Institute of Chemistry

Question and Answers: Master - AFM

  • Q: What is the official abbreviation of Advanced Functional Materials?
  • A: Although often called AFM, the officially used abbreviation is AM. This is used for example in the timetable and by the examination office.
  • Q: How do I log in to the teaching platform OPAL?
  • A: Simply use your URZ (University Computer Center) login data, which you received with your enrollment in the study program, to log in to OPAL. To do so, first select the TU Chemnitz as the corresponding university: https://bildungsportal.sachsen.de/opal/login
  • Q: I do not find the module "Innovative Material Engineering" in the timetable
  • A: The module "Complex Materials for Manufacturing" substitutes the module "Innovative Material Engineering"
  • Q: Which and how many courses should I choose?
  • A: You should attend all obligatory courses that are offered. All courses are summarized and described in detail in the regulations (more information: https://www.tu-chemnitz.de/chemie/ma_afm.html). Information whether the course is obligatory or of elective nature and on the language of instruction (English or German) is given therein. In general, you can attend all the lectures of your choice. You have to take exams for the credit points to be awarded. (You can but you don't have to do the exam by attending lectures!)
    In sum 120 credit points have to be acquired for the master degree program. With this I mind, you should aim for 30 CP each semester.
  • Q: How often can I attend exams?
  • A: Please be aware of the following: In general, you have only three (!) attempts to pass an exam. Be well prepared!
  • Q: How can I register my master thesis, and what do I have to consider?
  • A: The general procedure to register is described on the web pages of the Central Examination Office [in German] [rough translation to english].
    For a master thesis in AFM, you have to consider that Prüfungsordnung (Examination Regulations) §19 (2) states that the topic of the master thesis must be related to the content of the AFM course. This condition is verified by the Prüfungsausschuss (examination board). Therefore, either together with your registration at the Central Examination Office (see above), or before, please hand in the following information to the head of the examination board (e.g. by email):
    • outline of the master project topic (1/2 to 1 page); the topic needs to be scientifically related to the AFM course program and the outline should contain information on main methods and analytics to be used
    • contacts of two supervisors who agreed to supervise your Master Thesis and will act as examiners; at least one of them has to be a TU Chemnitz Professor related to the AFM course; the other examiner must have provable, substantial and qualified experience on the research topic of the Master Thesis, which is usually attested by a doctorate in the subject area.
    The examination board will check these documents with respect to the condition described above, and the head of the examination board will reply (usually within a few days) if the master thesis topic was approved or rejected. If approved, the registration in step 2 is still required.
    Step 2. The general procedure to register is described on the web pages of the Central Examination Office [in German] [rough translation to english]
  • Q: How can I register my Research Project, and what do I have to consider?
  • A: For the module „Research Topic” in AFM, you have to consider that the topic of the master thesis research project must be related to the content of the AFM course. This condition is verified by the Prüfungsausschuss (examination board, head of the examination board). Therefore, either together with your registration at the Central Examination Office (see above), or before, please hand in the following information to the head of the examination board (e.g. by email):
    • outline of the research project topic (1/2 to 1 page); the topic needs to be scientifically related to the AFM course program and the outline should contain information on main methods and analytics to be used.
    • contacts of two supervisors who agreed to supervise your Master Thesis research project and will act as examiners; at least one of them has to be a TU Chemnitz Professor related to the AFM course; the other examiner must have provable, substantial and qualified experience on the research topic of the research topic project, which is usually attested by a doctorate in the subject area.
    The examination board will check these documents with respect to the condition described above, and the head of the examination board will reply (usually within a few days) if the Research Project was approved or rejected. If approved, the registration in step 2 is still required.
    Step 2. The general procedure to register is described on the web pages of the Central Examination Office [in German] [rough translation to english]
  • Q: When will the annual safety instruction lecture take place in 2023?
  • A: The procedure of the safety instruction lecture is different this year. Please follow these steps:
    1. Please have a look at the presentation found here.
      Read it carefully and get involved with the content!
    2. Fill out the document Confirmation. [Please be aware: With your signature you confirm that you have informed yourself about the content of the presentation!]
    3. Send the completed document to Mrs. Rueffer by post or e-Mail:
  • Q: What do I have to know about the German A2 level I have to prove at the end of my AFM course?
  • A: AFM students must demonstrate at least A2 level in German at the time of graduation. This is intended as an incentive to develop language skills beyond the minimum level required for a Master's degree, but it should be borne in mind that the actual content of the AFM degree programme is scientific. In order to achieve this, in the current study documents the option is given to take language courses as part of the compulsory elective modules. If the student cannot prove German A1 and A2, both courses can be taken from the Foreign Language Centre and have to be successfully finished. For the graduation certificate, either just A2, or both A1 and A2 can be shown. This can be discussed with the Central Examination Office (ZPA). (For language courses of B1 or higher, only one language module can be used for the elective modules on the certificate). Please note that 1. only courses from the Foreign Language Centre can be credited for the AFM course graduation certificate, and 2. that as the crediting of language modules from the Foreign Language Centre is not as tightly integrated as for the other AFM modules, please ensure with the ZPA that you do not exceed the corridor of 30-32 credit points for all elective modules. Finally, if you have an external certificate for German of at least A2 level, while this course cannot be recognised for the graduation certificate and will not gain you any credit points, it might be possible to accept it for the proof that you have at least A2 level in German at the time of graduation.

University News