At KIT you can find information on lectures in the general course catalogue as well as in the module handbooks for each study course.
The course catalogue allows a general overview, whereas the module handbooks provide more detailed information (credits points, ECTS, descriptions) for each lecture.
To plan your course schedule at KIT, we recommend starting with having a look the module handbook of your degree/studies. If you cannot find an exact match for your degree at home, you can try combining lectures from different degree courses.
The module handbook will give you information about the semester (summer or winter) each course will take place, the teaching language, the course number and the ECTS points. With the help of these details, you will be able to fill in your “Learning Agreement” – your tentative study plan that you have to send in with your application at KIT.
Please note that for departments of Mechanical Engineering, Informatics, Economics and Management at least 70% of the chosen courses in the Learning Agreement should be courses offered by the chosen department. For other departments only 50% of the chosen courses should be offered by the chosen department.
After your arrival at KIT, approx. 2 weeks before the start of the semester, the actual course schedule will be published in the general course catalogue. By checking the availability of the courses you chose in your Learning Agreement and their times, you will be able to finalize your schedule.
If you have specific questions about which courses to take etc. please contact your academic contact at the department. The International Students Office cannot answer academic questions.
Offers of KIT-Departments
Soft skill offer at the House of Competence (HoC)
The House of Competence (HoC) is a central academic unit offering courses to foster the development of soft skills. Its offer is available at the HoC Website. Some of their courses are taught in English. For the German-taught course, please note that you should have a good command of the German language. These courses are very popular, thus there is a registration process. You should register very early (on the day that registration opens, i.e. about two weeks before the start of lectures) if you would like to participate. In case, your enrollment has not been finalized at that point you can enroll as a guest.
General Studies. Forum Science and Society (FORUM)
The Centre for Cultural and General Studies (ZAK) is a central academic unit at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology. The ZAK’s concept is based on three pillars: interdisciplinarity, applied research in cultural studies, and public science. Its offer is available at the ZAK Website. Some of their courses are taught in English. For the German-taught course, please note that you should have a good command of the German language. These courses are very popular, thus there is a registration process. You should register very early (on the day that registration opens, i.e. about two weeks before the start of lectures) if you would like to participate. In case, your enrollment has not been finalized at that point you can enroll as a guest.
Language learning at KIT
German
We at KIT believe that the best approach to language learning is to speak from day one. If you already speak English, you will notice a number of similarities that may make it easier to learn German. Also, the compound words are so much fun to learn and the grammar is considered to be quite logical.
If you want to have a try, go to the following website
There, you can find the online course “German to go” which covers levels A1 – B1. With the free German courses, you can learn German at your own pace.
During the semester, the Studienkolleg at KIT offers free German language courses for all students enrolled at KIT. You can find more detailed information at the following website.
Please keep in mind that these courses are very popular and you should register very early (on the day that registration opens, i.e. beginning of October or beginning of April) if you would like to participate.
All other languages
You can register for “foreign” language courses (English, French, Spanish, Arabic, Italian, Polish, Latin, Russian, Chinese, Japanese, Portuguese, Turkish, Dutch, Swedish) with the Sprachenzentrum Karlsruhe. To find information about courses for other languages, please go to this webpage. Please keep in mind that these courses are very popular and you should register very early (on the day that registration opens, i.e. beginning of October or beginning of April) if you would like to participate.
Language exchange
Another great opportunity to deepen your language knowledge is to engage in a language exchange (Sprachtandem) with another student. The idea is to partner students who would like to learn languages from one another. Each student offers a language that he or she speaks fluently, and the pair meets to communicate in both languages. This is a great way to learn new vocabulary and practice your conversational skills.
The “Language Café” of our ESN Karlsruhe will give you the opportunity to practice your German on a day-to-day basis.
At KIT, there is also a special offer for international students: Teletandem (TT) is a virtual, autonomous, cooperative learning of a foreign language. Two speakers of different languages meet once or twice a week with their German / English speaking partner. They communicate by means of webcams and headsets using programs such as Oovoo, Skype or Windows Live Messenger.
Overseas Mobility Coordinator (Inbound) Exchange, DAAD-Scholarship Programs, Free Mover
Office Hours: Every Tuesday from 3 till 4:30 p.m.
Room: 001, Building 50.20, CS
Tel.: +49 721 608-44919