dortmund.de/en/studies/degrees/econometrics-msc/ - While the program is jointly offered by TU Dortmund University, University of Duisburg-Essen and Ruhr University Boachum, the base location is in Dortmund. Many of our students therefore have accommodation in Dortmund. - Prof. Dr. Carsten Jentsch (carsten.jentsch@statistik.tu-dortmund.de) is the head of the joint examination board for the MSc. Econometrics. - Applicants from India have to have their academic certificates checked by the Academic Evaluation Centre (APS India) of the German Embassy in New Delhi before they can apply for German master programs. After a positive review, they receive an APS certificate, which must be submitted as part of the application. See the APS website for further info. - Prospective students who have already completed a qualifying Master’s program may apply. - Everybody is eligible to apply for the program. Note that this is not the same as eligibility for admission. Whether a student is eligible for admission or not will be checked once a full application with all required documents as described [here](https://statistik.tu-dortmund.de/en/studies/degrees/econometrics-msc/admission/) has been submitted. - If you need to name a contact person for your visa application, you may use the following contact information: - Location of the organisation: TU Dortmund University - Street: Vogelpothsweg - House number: 87 - Postal code: 44227 - Location: Dortmund - (Mobile) phone number: +492317 554676 - If you are a current student and have seen a course that you would like to take that is not part of the curriculum of the MSc Econometrics, please contact the program directors with a syllabus sufficiently prior to the start of the semester in which you want to take the course. Please note that you must contact us before the start of the semester (till March 15 for the upcoming summer term and till September 15 for the upcoming winter term) if you wish to take courses that may be relevant to the Master's degree program but are not listed in the module handbook. Please contact Daniel.dzikowski@tu-dortmund.de in this regard. - Our graduates have pursued their careers in, e.g., both international and German PhD programs in statistics, economics and econometrics, large insurance companies, research institutes and consultancies. - The application portal opens once all administrative steps in the backend are complete; usually some time in the spring. Please keep an eye on our websites: https://www.econometrics.ruhr, https://statistik.tu-dortmund.de. - It is not possible to take up studies in the summer semester: the program can only be taken up in winter. - If a student is admitted to the program on conditions, this affect the recommended course of study: Depending on the conditions imposed, it may be advisable to take pre-courses and, in particular, to complete the core curriculum in a specific order. Please check with a program coordinator if you are in doubt about the effect of admission conditions on your specific course of study. - Students should contact a coordinator if they believe that they have already fulfilled the conditions imposed in the admission letter. - There are several offers to help students freshly enrolled to the programm to get started in Dortmund, e.g. a moodle course page. Please contact a coordinator for enrolment details for the latter. - Prospective students who feel that they might need to brush up on their math or statistics skills before starting the program should contact a coordinator for further information and suggestions as to what to do. - There is no official part-time program. Students decide themselves at what pace they study (i.e. how many courses they take each semester). However, the semester fees remain the same! - While we do not have a specific exchange program for the MSc Econometrics yet, there are existing exchange programs for the other programs of the participating faculties that you may be able to draw upon. Please contact a coordinator for details. - We process applications and communicate decisions as soon as they come in. There may however be certain delays as the central administration first checks applications to all programs of the university for issues like completeness, and they have to handle many of these. We therefore kindly ask for some patience. - Sending questions to as many email addresses of contact people one can find does not increase chances of getting a quick reply! That just causes unnecessary duplication of work and creates further delays! - We strongly encourage you to use our Academic CV form where you can fill in a questionnaire and download a PDF version. Please click [here](https://www.econometrics.ruhr/AcademicCVform.pdf) to download the form. Please see the academic CV as an opportunity for you and us to summarize your motivation and suitability for the program. Feel free to include any information, such as prior courses, relevant skills, work experience, career goals etc., that you deem supportive of your application. - Even if undergraduate grades are just slightly worse than the minimum grade point average (GPA) in the German grading system. you cannot be admitted: unfortunately, by law, we are not able to make exceptions here, such that we regret to say you cannot qualify for the program. Please note that (also by law) only the Bachelor GPA is relevant even if you already have a Master’s degree. - There currently is no cap on the students admitted each year. - If you do not have EU citizenship and want to stay in Germany and/or start working after you have have obtained the Master’s degree: Non-EU citizens with health insurance and proof of financial means sufficient for living expenses may be granted an 18-month visa for job search after graduation. With a job there is the prospect of a residence permit or an EU Blue Card. Further information can be found on the [DAAD website](https://www.daad.de/en/study-and-research-in-germany/first-steps-germany/career-planning/). - The online self-assessment is available [here](https://www.econometrics.ruhr/images/econometrics_assessment.pdf). It *is* mandatory to take the assessment. However, this is not a test that you can fail: We would like applicants to assess their skills in statistics, economics and econometrics so that, if necessary, specific pre-courses can be taken. - We kindly ask for your understanding that we *cannot* provide an answer to a question like 'I am currently studying in program A at University B and have taken courses in C, D and E. Am I eligible for the program?'