Yes, part-time studies (“Teilzeitstudium”) are possible.

There is no general online option for the Master in Statistics. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic currently all teaching is done online, but this will change as soon as the pandemic is over/under control.

The  Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin offers a central information service (Compass).

The International office of the Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin offers a Guide for International Students.

Each winter term will be a fixed number of study places allocated. If you fulfill the admission requirements then

1. a small number of study places will be allocated through special quotas, for example hardship cases with a separate application,
2. a larger number of study places will be allocated by waiting time (full non-studying terms before the master), and
3. the majority of study places will be allocated by grade.

For questions to 1. and 2. contact Compass.

The master’s programme does not offer itself preparation classes for german. But the Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin offers courses as “German as a Foreign Language” in the Language centre. These courses are booked out very quickly.

There are several possibilities outside the university, for example Goethe Institut here, which is much more expensive than in most other countries. Volkshochschulen offer a cheaper way. And of course there are a lot of private schools which offer german courses.

Yes, if you apply for admission, you have to a approve that your level of German is at least B1. Which documents are valid, can be found under “Spezielle Kenntnisse 3” in the programme specific admission rules (German: Fachspezifische Zugangs- und Zulassungsregeln des Master Statistik, non-official translation into English: Subject specific access and admission rules for the ZSP-HU).

The mandatory course Stochastik I is in German but almost all others courses are held in English.

The semesters after receiving the Bachelor’s degree count as waiting semesters.

No. But you could register as guest student (“Nebenhörer”) to already take some courses in the summer semester and then apply for the winter term, for HU see the corresponding information of the course guidance centre on the HU website.

You have to apply at the HU Berlin as described on this website under Admission.

No. Your application will be evaluated only by the documents you provided till the application deadline.

Yes. All untranslated documents will not be considered.

Applicants from the People’s Republic of China, Vietnam and India need an APS certificate.

The following documents should be submitted with the application:

• Secondary school leaving certificate with an overview of subjects and
  grades, please refer to the country information in the application portal
• Overview of subjects and grades for your degree programme (Transcript
  of Records / Diploma Supplement)
• Module handbook (description of the learning content of your degree
  programme to date)
• Degree certificate from the university or, in the graduation phase,
  confirmation of when you will graduate
• Official translation of documents not issued in German or English
• Proof of the language skills required by the Subject-specific access
  and admission rules for the Master’s programme (see
  https://www.stat.de/wp-content/uploads/2.2.3.23.-2019-Statistik-E-3.pdf).
• self-assignment form on admission requirements and selection criteria.
  This form(s) is available as a PDF document on the application portal.
• Complete curriculum vitae (from the beginning of school education to
  the date of application)
• Copy of passport or identity card; if you have more than one
  nationality, all supporting documents
• If you are currently studying at a German/Austrian college/university:
  Certificate of enrolment stating the subjects and semesters studied.
• If you have already studied at a German/Austrian university:
  Exmatriculation certificate/confirmation of leaving with details of the
  subjects studied and the subject-related semesters.
• For applications from China, Vietnam and India: Certificate of the
  Academic Examination Centre (APS)

For further details see
https://www.hu-berlin.de/de/studium/bewerbung/bewerbung-und-zulassung/informationen-fuer-internationale-studieninteressierte/bewerbungsfristen-und-dokumente-zur-bewerbung-fuer-masterstudiengaenge
(in German).

Yes. If you are missing ECTS, whether in Specialized knowledge 1 or in Selection criterion 2, you can use the time until the next application period to acquire the missing ECTS.

Acquire the missing ECTS in the winter term. Enroll in a bachelor’s programme for this purpose, e.g. in a bachelor in mathematics. Or enroll as a guest auditor or a visiting student and take courses. Please note that only courses that have been completed with an examination at a recognized higher educational institution can be recognized.

In the summer semester, you can already take basic courses from the master’s programme in statistics and have them recognized later if you have been accepted into the master’s programme in statistics.

Yes, it is possible to apply for the programme while you are still in your bachelor. Therefore, you have to verify that you need less than or equal to 30 ECTS to finish your bachelor. Additionally, you have to state the missing courses and the expected bachelor grade. If you are accepted to the programme, you have to prove that you finished the bachelor till the end of your first master semester with the expected grad (or better). If your grade is worse, you might be exmatriculated since the expected grade is used in the admission process. You can find the regulations and needed document in the general admission regulations of the HU Berlin (German: Nichtamtliche Lesefassung der Fächerübergreifenden Satzung zur Regelung von Zulassung, Studium und Prüfung der Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin).

