Hello everyone,

I am considering apply to this master programme at freie but I would like to know its flaws or negative issues, (if any).

Isn't one of them the fact that the lectures are only thursday, friday and saturday, specially for the teaching-pace or, by the other side, each subject is cleared within each session?

Thanks.

Hi Camilo,

Well, it's probably unsurprising that I think the programme is great overall, given that I work for the MBL programme ;-) So I'll leave the discussions and comments for others (though it's probably a good sign that nobody found flaws so far^^)

But maybe I can clarify the lectures a bit. Our programme consists of modules which belong to the same area of business, competition or regulatory law. Within each module, usually every relevant subject is dealt with during one 'block' of lectures (i.e. one Friday and one Saturday, sometimes also a Thursday). Students receive the lecture materials before and are required to read them to prepare for the block lectures. This means that every week you focus on a different, important aspect of the module. It also means that you need to familiarise yourself with the topics and concepts first so that the lectures can be used efficiently to discuss, clarify and apply.

Having studied in Germany, the UK and the Netherlands, I can definitely state that this produces lectures of much higher quality as compared to lectures where the lecturer talks für 120 minutes and students only participate if they haven't understood something.

Well, that's just my impression.
Best regards,
MBL-FU

Is it true that the minimum IELTS requirement is just 4.5? That seems shockingly low

The requirement is "level B1 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR)"
http://www.jura.fu-berlin.de/en/studium/masterstudiengaenge/mbl-fu/application/index.html

According to Wikipedia "B1" covers the bandwidth of 3.5 to 5.5 in the IELTS
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_European_Framework_of_Reference_for_Languages#Equivalences_of_common_tests_to_CEFR_levels

The official definition of "B1" is:
"Can understand the main points of clear standard input on familiar matters regularly encountered in work, school, leisure, etc. Can deal with most situations likely to arise whilst travelling in an area where the language is spoken. Can produce simple connected text on topics which are familiar or of personal interest. Can describe experiences and events, dreams, hopes & ambitions and briefly give reasons and explanations for opinions and plans."
https://www.coe.int/en/web/common-european-framework-reference-languages/table-1-cefr-3.3-common-reference-levels-global-scale

Very enlightening - thanks for raising this point, Duncan...

Bye
flori

[Edited by flori on Oct 20, 2017]

Hi Duncan, Hi flori,

Indeed, the nominal language requirement is pretty low. Unfortunately, this requirement is tied into our study and examination regulations. When selecting suitable candidates, however, we do consider whether an applicant just barely meets our requirements or can demonstrate a greater command of English.

Hi MBL-FU,
thanks for the honest feedback...
Bye
flori