As a general rule, the examiners must have been active in teaching the corresponding study program and be full-time members of the faculty.
Lecturers and external individuals can only be chosen in exceptional cases and after consultation with the examination office. The following restrictions also apply to the individual degree programs.
B.A. Degree Programs
M.A. Degree Programs
A current list of all lecturers of the faculty including their function can be found in the Sowi-Info of the respective semester. (print version without changes: on pages 4ff.)
The complete registration documents for final theses must be sent in paper form to the examination office. Unfortunately, registration by e-mail is not possible.
Bachelor's and Master's theses should be submitted digitally via Submit Exam - please read examinations office's answer carefully when you have sent the registration documents.
"Rahmenordnung der Ruhr-Universität Bochum zur elektronischen Einreichung von Abschlussarbeiten"
The thesis must be written according to the criteria for writing academic papers (Kriterien der Erstellung einer wissenschaftlichen Hausarbeit).
The declaration of authorship must be included as the very last sheet.
Cover page and last page are to be designed as follows.
Final oral examinations can be held both by video conference and in person. As usual, registration for these examinations takes place through the examination office. The registration form must be submitted to the examination office one week before the examination. An e-mail from the examiners is sufficient as confirmation. A signature of the examiners is not required.
Evaluation Criteria for Module Exams
The most important criterion for all module examinations is the achievement of the learning objectives for the corresponding module. In this respect, the module description must be present for all module examinations
Another basic assessment criterion is to grade students on a simple scale ranging from reproduction through comprehension and transfer to knowledge assessment. In any case, for a good or very good grade, it is a prerequisite that students perform beyond reproduction. Depending on the course of studies (beginning of studies, advanced bachelor's phase, master's phase), higher levels and requirements must then be taken as a basis.
The following lists of criteria are intended to provide additional assistance in evaluating the candidates' performance in detail. For oral examinations, candidates should submit a thesis paper that serves as a starting point for the examination discussion.
The lists of criteria are also intended to help make the equivalence of various forms of examination transparent. In this respect, they should also be be applied to other forms (poster presentations, project reports, creation of presentations and internet offerings, etc.).
The evaluation shall be made available to students in an appropriate form.
Written Examinations
Oral Examinations
Download the criteria as a PDF.
As of September 2017: There are various entry options at universities in North Rhine-Westphalia for studies without a high school diploma (equivalent to Abitur). If you belong to the group of professionally qualified persons with at least two years of vocational training followed by at least three years of professional activity and have learned a profession that has no affinity to the studies of social science, you must take an entrance examination as part of the application procedure. You can find more information on the various access options on the pages of the central student counseling service.
The entrance examination is designed to ensure that you have the necessary prior knowledge for the studies of social science and covers the subjects of political science and statistics. The exam does not ask you about the content of your studies, but about basic skills and knowledge you need to be able to successfully complete the studies in these subjects.
The entrance examination at the Faculty of Social Science consits of a written examination lasting two hours. The examination performances are evaluated individually and an average grade is calculated from the individual grades. With this grade, you then take part in the admission procedure for the B.A. study program in social science.
Preparation for the Entrance Examination
You should prepare for the entrance exam early. We recommend that you make use of a consultation in good time and not wait for the invitation from the university.
First Part of the Exam: Subject Orientation and English Skills
As a prerequisite for social science studies, sufficient knowledge of English is essential. Therefore, in the written exam you will be asked to read a short subject-related English text that corresponds to the level of difficulty you can expect in your studies. You will have to answer some questions (in German) about this text. You can bring a dictionary with you. To prepare for the exam, you should refresh your English skills, e.g. by reading English books or newspapers. If you have any questions about this part of the exam, please contact:
Prof. Dr. Sören Petermann (Sociology / Urban and Regional Sociology) - Phone: +49 234 32-28706; Office: GD 1/343; E-mail: staresoz@rub.de
or
Prof. Dr. Manfred Wannöffel (Joint Research Center RUB-IGM) - Phone: +49 234 32-22929; Office: O-Werk 00.30.4; E-mail: manfred.wannoeffel@rub.de
Second Part of the Exam: Mathematics Skills
For the methods training in the social science studies - especially for social science statistics - basic knowledge in school mathematics is important. Therefore, the written entrance examination contains a mathematical part in which you have to solve math problems from the following topics:
To brush up on your math skills, the following textbooks may be helpful:
If you have any questions about this part of the exam, contact: Dipl. Soz.wiss. Sebastian Jeworutzki (Social Sciences Methodology and Statistics) - Phone: +29 234/32-22006; Office: GD 2/313; E-mail: sebastian.jeworutzki@rub.de
Download as a PDF
Attempts to deceive - such as the use of plagiarism in academic work - can have far-reaching consequences for further studies. Here we document examples of cases of cheating or attempted cheating.
Multiple Plagiarism in B.A. Studies
At the end of the winter semester 2007/2008, a bachelor student of the Faculty of Social Science at the Ruhr-University Bochum was convicted of plagiarism. In the course of an extensive research, staff members of the faculty were able to prove extensive cheating or attempted cheating in a total of four examinations (one term paper, three essays). Although the student was suspected of plagiarism early on, he showed little insight and admitted to the attempted cheating only after extensive evidence had been presented.
In all cases, the student had copied longer text passages word for word from other sources without making this visible in any way. Apart from a few sentences, all the papers he submitted were not his own. The term paper in question, for example, had been purchased by the student on one of the relevant term paper exchanges on the web and subsequently submitted under his name, including the declaration of independence signed by him, as is customary among the faculty. The other, shorter papers were taken from various sources (newspaper, reference book, other term papers).
The dean has handed over the detailed documentation with proof of plagiarism to the examination committee of the Faculty of Social Science. Due to the material presented, the examination committee has forwarded the case to the chancellor of the Ruhr-University Bochum with the request that the incident be punished with an administrative fine in accordance with § 63 (5) of the Hochschulgesetz (Higher Education Act).
Medical certificates of withdrawal from examinations must be submitted directly to the secretary's office of the respective chair where the examination is being written.
Submission of Form 5, current transcript, current certificate of enrollment.
Prerequisite for further BAFÖG payments:
BA 1: 100 CPs at the end of the 4th semester.
BA 2: 40 CP per subject and 20 CP of the elective modules at end of the 4th semester.
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Last update: Sep 12, 2024