 A self-assessment for fullfiling the requirements for the master’s programme is an obligatory part of your application documentation. All information given in the self-assessment has to be proven by adding corresponding pages from official module descriptions (e.g. “Studienordung” or “Modulhandbuch”). You have to list the courses and the corresponding number of ECTS which are necessary for fulfilling the master’s programmes requirements. The Admissions Committee will then decide about crediting the courses. It is not possible to give information on specific courses beforehand.

1. There have to be available studying slots in the higher study semester, which is seldom the case.
2. If you fulfill regular admission requirements and you have completed the necessary creditable courses at the time of application you can apply for a higher study semester. For example, if you want to apply for the 2nd semester in the summer, you need 30 completed ECTS from the Statistics Master’s programme at the time of application (usually in January) in addition to the credits needed for regular admission.

The application periods can be found on the “Academic calendars and deadlines” page of the HU Berlin for all study programs. The entry referring to the MSc. Statistics is “Master of Arts/Science mit Zulassungsbeschränkung”.

The admission rules contain no regulation concerning the date of the language certificates.

Yes, you can use the table on the comparison of language exams (English) of the Language centre HU to obtain the score that is needed.

Universities often allow you to exmatriculate after a short period of time following enrolment; in most cases, you will also receive a partial or full refund of the fees.

So enrol for the other Master’s programme. As soon as you receive an admission letter for the Master’s in Statistics, exmatriculate for the other Master’s programme and enrol yourself for the Master’s in Statistics.

1. You submit your application either directly to Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin or to uni-assist.

2. About a month after the application deadline, the Central Admissions office at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin recorded your data, converted your Bachelor grade and checked your language certificates. After that, all documents (in German or English) are sent to the admission committee of the Master’s programme.

3. Within the next two or three weeks, the admission committee of the Master’s programme will check whether you have more than 30 ECTS for admission and determine your grade for the ranking.

4. The results will be entered in the online application system. For any
questions to your results use mscstatistics@lists.hu-berlin.de.

5. After a little more than two months, the admission or rejection notices should be sent out.

The time period between the end of the application period and the sending of the notification depends on the number of applications that the Central Admissions Office of Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin and the Admissions Committee of the Master’s programme have to process.

The calculation is done with the modified Bavarian formula and it requires:

1. the best possible grade N_max,

2. the lowest grade N_min at which you would still have passed, and

3. your grade N_d, which you received.

Your grade in the German system is then calculated as

x = 1+3*(N_max-N_d)/(N_max-N_min)

The conversion is carried out by the Central Admissions Office at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin. In individual cases, the calculation may differ from the modified Bavarian formula.

Example: In the Netherlands, the best possible grade is N_max=10 and the lowest grade with which you can pass is N_min=6. If your grade is N_d=8, then in the German system this corresponds to 1+3*(10-8)/(10-6) = 2.5.

Yes, for example all degrees counting as a “degree in a study programme with a quantitative emphasis”. However, the admission commission decides whether specific degrees are accepted.

No. A (bachelor) thesis is not course offered by your institution.

The admissions Committee has the final decision on whether a course is recognised as quantitative or not. Please provide a description on the content of the courses, especially if it is not clear.

You can indicate credit-bearing courses from all study programmes in the
self-assignment forms that you have taken, including from Master’s
programmes.

Courses that are usually recognised as quantitative:

• All mathematics, statistics and econometrics courses
• All courses that focus predominantly on mathematics, statistics or econometrics
• Computer courses in statistical software, e.g. R, STATA, SPSS

Courses that are partly recognised as quantitative:

• Computer science courses
• Logic courses

Courses that are not recognised as quantitative:

• Courses without an examination or without an existing examination result
• All courses that are not predominantly focused on mathematics, statistics or econometrics.
• Game Theory
• Operations Research
• Macroeconomics, microeconomics and other economics courses
• Logistics
• Internships
• Theses
• Activities as tutors or working students
• Courses from non-governmental accredited higher education institutions, e.g. EdX, Coursera, Udacity and others.

If your Bachelor’s programme contains courses such that you fulfill the “Specialised knowledge 1” criterium then it counts as study programme with a quantitative emphasis. Otherwise the admission commitee has to decide.

There is no general information on the grades needed. It varies depending on the year you apply and the mathematics courses you took before, more information on calculating the application grade can be found in the programme specific admission rules (German: Fachspezifische Zugangs- und Zulassungsregeln des Master Statistik, non-official translation into English: Subject specific access and admission rules for the ZSP-HU in the pdf document in III.b)). Information on the NC of previous years can be found on the HU website in the “Studienorientierungstool” esra.

A certificate, report, language diploma, or comparable proof must be submitted; the proof must contain information on the issuing institution, the level achieved, the assessment standard applied, and the date of issue or acceptance of the last examination performance.

