A colony of fossil corals

Student Life

Here you will find useful information and links to other webpages for a range of different things related to your studies in Erlangen.

Table of Contents

Buildings

As the FAU campus is based in different locations around the city, we’ve prepared a simple list in Google maps of the key locations for the Paleobiology masters course, which you can find by clicking HERE.

Key locations:

  • Paleo seminar room and library - Henkestraße 91
  • Paläoumwelt (staff offices and paleolab) - Loewenichstraße 28
  • GeoZentrum Nordbayern (large lecture theatre and practical rooms) - Schlossgarten 5

Main FAU library

The main library is located on Schuhstraße, which is ca. 100 m next to the Schlossgarten. Here, you can borrow and order books from other Universities (interlibrary loan). You will also find spaces for working, copy machines, scanners, and a small cafe. You will need to activate the library function on your FAUcard before you borrow books or use the copy machines. All information on the FAU libraries (including the paleo library), catalogues, opening hours, events, etc., are updated frequently on the webpage.

The palaeontological library (Catalogue reference 12PA) is on Henkestraße and the librarian is there every Wednesday. The geological library (12GL) and the mineralogical library (12MN) are located on the ground floor of the Geozentrum. It is not possible to borrow books from the these collections in order to keep them accessible for all students, but you can work with them inside the libraries.

GeoZentrum computer room (CIP-Pool)

A room with computers which can be used by all students with their IdM-identification is in the main building of the Geozentrum. Necessary software, such as Microsoft Office suite, is preinstalled.

Canteen (Mensa)

At the Mensa, there are menus that change daily and always include vegan and vegetarian options. You pay using your FAUcard, and there are charging machines available on the ground floor. See their webpage for more details (only in German).

Online services

There are a number of different online platform associated with the university.

idM-portal is where all personal information is stored and all of your accounts to FAU (e.g. library, FAUcard) are connected.

StudOn is a learning platform, where lecturers upload slides and other study materials, and where course enrolment takes place. Links to access the different course files are provided on Campo.

Campo provides a list of all modules as well as information on when and where courses are held together with the names and contact details of the lecturers. On Campo you can also register for exams, view your grades and download the certificate of enrolment.

Key dates

Information on the key dates for the university can be found online. Also, its important to take note of public holidays in Germany as many shops and building close on these days!

FSI Geowissenschaften

The “Fachschaftsinitiative Geowissenschaften” (student association) is an organised group of students to represent the interests of students within the Geozentrum. They organise events for students and communicate between students and professors. They are your first contact for any questions, including those about general exam regulations. They also provide individual support especially for people which are new in Geosciences and/or in Erlangen. You can find more informaiton on their webpage and social media pages.

Health

German health insurance covers all kind of health-related costs, including dentist, psychologist, physiotherapy, specific courses (e.g. yoga), etc. For some services they ask for a small additional fee (e.g. specialist medication). To find a suitable doctor, you can search for medical practices that speak your preferred language. There is also an abundance of mental health support both within and outside of the university. You do not have to be ill to benefit from counselling. The most important purpose is so that you learn how to better cope with exam stress, procrastination, feeling lonely or frustrated.

You can find several useful resources here:

Gender and diversity

The Office for Gender and Diversity at FAU is your stop for everything related to the topic of equal opportunities. FAU also has a team of diversity scouts who are students representing various backgrounds and trained to help in communication between the university and students. They might be able to support you in various aspects of university life.

There are several women’s representatives in our department and wider faculty. Prof. Friedlinde Götz-Neunhoeffer is the woman’s representative for the Faculty of Sciences. Prof. Rachel Warnock and Dr. Emma Dunne are women’s representatives based within the paleobiology research group, and Prof. Barbara Kleine-Marshall is a woman’s representative at the GeoZentrum Nordbayern.

The queer*thinker group are a LGBTQ+ society in the Erlangen area. There is also a society for LGBTQ+ people in Nuremberg, mostly organizing events in German, but some might be accessible without language fluency!