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Since the principle specified in § 48 para. 1 RVO RWF primarily applies, according to which surplus modules are not credited to the degree, it can happen that a faculty module is not credited to the degree, but a completed non-faculty module is.
This is the case if
In this constellation, the result is that the faculty module is surplus in the sense of § 48 para. 1 RVO RWF, while the non-faculty module is not. The non-faculty module is therefore credited, but not the faculty module.
(cf. also the example on the website graduation, under the title "Changes in the crediting of non-faculty modules to the degree").
The procedure for the transfer of credit for recognized academic achievement toward the final degree is as follows:
1. Credit for academic achievement, which is required for the degree: compulsory modules, core elective modules
If more than the required modules were completed in a module group with core elective modules, the module that was completed first (if only one is required for the degree) or the modules that were completed first (if more than one core elective module in the module group is required) will be taken into account. The core elective modules that are not yet taken into account at this step are subsequently treated as equivalent to elective modules in law (see item 2).
2. Credit for further modules in law (elective modules and core elective modules not yet included in the first step)
If not all of these "further modules in law" are needed to reach the required number of ECTS credits for the final degree (Bachelor: 180, Master RWF: 90), they are considered for a transfer of credit in ascending chronological order. The decisive factor is the semester in which the modules were completed. If the most recently completed modules, of which not all can be taken into account, were completed within the same semester, students choose which of these modules are counted toward their final degree. Each of the chosen modules must be required to achieve the ECTS credits needed for the degree (see the example below).
3. Credit for modules from outside the Faculty, if applicable
Credit for modules from outside the Faculty of Law is only counted toward the degree if the modules from the Faculty are not sufficient to achieve the required ECTS credits. Again, the chronological order applies respectively the students choose (if there are modules completed within the same semester which could be considered for a transfer of credit).
If, in this way, the credit of the modules counted toward the degree reaches a total greater than 180 ECTS credits in the Bachelor's degree or 90 ECTS credits in the Master's degree, the final degree is awarded with more than 180 ECTS credits or with more than 90 ECTS credits.
Example:
In the Master's study program Rechtswissenschaft (according to the new regulations), in addition to the compulsory modules (42 ECTS credits [including the Master's thesis]) and the required core elective modules (12 ECTS credits from the Foundations of Law module group), students must complete further modules amounting to 36 ECTS credits to reach the required 90 ECTS credits. The student Y. has completed the following academic achievement in addition to the compulsory modules:
Order of consideration for a transfer of credit toward the degree:
1. Credit of compulsory modules (42 ECTS credits)
2. Credit of core elective module A (6 ECTS credits)
3. Credit of core elective module C or D according to Y's choice. (6 ECTS credits) [In the present case, this choice is ultimately irrelevant and would therefore be omitted].
-> Intermediate total: 54 ECTS credits
-> Credit of further modules to the extent of 36 ECTS is required for the final degree.
4. Credit of further modules from the Faculty in ascending chronological order: core elective module B (6), core elective module C or D (6), core elective modules E and F (9), core elective modules K and L (12)
-> Intermediate total: 87 ECTS credits
-> Credit of further academic achievement in the amount of 3 ECTS credits is necessary for the final degree.
5. Credit of modules from outside the Faculty of Law: Since credit of all modules from the Faculty is counted toward the final degree, credit of modules form outside the Faculty is taken into account. These were all completed in the 2nd semester. The credit of module J from the Language Center (2 ECTS) alone is not sufficient to reach the 90 required ECTS credits. However, it cannot be counted together with module G or H either, since it is not required to be taken alongside one of these modules in order to reach the 90 ECTS credits. Thus, Y. has the choice between module G (18 ECTS) and module H (6 ECTS). If module G is chosen, the Master's degree will be awarded with 105 ECTS credits, if module H is chosen with 93 ECTS credits.
The modules completed at the UZH for which credit is not counted toward the final degree can be seen in the Academic Record together with the grade; they appear under the title "Academic Achievement Not Counted toward Degree".