The required language level can be demonstrated, for example, by means of a Goethe certificate or comparable proof.

Applicants whose native language is German can also prove that they meet the admission requirement by submitting official documents that show that the applicant learned the relevant language as a first language in early childhood without formal instruction and spent at least eight of the first twelve years of their life in a country in which the relevant language is used as an official language. Proof is deemed to have been provided in particular with the submission of a German university entrance qualification.

A certificate, diploma, language diploma, or other comparable proof must be submitted; the proof must contain information on the issuing institution, the level achieved, the assessment standard applied, and the date of issue or acceptance of the last examination performance.

The required language level can also be proven by means of the following minimum achievements: Test of English as a Foreign Language TOEFL (Internet-based Test: 42, Paper-based Test: 440).

The level is deemed to have been achieved 1) if the subject English as a continued foreign language is assessed in accordance with the “Uniform Examination Requirements for the Abitur Examination in English” or the “Bildungsstandards für die fortgeführte Fremdsprache (Englisch / Französisch) für die Allgemeine Hochschulreife” in the last four semesters of the Abitur (qualification phase) and a performance level of at least 5 grade points or an equivalent performance level has been demonstrably achieved during the entire duration of the qualification phase. 2) if proof of English-language coursework and examinations amounting to at least 20 ECTS credits or the equivalent, acquired as part of a course of study at a state or state-recognized higher education institution, is provided. 3) if proof is provided of an English-language school-leaving certificate or other English-language university entrance qualification or a professionally qualifying degree from a university course lasting at least three years, with which English-language coursework and examinations amounting to at least 180 ECTS credits or equivalent have been acquired.

Applicants whose native language is English may also prove that they meet the language proficiency requirement by submitting official documents showing that the applicant learned the relevant language as a first language in early childhood without formal instruction and spent at least eight of the first twelve years of their life in a country in which the relevant language is used as an official language.

There are no tuition fees, but some administrative fee (ca 300 €) must be paid every semester which includes payment for a public transport pass for Berlin for 6 months. The exact fees are listed under payment of standard fees and dues on the HU Guide for international students.

Yes, if you are an international student and have to apply via uni-assist.de, you can find the fees on the website under handling fees.

In principle, yes. Jobs for students are offered at irregular intervals in the Moodle course for the Master’s in Statistics and on stat.de. Special rules may apply for foreign students. Details, further information and links can be found at HU International or at the student staff council (both in German).

No, there is no specific scholarship programme for the Master’s programme. Although you could apply for general scholarship programmes.

This has to be done with Mrs. Kaboub (kaboub@wiwi.hu-berlin.de). Send her the Examination Recognition Form together with the grades transcript for each course.

If the course is not taken from the study regulation list of courses or should be credited in the ÜWP, you first have to certify it as equivalent to a course from the study regulation. This has to be sent to the intructor of the equivalent course.

All courses that

• non-state-recognised higher education institutions. This includes e.g. courses from Udacity, Coursera, etc.
• have not been completed with an examination.

No, they cannot be credited for Module 1 or Module 3 in the Master in Statistics.

There are three cases in which you should use the form for course equivalency and recognition:

1.) Seeking recognition from courses that are not listed in the module overview (e.g., courses that you take abroad).

2.) Seeking recognition for courses that you have already included in your Bachelor degree.

3.) Seeking recognition for a course in the interdisciplinary elective area (Überfachlicher Wahlpflichtbereich/ÜWP).

In the first case, fill out the gray-highlighted cells in sections 1 and 2 and have the equivalence approved by the coordinator of the module for which you would like to get recognition. You can do this before or after you completed the course. If possible, seek recognition for the course before you take the course. Once you have completed the course, have the grade and ECTS credits confirmed by the chairperson of the examination committee.

Courses that you have already included in your Bachelor degree (case 2) generally cannot be recognized. However, if you have already completed one of the mandatory modules in your previous studies, you do not need to take them again. Instead, consult with the module coordinator to determine which other course you can attend and fill out the form accordingly.

In the third case, you do not need the signature of the module coordinator in section 2 but can approach the chairperson of the examination committee directly.

In all three cases, remember to provide the necessary supporting documents.

1. No credits from a bachelor’s programme will be considered for a master’s programme.

2. If academic achievements equivalent to those of the institutions involved in the master’s programme have already been completed in a previous programme at a university or an equivalent scientific institution within the scope of the German Grundgesetz, compulsory courses and possibly additional courses in the specialized elective area will be recognized. Compulsory courses take precedence in the recognition process.

