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 Faculty of Management, Economics and Social Sciences

Recognition of achievements

Information on the transfer of benefits when changing degree programmes within the faculty can be found here.

Examination results obtained in study programmes at other state or state-recognised higher education institutions, at state or state-recognised universities of cooperative education or in study programmes at foreign state or state-recognised higher education institutions shall be recognised upon application, provided that there is no significant difference between the acquired competences and the achievements which are being replaced; an examination of equivalence shall not take place. The decision on recognition is made by the chairperson of the Joint Examination Committee (for the Health Economics degree programmes by the chairperson of the Examination Committee for the Health Economics degree programmes of the Faculty of Economics and Social Sciences and the Faculty of Medicine).

Recognition of examinations taken is only granted upon application by the student. This application should be submitted promptly at the start of the degree programme or, in the case of achievements made during a semester abroad, promptly after receipt of the transcript of records from the foreign university.

Please note that the recognition of a Bachelor's or Master's thesis is not possible.

Recognition of a performance obtained elsewhere is not possible if this is contrary to the requirements of examination law. This applies, among other things, if this performance has already been taken at the University of Cologne, regardless of whether it has been passed. This also applies if the recognition would result in more than 180 LP in a Bachelor's degree program or more than 120 LP in a Master's degree program being acquired by a student or assigned by recognition at the end of the program. This also applies if a corresponding learning agreement is available.

The grades of the achievements on which the recognition is based will only be transferred if the grading systems of the previous educational submission and the University of Cologne are comparable.

To initiate the recognition procedure, the following documents must be submitted to the Examinations Office:

  • a sealed/stamped overview of the achievements obtained at the previous university (not applicable for achievements previously obtained in another degree programme of the WiSo Faculty)
  • a complete application for recognition prepared via the WiSo credit centre.

The procedure for recognition then proceeds as follows:

  1. It is checked whether we have all the documents in their entirety.
    • This is not the case => You will receive a written request to submit the missing documents.
    • This is the case => continue with 2.
  2. It is checked whether there are sufficient references from your previous university.
    • This is not the case => continue with 3.
    • This is the case => continue with 6.
  3. The Examinations Office will release your application for processing at the WiSo Credit Centre.
  4. If necessary, the WiSo credit centre will ask you for further proof (e.g. module descriptions).
  5. The examination office receives feedback from the WiSo credit centre.
  6. As soon as the assessment of your documents is finally possible, you will be recognised for the corresponding examination achievements.

The decision on recognition is posted in the campus management system KLIPS 2. Only in the case of a rejection of recognition will this be justified in writing.The decision on recognition usually takes place within three months. We ask you to refrain from enquiries about the status of the respective recognition process in the meantime.

Special regulations for the recognition of achievements gained outside a higher education institution

In principle, it is also possible to obtain credit for examination achievements based on work done outside of a university. The following documents must be submitted for this purpose:

  • sealed/stamped overview of the services rendered
  • a complete application for credit created via the WiSo credit centre. Please use the institution "Fremde Bildungseinrichtung" (external educational institution) as the external institution. Please note that an exact comparison of the externally provided services must be made. The externally provided services must be specifically assigned to the modules to be credited.
  • proof that the achievement on the basis of which credit is to be awarded and the module examination on which credit is to be awarded correspond to the same level of the German Qualifications Framework for Lifelong Learning (vocational training courses generally reach level 4 of the DQR, Bachelor's degrees are set at level 6). This does not apply if you only want to apply for credit for the BM Business Accounting Technology (PO 2015) or for credit points in the Studium Integrale. Further information on this can be found on this page below.

In the case of a generally three-year commercial apprenticeship that was completed with an IHK examination or a comparable successfully completed apprenticeship, the module examination in the basic module Technique of Business Accounting of the PO 2015 as well as twelve ECTS in the area of Studium Integrale can be credited upon application of the student without further examination of the content. In this case, no further evidence needs to be submitted, apart from a corresponding application for credit issued by the WiSo credit centre and the training certificate.

Special regulations for recognition in the area of Studium Integrale

Successfully completed and non-subject-specific achievements from previous degree programmes as well as subject-specific practical activities related to your own degree programme can be recognised in the area of Studium Integrale, provided that this area is part of your degree programme. If an examination that was previously successfully completed at another university or another faculty of the University of Cologne could not be used for the recognition of a module examination because of significant differences, this examination can be fully used for recognition in the Studium Integrale upon application. You must apply for such recognition in writing. This application must clearly state which (examination) achievements are to be recognised in Studium Integrale. If it is not clear from the submitted documents which examination performance was achieved in the individual modules and with which number of ECTS this examination performance was assessed, you must submit further evidence showing the type of examination performance and the workload of the course. As a rule, the respective module description is sufficient for this purpose.

For more information on Studium Integrale, click here.

If you would like to apply for credit for practical work in the Studium Integrale, please prepare an application for credit via the Wiso Credit Centre and submit this signed application together with the relevant supporting documents. In addition, suitable documents from the employer must be enclosed, which prove the period of time, the hours worked per week and the type of activity.

One ECTS credit point is recognised for every 30 hours of proven work. It is noted on the transcript of records that the corresponding number of credit points has been recognised. Details of the acquired knowledge (e.g. name of the internship position, etc.) are not listed.

Bachelor's degree programmes with an educational science component

The above-mentioned procedures for the recognition of examination results also apply if you are studying a Bachelor's degree programme with an educational science component. However, in deviation from these procedures, you will not receive the final notification about the recognition of examination results from the examination office of the Faculty of Economic and Social Sciences, but from the examination office of the Zentrum für LehrerInnenbildung (ZfL). Please contact the ZfL directly regarding the recognition of a thesis.