The following change applies to coursework that have already been credited toward another degree: Only credits that can be allocated to a compulsory module of the corresponding study program can be transferred. This applies to modules of the Faculty of Law as well as to externally earned credits. It is no longer possible to credit coursework that has already been credited toward another degree and cannot be allocated to a compulsory module.
Exceptions to this rule are general transfers of credits toward a Master's degree and credits when changing from a minor program of the Faculty of Law to a single major study program. In these cases, coursework that have already been credited toward a degree can still be credited as core elective modules or elective modules.
This new policy applies to all students beginning their studies at the Faculty of Law in Fall Semester 2021 or later. (Addition from 14.09.2021: Concerning the time of the beginning of the studies, the enrollment in the study program is decisive, to whose degree a study achievement is to be credited).
The current Guidelines on Transfer of Credits no longer apply to assessments completed after the Spring Semester 2021.
On 20 April 2021 the new Guidelines on Recognition of Academic Achievement and Transfer of Credits were adopted, which will apply from Fall Semester 2021. Information on the credit transfer can be found on this website, which also contains links to the current and the new guidelines.
In principle, only assessments that are at a comparable level and no more than 10 years old will be considered for credit transfer.
The new Study Regulations approved by the Faculty Assembly contains the provision that academic achievements completed at other universities will only be recognized if they can be given credit for the final degree. Academic achievements that are not recognized do not appear in the Academic Record.
In advance, the credits of program-relevant compulsory modules and compulsory elective modules from a compulsory elective area, from which no further module has been completed, are transferred to the degree.
If more modules have been successfully completed than are necessary for the degree (so-called superfluous modules), the principle then applies that credits of modules completed outside the Faculty of Law are only transferred if the faculty modules are not sufficient to fulfill the degree requirements and modules completed earlier precede modules completed later.
Thus, in the case of superfluous modules, the following constellations arise in which students must make a choice regarding credit:
Of the selected modules, each must be required to achieve the ECTS credits required for the degree.
Example Bachelor: A. has not completed any faculty elective module, but has completed the module "Financial Accounting (L + E)" of the Faculty of Business, Economics and Informatics (6 ECTS credits) and the module "Soziologische Theorie" of the Faculty of Arts an Social Sciences (9 ECTS credits) in HS21.
If A. has not already completed modules of 6 ECTS credits or more prior to HS21 outside the Faculty of Law, whose credits have not yet been transferred to a degree, A. can choose which of the two modules is to be taken into account for the transfer of credit.
Example Master (1): B. has completed faculty modules totaling 102 ECTS credits. In the last semester of the studies, B. has completed the (faculty) elective modules "Datenschutzrecht", "Nebenstrafrecht" and "Migrationsrecht" (6 ECTS credits each).
B. may choose one of the three modules.
Example Master (2): C. has completed faculty modules totaling 84 ECTS credits. In the last semester of the studies, B. has also completed modules outside the Faculty of Law with the following ECTS scope: one 12-credit module, one 6-credit module, one 5-credit module, and two 3-credit modules.
C. can choose between the following options:
It is correct that the new regulations apply to degrees from Fall Semester 2021 onwards, so that in the case of superfluous modules, the Faculty of Law modules take precedence over the modules from outside and modules completed earlier are given priority in the transferring of credit process. Only when deciding between two Faculty of Law modules completed within the same semester or between modules from outside the Faculty of Law completed within the same semester, students can choose which module is counted toward their final degree (if there are superfluous modules).
If in the Bachelor's degree program a module from outside the Faculty of Law is completed in addition to an elective Faculty of Law module worth 6 ECTS credits, the faculty elective module is counted toward the final degree (for degrees from Fall Semester 2021 onwards). The outside the Faculty of Law completed module will nevertheless be listed in the Academic Record (unless it is a module that was completed at another university and is not recognized). It is merely not taken into account when determining the overall grade. A module worth 6 ECTS credits has a very small influence of a maximum of one tenth on the overall Bachelor grade (which is rounded to one decimal place).
