FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions

The studium oecologicum is a voluntary certificate program for students that offers the opportunity to develop personal skills beyond their studies.

The studium oecologicum is coordinated by the Sustainability Office. If you have any questions beyond these FAQs, please contact us by e-mail or visit the office for a personal consultation.

The studium oecologicum is aimed at all students enrolled at TU Dortmund University. In addition to regular students, regularly enrolled doctoral students and senior students can also acquire the certificate. Students of the UA Ruhr-Allianz, i.e. the University of Duisburg-Essen and the Ruhr-Universität Bochum, can also attend studium oecologicum courses.

Unfortunately, guest students and students from other universities cannot currently obtain the certificate.

No, there are no fees for the studium oecologicum.

Yes, the studium oecologicum can be completed by all TU Dortmund University students. You can find out which courses are offered in the LSF:

"Courses --> Course catalog --> studium oecologicum"

As a rule, your degree program can be clearly assigned to one of the five subject areas. Courses in this subject area then count as courses from your own subject area, while all other subject areas are unrelated. If your degree program cannot be clearly assigned, use where you would classify your department as your own subject area as a guide.

None. The studium oecologicum can be obtained independently of your own degree program at TU Dortmund University. Under certain circumstances, individual courses may require specific admission requirements, e.g. certain prior knowledge.

The number of participants per course is determined by the respective department or teacher. Check the individual courses in the LSF and contact the teacher if in doubt.

If the number of applicants exceeds the capacity of a course/module, a decision will be made by drawing lots. For some courses, however, places are first allocated to students from your own department, as some of these are compulsory courses for students.

To obtain the studium oecologicum, at least three courses from the module catalog of the certificate must be completed. The required workload for the award of a certificate is at least 300 hours or more, which corresponds to the equivalent of at least 10 credit points. It may also be necessary to complete more than three courses in order to achieve the 10 credit points.

No, apart from attending the courses from the module catalog, no additional work is required.

Each module must be completed with an examination. The form of the examination to be taken is determined by the department offering the examination. All forms of examination permitted at TU Dortmund University are permitted.

No, no separate final examination is required for the successful completion of the studium oecologicum. Only the transcripts of records must be submitted to the Sustainability Office for the certificate to be issued.

All information on registering for the certificate, for individual courses and for examinations can be found on our registration page.

No, it is also possible to take several courses per semester as part of the studium oecologicum. Simply fill out the registration form several times with the desired courses.

Please register for individual modules/events in the LSF under studium oecologicum or alternatively by e-mail to the respective lecturers listed in the LSF, stating that you would like to attend the course as part of studium oecologicum if you are unable to register (e.g. for courses outside your subject area). The lecturers will decide on the final allocation of places. Please consult the LSF for information on admission requirements.

Subsequent registration for courses already completed is not necessary. When applying for the certificate, simply submit the relevant certificates of achievement as soon as you have fulfilled all the requirements.

There is a dynamic module catalog for the studium oecologicum that is updated every semester and is decided by the advisory board responsible for the certificate program.

Each department can participate in the studium oecologicum as soon as the courses offered are recognized by the advisory board for the studium oecologicum.

Courses that can be credited to the studium oecologicum can be viewed in the LSF under studium oecologicum or in the module catalog.

The examinations for the individual courses are defined in the respective module descriptions. There are no special regulations for the studium oecologicum. There are both graded and ungraded courses.

Please use the certificate of achievement provided for the certificate of achievement after a successful examination and send it to us completed and signed by the lecturer using the upload form on this page. You do not need the certificate of achievement for the basic modules, as the certificates are sent to us collectively by the lecturers due to the high number of participants.

If you have already fulfilled all the requirements for obtaining the certificate, you are welcome to use the application for issuing the certificate.

An examination board of the respective department is responsible for examination matters. The Sustainability Office is responsible for all fundamental matters.

No, there is no maximum number of attempts for the studium oecologicum. A passed course is recognized for the studium oecologicum regardless of the number of attempts. This means that under certain circumstances a course in the studium oecologicum can be recognized, while the course in your degree program is not recognized.

If the lecturer requires proof of attendance, you can use the attendance certificate for the studium oecologicum.

The order in which you take the courses is up to you. For example, you can also take the foundation course at the end.

No, there must be at least three courses, it is also possible to take more courses. A total of 10 credit points must be earned. There must be a certificate of achievement for each course and at least one course must have been attended in each of the three modules of the studium oecologicum (basic module, subject module, non-subject module).