. The purpose of the application process is to answer such questions. Please submit a full application such that we can consider your materials. The sooner you submit, the earlier we will be able to get back to you with a clear and definite answer. - Students who have a few courses missing for their Bachelor’s degree can apply. We are aware that your undergraduate degree may not be fully complete by the time you apply and take this into account when assessing your application. Please briefly summarize what you still plan to complete in your [Academic CV](https://www.econometrics.ruhr/AcademicCVform.pdf). - The core curriculum and most electives are taught in English. We recommend a good command of the German language (at least B1) if you are interested in taking German-language electives. However, German-language skills are *not* required to study the program, which is an english language master. - It not necessary to prove my proficiency in the German language. Also note that proficiency in German is not necessary for successful completion of the program. - While we can offer the program free of tuition fees, we unfortunately cannot offer any scholarships for such costs. Some external agencies, possibly in your home country, may be able to assist. There regularly are opportunities for paid positions as student research assistants, which helps cover parts of the cost of living. - There are several student dormitories for which Accommodation is arranged by the associated student union (Studierendenwerk). The international offices are also happy to help you to find your way around the private housing market. Further information can be found via the following links: - [International Office @ Ruhr University Bochum](http://international.ruhr-uni-bochum.de/wohnen/index.html.en) - [International Office @ TU Dortmund University](http://www.aaa.tu-dortmund.de/cms/en/International_Students/Everyday_Life/Accommodation/index.html) - [International Office @ University of Duisburg-Essen](https://www.uni-due.de/international/accommodation.php) - There is the possibility to pursue a PhD in econometrics/statistics/economics after completion of the program. Professors at the UAR and elsewhere regularly seek qualified quantitatively trained candidates for which the MSc in Econometrics provides an excellent background. Also take a look at our graduate school, [RGS Econ](https://www.rgs-econ.org). - ECTS is for European Credit Transfer System. This system guarantees the comparability of achievements gained in the European Higher Education Area by issuing so called credit points (ECTS credits). These credit points exist to give an indication of the student’s average workload per semester or year. They do not function as an evaluation of performance. ECTS credits are only awarded if courses are successfully completed. This means that all of the relevant exams have to be passed. - The winter term starts at October 1st. The lecture period usually begins in the 2nd week of the semester. Note that the lecture periods may vary between the UAR universities. Course dates and locations can be found in the online lecture catalogs: - [LSF @ Univeristy of Duisburg-Essen](https://campus.uni-due.de/lsf/rds?state=user&type=8&topitem=lectures&breadCrumbSource=portal&noDBAction=y&init=y) - [LSF @ TU Dortmund University](https://www.lsf.tu-dortmund.de/qisserver/rds?state=user&type=8&topitem=lectures&breadCrumbSource=portal&noDBAction=y&init=y) - [VVZ @ Ruhr University Bochum](https://studium.ruhr-uni-bochum.de/en/course-catalogues) It is often worthwhile to visit the website of the respective chair for further details on the schedule. - You should expect to spend approximately €1000 per month for basic expenses. The costs can be broken down roughly as follows: - Rent: €450 to €600 - Health insurance: €150 - Food: €400 - Phone & Internet: €40 to €60 Note that the above is a calculation which can be easily exceeded, in particular because rents differ significantly between different cities and districts. Also consider extra costs that you face upon arrival in Germany, some of which are the deposit for accommodation, fees for residence permit, household items etc. Good news is that students enjoy reductions on many occasions. Student tariffs are available for mobile contracts and many leisure activities. - Health insurance is mandatory for all students in Germany and you must present proof when you enroll. The good news is that healthcare is affordable in Germany and in some cases it is even possible to bring your own insurance. We advice you to read through the guide of the Germany Academic Exchange Service (DAAD). - Students who have been admitted to the program and want to attend the e-learning precourse in statistics can find further information [here](https://msnat.statistik.tu-dortmund.de/en/teaching/courses/). - For an overview of the courses offered in the current/upcoming semester, please refer to the interactive table at our homepage. The links in the first column point to the [current module manual](https://statistik.tu-dortmund.de/storages/statistik/r/Downloads/Studium/Studiengaenge-Infos/ModHb_MSc_ECMTX_091023_01.pdf). We recommend you to read pages 10 to 16 for an overview of the distinct module areas. Links in the last column usually direct to the respective chair’s website where further information is available. The participating faculties also provide information on their homepages. English language courses offered by the Department of Statistics in the current semester can be found [here](https://statistik.tu-dortmund.de/en/studies/course-catalog/?tabindex=1&cHash=ff678734b741e5e984e5d81b73f052d0). - More information regarding the offered courses such as schedules, rooms, important links, access keys for Moodle etc. can usually be found on the websites of the chairs. If you find an interesting course, the first place to look for further infos is the chair’s homepage. - [TUDO Statistics](https://statistik.tu-dortmund.de/en/research/chairs/) - [TUDO Economics](https://wiwi.tu-dortmund.de/en/fakultaet/professuren/) - [UDE Economics](https://www.wiwi.uni-due.de/en/subjects/economics/) - [RUB Economics](https://www2.wiwi.rub.de/en/students/) The interactive course overview on our homepage may be useful, too. If your desired course is not yet listed in our handbook of modules yet, please contact Jan Prüser (prueser[at]statistik.tu-dortmund.de). - I have been admitted to the program but will not make it to start my studies in the upcoming (winter) semester due to extended processing time of my visa application or similar. Can I start my studies in the next (summer) semester?