In the Master's degree program, too, all successfully completed and recognized modules are listed in the Academic Record, thus also the superfluous modules which are not counted toward the final degree. In the Master's degree, the grade of a module worth 6 ECTS credits - if it deviates significantly from the average of the remaining grades - can influence the overall grade by two tenths.
Yes, these regulations apply for degrees starting in Fall Semester 2021. If there are surplus modules, first the Faculty of Law modules will be credited in ascending chronological order. Only after this will any non-faculty modules be credited (also in this order).
Advance Master’s degree modules must be completed by no later than Spring Semester 2021 in order for them to appear on the corresponding transcript of records. Master’s theses count as well. In contrast to Master’s degree modules, a Master’s thesis can be started before 162 ECTS credits have been earned toward the Bachelor’s degree. At the end of Spring Semester 2021, a review will be conducted to determine if a Master’s degree module has been completed or a Master’s thesis successfully written and 162 ECTS credits have been earned toward the Bachelor’s degree.
In principle, yes. Students can avoid having to do so by earning 162 of the ECTS credits that count toward the Bachelor’s degree and completing a Master’s degree module in advance by the end of Spring Semester 2021. Students who do so will not have to complete the Civil Procedure Law and Tax Law modules for the Master’s degree.
No, you do not have to deregister and you can write the Master's thesis in Fall Semester 2021 as scheduled. However, due to the new regulations, credit ist only transferred to a Master's degree for the Master's thesis when you are enrolled in the Master's degree program in Fall Semester 2021. It is not possible to transfer credit for the thesis at a later date.
If, contrary to expectations, you do not meet the requirements to enroll in the Master's degree program in Fall Semester 2021, please inform the chair conducting the seminar. This will not result in a failed attempt.
According to Framework Ordinance 2021, Master’s theses have a fixed value of 12 ECTS credits. Students who have already successfully completed a Master’s thesis cannot write any further Master’s theses. This rule is valid for all students from Fall Semester 2021.
Master’s theses completed by the end of Spring Semester 2021 can be credited toward the Master’s degree up to and including Spring Semester 2024 (even if they are worth more than 12 ECTS credits).
Thus, Master’s theses worth more or less than 12 ECTS credits can be agreed for Spring Semester 2021. However, these theses must be registered in Spring Semester 2021, which means the evaluations must be submitted to the Faculty of Law Service Desk in good time (no later than 10 July 2021).
If it is agreed with the chair that a Master's Thesis worth more than 12 ECTS credits, which should have been written in Spring Semester 2021, is not to be handed in until Fall Semester 2021, it can only be credited to the extent of 12 ECTS credits.
All students who complete the Master’s program after the start of Fall Semester 2021 must have successfully completed one or more Master’s theses worth at least 12 ECTS credits. Starting in Fall Semester 2021, only Master’s theses worth this many credits will be offered. It will no longer be possible to write more than one Master’s thesis.
As a result, the following scenarios are possible during the transition phase:
All students who have written one or more Master's theses totaling 12 ECTS credits or more by the end of Spring Semester 2021 have fulfilled the Master's thesis, which is considered a compulsory module according to the new RVO, and cannot write another Master's thesis.
For Master’s theses worth more than 12 ECTS credits, a correspondingly lower number of elective modules need to be completed. The agreed number of credits for the Master’s thesis will be shown in the final records.
No confirmation is necessary. If the prerequisites for the completion of the minor program of study have been met by the end of Spring Semester 2021, it will be credited toward the subsequent completion of the major program of study. In this case, the new regulations regarding the minor program of study can be disregarded. This also applies if the major program is not completed until after Spring Semester 2024. However, it should be noted that coursework completed more than 10 years ago cannot be transferred to the degree.
If students who have freedom of choice under the transitional regulations meet the requirements for completion of the minor study program applicable in the transition by the end of Spring Semester 2024 (see transition tables), this will also be counted toward a later completion of the major study program. Of course, there is also the restriction that only coursework that was not completed more than 10 years ago can be transferred to the degree.
Yes. Modules that have been successfully completed in the minor program of study will be credited toward the completion of the single major study program. The modules will be credited even if they have already been credited toward the completion of a major program of study in another faculty.