3. Courses in the interdisciplinary elective area will not be recognized.

4. Overall, the recognition is limited to a maximum of 1 semester’s worth of credits (usually up to 30 credit points).

5. Academic achievements from a previous programme can only be recognized once. If these achievements have already been recognized for another programme, further recognition is not possible. In this case, all exams and academic achievements must be completed again.

4. Final theses for the completion of studies will not be recognized.”

In the ÜWP all modules can be recognised that are identified as ÜWP and are in module catalogues of other programmes of HU or institutions that participate in the Statistics Master’s programme. Also, other external courses, such as language courses taken abroad, can often be recognised. You then need to provide proof of how many ECTS were achieved and it needs to be approved by the examination committee.

An activity as a student assistant at a university or research institution or an activity as a working student in a company is not recognised.

For the Überfachlicher Wahlbereich (ÜWP), there exists a module that can be used to credit courses from other universities, e.g. a Chinese culture class in Hong Kong. This can be done for all ECTS in the ÜWP.

You can attend an equivalent course during your master’s. The lecturer of the mandatory course decides which courses are equivalent and you need an equivalence form signed by her.

In the case of Stochastik 1 you could do the following: 1) show that you attanded an equivalent Stochastik 1 course during your bachelor 2) attend e.g. Stochastics 2 and count it as your Stochastik 1 grade in the Master’s programme.

No, it is not possible to recognize courses in the bachelor and in the master.

The internship has to be at least 6 weeks and at most 12 weeks.

Yes, there is a guide for international students from the HU Berlin.

No, after a positive admission decision and a successful enrollment at the assigned university, you have to apply for registration at the two other participating universities. The relevant information will be made available to the applicants in the course of the application procedure via the admissions portal.

The relevant information will be made available to the applicants in the course of the application procedure via the admissions portal.

You are currently allowed to repeat a final module examination twice. If you also fail the third attempt, you have definitively failed this examination.

In the case of a compulsory module (e.g. Module 1: Stochastics I), your Master’s programme ends without a degree and you will not be able to study another Master’s programme in Statistics (or related fields) in the EU.

In the case of an optional compulsory module (e.g. Module 2: Econometrics Methods/Methoden der Statistik), you can take an other course from the module.

In any other case, you can take another course from the same area (e.g. specialisation area).

If you are unable to write an exam locally due to a stay abroad, then there is the possibility of organising an invigilation via the local examination office at the host university and writing it there at the same time.

Yes. You can apply for a semester (or a full academic year) abroad through all four universities:

Please contact the corresponding international offices for possibilities and details.

HU Berlin International Office at the School of Business and Economics

FU Berlin Division International Affairs

TU Berlin Student Mobility & International Students

Charité International Cooperation

If you plan to take courses for credit, you should prepare a Learning Agreement before the semester abroad. There is no guarantee of credit for courses taken afterwards.

For credit transfer as

• an equivalent course in the Master’s programme, please contact the lecturer and have him/her sign the Learning Agreement and the Course Equivalency Form,
• a course in a specialisation area, please contact a lecturer from the specialisation area and have him/her sign the Learning Agreement and the Examination Recognition Form,
• a course in the elective area, please contact the study advisor for the Master’s programme and have him/her sign the Learning Agreement and the Examination Recognition Form.

After the semester abroad please hand in the transcript, the Examination Recognition Form for each course, as well as the Course Equivalency Form if applicable to Ms Kaboub.

Send by the deadline at the latest:

• 2 paper copies (with signed declaration of academic honesty) to
  Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Lehrstuhl für Ökonometrie, z.Hd. Fr. Kaboub, Spandauer Str. 1, 10099 Berlin
• the electronic version of the thesis in pdf format by e-mail to Ms Kaboub: econome1@wiwi.hu-berlin.de

You have to send an email to Mrs. Kaboub (kaboub@wiwi.hu-berlin.de) with the Registration Form Master Thesis.

No, this will determine the grade you receive for your Master’s degree:

1. the grades from the compulsory modules are always included in the
Master’s grade. The grades from the interdisciplinary compulsory
elective area (10 ECTS) have no influence on the Master’s grade.

2. if you have more than 120 ECTS credits, the grades of the modules
that do not fall under point 1 are taken into account in chronological
order. If a module is no longer required in this order, it will be
listed as “surplus” on the certificate.

3. of the module grades remaining after point 2, the best module grades
are selected.

The example below (in German) is based on the typical study plan in the
study and examination regulations for the Master’s programme in Statistics .

The first supervisor of a master’s thesis has to be from one of the institutions participating in the programme, e.g. the School of Economics FU Berlin. Preferably, the first supervisor gives courses from the Statistics Master’s programme. The second supervisor might be external but needs to be approved by the examination board.