You have a certain freedom of choice in the weighting of the credit points. The only prerequisite for obtaining the studium oecologicum is attending a basic module, a subject-specific module and a non-subject-specific module. You must collect at least 2 credit points in each of the three module areas mentioned above and achieve a total of 10 credit points.

Please refer to the LSF and the respective module handbooks of the corresponding courses for this information.

No, as a rule you must complete the examinations for the respective course. There are exceptions in the case of single courses for which a module examination is written that consists of several courses. If you only attend one of these courses, you only have to complete the part of the examination for the one course or agree a special arrangement with the lecturers.

There is currently a basic module in the winter semester, the lecture series "Klima: Wandel, Werte, Wissenschaft", and a basic module in the summer semester, with a focus on education for sustainable development with changing course titles and content. Since 2024 there is also the "Summer School for Sustainability" that is planned to be offered every summer as a english taught basic module.

No, this is not possible. The studium oecologicum requires that you cover the three areas (basic module, subject module, non-subject module). If you are interested in individual courses that you have already taken or are required to take anyway but are not listed in the studium oecologicum module catalog, we will be happy to check on a case-by-case basis whether these can also be credited to the studium oecologicum. If there is no course in your department, please see the next FAQ.

Yes, you must then attend at least two non-subject-specific courses. You still have to complete 10 CP.

Yes, this is possible, but only as an advanced module from another subject area.

Theoretically, you can start the studium oecologicum at any time. However, it is advisable to register for studium oecologicum courses before or at the beginning of the semester, as these often have individual registration deadlines.

Each semester there is a module catalog with courses that are recognized as part of the studium oecologicum. Depending on the lecturer, the courses may vary from semester to semester and also from year to year.

You can start taking courses from the studium oecologicum at any time. To obtain the certificate, you must complete the three modules during the course of your studies and obtain a total of 10 credit points.

No, the courses can be taken at any time during your studies at TU Dortmund University. Please remember that you must have completed all three modules at the end and be able to present at least 10 credit points with the corresponding certificates.

No, you can complete the three modules in any order. For example, it is possible to complete the basic module at the very end without any problems. The only important thing is that you have completed all three modules at the end and can present at least 10 credit points with the corresponding certificates.

No, there is currently no further foundation module in the summer semester. However, efforts are being made to offer a basic module in the summer semester as well.

No, the courses can be taken at any time during your studies at TU Dortmund University. For example, you can start the studium oecologicum in your Bachelor's degree and finish it in your Master's degree or during your doctorate.

Yes, if the courses are included in the studium oecologicum module catalog or if the courses are recognized by the advisory board. The aim is for you to choose a course as a subject-specific module that you have to complete for your degree anyway.

No, the studium oecologicum must be completed separately from your regular studies. The studium oecologicum is a voluntary additional course.

Yes, this is possible if these courses are included in the studium oecologicum module catalog or if they are recognized by the studium oecologicum advisory board. In any case, you must be able to provide us with a certificate of achievement for the courses.

Yes, this is possible. If you feel that suitable courses are not included in the module catalog, you can send them to us so that they can be checked by the studium oecologicum advisory board and recognized if necessary.

The credit transfer requests are collected over the course of the semester, prepared by the Sustainability Office and then sent to the studium oecologicum Advisory Board. So that you can plan your courses well for the coming semester, please consider the deadlines 15.1. for the coming summer semester and 15.7. for the coming winter semester for your requests. Inquiries will then be answered in February (August). Requests submitted after the respective deadlines will only be answered in the next request cycle.

In principle, you can also receive credit for your final thesis. This should be clearly related to sustainability. Please send us the abstract of your thesis so that it can be checked by the studium oecologicum advisory board and the thesis can be recognized if necessary.

As soon as you have attended enough courses that can be credited towards the studium oecologicum, you can have the certificate issued by the Sustainability Office on presentation of the relevant certificates of achievement. Please use our application form. We will prepare your certificate after a successful examination.

For courses that you wish to take as part of the studium oecologicum, you will find the relevant information on our registration page. The courses are managed by the Sustainability Office.

If you have personal questions, you are welcome to make an appointment by e-mail or telephone with the Sustainability Office.

Please refer to the LSF and the respective module handbooks of the corresponding courses for this information.

Please refer to the LSF and the respective module handbooks for the relevant courses or ask the respective lecturers.

In most cases, no major prior knowledge should be necessary, but there may be exceptions. Please refer to the LSF and the respective module handbooks of the relevant courses for this information.