Taster programme at JMU
...from Monday, 2 June to Friday, 11 July 2025, you will have the opportunity to attend various teaching and information events - regularly or occasionally. You will experience study life up close, take part in real courses and get a taste of the campus atmosphere.
...will soon have their A-levels in the bag and want to try out what real student life feels like.
Young people in the pre-degree classes can also take part in the taster course during their Whitsun holidays and afterwards, as long as the lecture dates are compatible with their timetable.
All other interested parties are of course also very welcome!
...take part in regular courses as a guest. You can come to our campus for a one-off taster session or attend courses over several weeks - in other words, study "on a trial basis". Depending on your interests, you can concentrate on one subject or "cross-select" subjects.
In addition to the courses, some departments offer special events, i.e. information sessions especially for taster students.
...give you an overview of the variety of subjects at our university: At our ten faculties, you can study around 280 degree programmes - from the humanities, social sciences, natural sciences and life sciences.
In the taster course, you can choose from several courses, all from the 1st or 2nd semester of a degree programme. This gives you a realistic impression of what to expect when you start your degree programme.
... you understand everything from the outset and get through all the courses straight away. These are courses that students have been attending since mid-April and sometimes belong to higher semesters. The aim is not that you understand everything or "pre-learn" everything for your degree programme, but that you get an impression of the subject areas and working methods of your chosen subject.
If you have any questions after attending courses and/or would like further information, please contact the Central Student Advisory Service or the other advisory offices (see below).
Lecture: The lecturer speaks, the students listen. Students are usually allowed to ask questions, but explicit participation is not necessary in a lecture.
Seminar: Seminars are events with fewer participants. Topics are worked on together in the seminar. Students give presentations; discussion is encouraged.
Practical: Students carry out experimental work under supervision.
Exercise: In the exercise, topics from lectures or seminars are supplemented and deepened. Like seminars, they are smaller events.
Excursion: Supplementary event outside the university to illustrate and deepen the subject matter, depending on the course, e.g. visits to soil formations, archaeological sites, cityscapes or forests.
Special event: Special taster course information offers in which the department presents the content and structure of the respective degree programme to prospective students. As these special events are aimed specifically at prospective students and are not part of the regular teaching programme, they offer a special opportunity to ask questions and talk to lecturers.
What do you need to bear in mind when specifying the time?
At universities, lectures usually start a quarter of an hour later than stated on the course catalogue. Why? Students should have enough time to change classrooms. This is known as the "academic quarter".
You can also recognise that a lecture starts 15 minutes later by the abbreviation c.t. (for "cum tempore") after the time stated on your lecture timetable. (If this information is missing and the beginning/end falls on a full hour, you can assume that c.t. is meant. The academic hour is only 45 minutes).
If the time is followed bys.t. (for "sine tempore", i.e. without time), then the course begins and ends at the time actually stated.
One example:
10 - 12 a.m. c.t. (cum tempore) means that the event begins at 10:15 a.m. and ends at 11:45 a.m.
10 - 11:30 s.t. (sine tempore) means that the event starts at 10:00 and ends at 11:30.
If in doubt, please come a little earlier if you can make it. Bear in mind that these are normal lectures that are part of the teaching programme for students. Therefore, please avoid disturbances.
What do I need to bear in mind for online events?
Please switch off your microphone if you are not speaking.
The lecturers are happy to see the faces of the audience, so you are welcome to switch on your camera.
The content of the events is not public and is protected by copyright. Recordings or redistribution of the events are not permitted.
Participation documentation and reflection sheet
It is best to download the reflection sheet right at the beginning, before you attend the first courses. You will need a copy for each subject you want to get to know during the taster programme.
You can add the completed sheets to your portfolio in the project seminar on study and career orientation (P-Seminar).
Any questions?
We hope you enjoy browsing through our programme and wish you lots of exciting impressions during the 2025 taster course! If you have any questions, please email us at studienberatung@uni-wuerzburg.de or call us on +49 931 31-83183 and we will be happy to help you!
