Free elective area in the Master's program

• take modules from all Master's degree programs in the Faculty of Business, Economics and Social Sciences
• integrate a stay abroad and have credits earned abroad recognised
• have language courses, further education courses or an internship recognised in the (un)graded Master's portfolio module

In the free elective area, you can take modules from all Master's degree programs at the Faculty of Business, Economics and Social Sciences, provided there is free capacity and you meet the requirements. The modules and information can be found in the module catalog of the individual degree programs.

For example, you can expand your area of specialization by taking additional modules from this or related areas or you can create an additional (unofficial) area of specialization by taking additional modules from another area of specialization.

Note: The compulsory modules and specialization seminars in the Master's degree programs are excluded from the free choice. From winter semester 2024/2025, a third specialization seminar in management can be credited in the free elective area.

The free elective area gives you the opportunity to have foreign achievements recognized in Hohenheim in a simple way. This "mobility window" gives you the opportunity to go abroad without having to extend your period of study.

More about the recognition of foreign study and examination achievements

Within the free elective area, you can replace one of the modules with either a graded or an ungraded Master's portfolio module.

Note: 

• Please note the restriction in the Economics degree program that only one business or social science module can be selected when choosing a Master's portfolio module.

What is a Master portfolio module?

A Master's portfolio module can consist of a single achievement or several partial achievements. In order to be credited, the partial achievements must add up to at least 6 credits. However, if the partial achievements result in more than 6 credits, the excess credits are not taken into account. The portfolio module can be graded or ungraded.

Graded Master portfolio module

The graded portfolio module consists exclusively of graded courses.

These include:

• Language courses of the Language Center of the University of Hohenheim.
• Achievements abroad that cannot be booked as modules abroad.
• A third focus seminar in HMM cannot be recognized

Ungraded Master portfolio module

As soon as one of the selected courses is ungraded, this automatically results in an ungraded Master's portfolio module. A Master's portfolio module consisting exclusively of graded work cannot be credited as an ungraded Master's portfolio module.

These include:

• F.I.T- Seminars, including the F.I.T. language courses, which are not graded
• Learning Paths (LinkedIn), that have been certified by the Career Center by 11.03.22. After this date, LinkedIn courses can still be taken but can no longer be credited.
• ungraded achievements in the subject areas of the University of Hohenheim
• ungraded achievements from other universities, provided they match the study program
• Internship (abroad) | The prerequisite is a company internship of at least 5 weeks, which must be continuous and full-time. Proof is provided in the form of a written internship report of 5-10 pages and an internship confirmation/certificate. The form of the internship report is based on the requirements for seminar papers. The internship report consists of three parts: 1. presentation of the company, 2. activity report on the tasks in the internship (largest part) and 3. a conclusion/resumé.
  The minimum internship period is in the Master's degree program, but may also be between Bachelor's and Master's degree programs and only begins after the last examination in the Bachelor's degree program. If necessary, you must provide proof of this. A current certificate of enrollment must be enclosed with the application.
• Working student activities, that meet the requirements of the internship and are carried out full-time (e.g. during the semester break) can be recognized. Proof is provided in the form of a written internship report of 5-10 pages and an internship confirmation/certificate. The form of the internship report is based on the requirements for seminar papers. The internship report consists of three parts: 1. presentation of the company, 2. activity report on the tasks in the internship (largest part) and 3. a conclusion/resumé.
  The minimum internship period is in the Master's degree program, but may also be between Bachelor's and Master's degree programs and only begins after the last examination in the Bachelor's degree program. If necessary, you must provide proof of this. A current certificate of enrollment must be enclosed with the application.
• Working student activities for at least five months, if at least 10 hours of working time per week can be proven. Proof is provided in the form of a written internship report of 5-10 pages and an internship confirmation/certificate.The form of the internship report is based on the requirements for seminar papers. The internship report consists of three parts: 1. presentation of the company, 2. activity report on the tasks in the internship (largest part) and 3. a conclusion/resumé.
  The minimum internship period is in the Master's degree program, but may also be between Bachelor's and Master's degree programs and only begins after the last examination in the Bachelor's degree program. If necessary, you must provide proof of this. A current certificate of enrollment must be enclosed with the application.
• AIDAHO modules cannot be credited as ungraded work.
• From winter semester 2024/2025, a third specialization seminar in management can be credited in the free elective area.

To receive credit for the coursework completed as part of the Master's portfolio module, please complete the form below in the downloads and submit it by email together with the transcripts of records for all courses to be credited (see below for contact details).

Evaluation of the courses

Please refer to the evaluation tables for F.I.T. courses and language courses for the ECTS credits you have achieved.

If you have several graded performances, the module grade is calculated as a weighted arithmetic mean. The result is commercially rounded to one decimal place. The module grade is then derived from the table in §23 (2) of the examination regulations.

Registration

Once you have completed all the required work as part of the Master's portfolio module, register for the graded Master's portfolio module or ungraded Master's portfolio module via HohCampus. Make sure that you register for the correct Master's portfolio module: Business Administration and Economics degree programs register for the Business Administration and Economics Master's portfolio module and the CMA degree program registers for the Communication Science Master's portfolio module! If you have difficulties with registration, please contact the Examinations Office.

Registration is binding and can no longer be canceled! The date of registration is the date on which the documents are submitted in full or the date of registration in HohCampus.

Deadline

There is no expiry date for certificates. Achievements can be credited until the end of the degree program. However, credits can only be credited once. If you have already had credits credited in your Bachelor's degree program, you cannot have them credited again as credits in the Master's portfolio module.