Maternity protection
Changes to the Maternity Protection Act
From 1st of January 2018 the Maternity Protection Act also applies to female students. A female student to whom the Maternity Protection Act applies is any person who is pregnant, has given birth to a child or is breastfeeding - regardless of the gender indicated in her birth registration. Pregnant women and mothers at university are entitled to a six-week protection period before the birth and a minimum eight-week protection period after the birth. Likewise, special protection applies during the breastfeeding period.
Please inform the university of your pregnancy. Notification is voluntary, but we strongly recommend it. It cannot be ruled out that there could be health risks for you or your baby in your studies. This could be the case especially with internships in the natural sciences or engineering, workshop or laboratory activities, excursions, outdoor internships, practical sports events or school contacts with children in the teaching degree program. Therefore we recommend that you inform the university of your pregnancy or breastfeeding period so that you can take advantage of the protection rights under the Maternity Protection Act. Only in the case of early notification the university can avert possible risk for you as the expectant mother and your child and arrange necessary protective measures.
There is a relative ban on examinations during the statutory maternity protection periods. This relative ban is set up from 6 weeks before the birth and 8 weeks after the birth. In the case of premature births, multiple births and births of children with a disability, the maternity protection period is extended to 12 weeks after the birth. This means that you will automatically not participate in exams or other study events, such as lectures and field trips, as well as laboratory and internship activities.
It is only permitted to take exams or visit events, when you have expressly declared to the lecturers or examiners during your maternity leave period that you wish to take part. This declaration can be revoked at any time. If you quit the exam while it is already in progress, you must submit an additional soick note.
You are entitled to take time off for examinations that arise in connection with the pregnancy, as well as take time off for breastfeeding (at least 2 times a day for 30 minutes during the first 12 months after giving birth).
If you are working as a student or scientific assistant or as a part-time employee, the regulations of the Maternity Protection Act for employees also apply. Please contact the Corporate Center Human Ressources.
The pregnancy or breastfeeding period can be reported voluntarily by the student to the university using this form - please include an appropriate proof of the expected date of birth. After notification of pregnancy or breastfeeding period , this information will be forwarded to the district government of Arnsberg. The university is obliged to do this.
Upon receipt of the notification, the student will be contacted by the Family Service. At the same time, you will be contacted by Claudia Hannappel from the Office of Occupational Safety, Environmental and Health Protection and asked to complete the questionnaire for individual risk assessment. Together with the colleague and, if necessary, other contact persons of the respective examination office/internship/laboratory, an assessment will be made. You are welcome to use the document for listing your courses and attach it to the questionnaire for support.
The further planning of the studies while your pregnancy and breastfeeding period can be discussed and clarified with the colleagues from the Department Academic Coordinator or the Central Student Advisory Service (if necessary after consultation in the Family Service).
Discussions and consultations on the subject of maternity protection and pregnancy as well as studying with child(ren) take place without an associated report to the district government, because consultations are always confidential. Please contact the Family Service or the Central Student Advisory Service.
A notification of pregnancy is made at the university when a student takes a leave of absence due to pregnancy, requests an official risk assessment or fills out the notification form.
Here you will find more details about the regulations of the Maternity Protection Act Follow the link
This is a link to the Guide to Maternity Protection. On the webpage of the Federal Ministry you will also find more detailed information on the statutory protection periods and the details of the changes since January 2018. The Ministry of Labor, Health and Social Affairs of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia also provides all-encompassing information.
Information and consulting services of TU Dortmund University
Leave of absence
You can take a leave of absence from your studies due to your pregnancy or due to education/care of dependents.
Central Examinations Office
If you have questions about the examination regulations, about certificates or if you need a grade certificate, you can find the contact persons of the central examination administration here.
General Student Advisory Service
The General Student Advisory Service team will advise you on various topics such as the content and requirements of your studies, the organization and design of your studies, changing your degree program or subject, or doubts about your studies.
Psychological Student Advisory Service
Psychological Student Advisory Service is not primarily based on an understanding of illness, but strives to provide support in developing coping strategies in difficult life situations.
Anonymous women* and parents counseling
The AStA offers anonymous counseling where topics such as pregnancy and studying with a child (financial, structural, psychological issues) or relationship problems as well as family stress can be discussed.
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Location & approach
The campus of TU Dortmund University is located close to interstate junction Dortmund West, where the Sauerlandlinie A 45 (Frankfurt-Dortmund) crosses the Ruhrschnellweg B 1 / A 40. The best interstate exit to take from A 45 is “Dortmund-Eichlinghofen” (closer to South Campus), and from B 1 / A 40 “Dortmund-Dorstfeld” (closer to North Campus). Signs for the university are located at both exits. Also, there is a new exit before you pass over the B 1-bridge leading into Dortmund.
To get from North Campus to South Campus by car, there is the connection via Vogelpothsweg/Baroper Straße. We recommend you leave your car on one of the parking lots at North Campus and use the H-Bahn (suspended monorail system), which conveniently connects the two campuses.
TU Dortmund University has its own train station (“Dortmund Universität”). From there, suburban trains (S-Bahn) leave for Dortmund main station (“Dortmund Hauptbahnhof”) and Düsseldorf main station via the “Düsseldorf Airport Train Station” (take S-Bahn number 1, which leaves every 15 or 30 minutes). The university is easily reached from Bochum, Essen, Mülheim an der Ruhr and Duisburg.
You can also take the bus or subway train from Dortmund city to the university: From Dortmund main station, you can take any train bound for the Station “Stadtgarten”, usually lines U41, U45, U 47 and U49. At “Stadtgarten” you switch trains and get on line U42 towards “Hombruch”. Look out for the Station “An der Palmweide”. From the bus stop just across the road, busses bound for TU Dortmund University leave every ten minutes (445, 447 and 462). Another option is to take the subway routes U41, U45, U47 and U49 from Dortmund main station to the stop “Dortmund Kampstraße”. From there, take U43 or U44 to the stop “Dortmund Wittener Straße”. Switch to bus line 447 and get off at “Dortmund Universität S”.
The H-Bahn is one of the hallmarks of TU Dortmund University. There are two stations on North Campus. One (“Dortmund Universität S”) is directly located at the suburban train stop, which connects the university directly with the city of Dortmund and the rest of the Ruhr Area. Also from this station, there are connections to the “Technologiepark” and (via South Campus) Eichlinghofen. The other station is located at the dining hall at North Campus and offers a direct connection to South Campus every five minutes.
The AirportExpress is a fast and convenient means of transport from Dortmund Airport (DTM) to Dortmund Central Station, taking you there in little more than 20 minutes. From Dortmund Central Station, you can continue to the university campus by interurban railway (S-Bahn). A larger range of international flight connections is offered at Düsseldorf Airport (DUS), which is about 60 kilometres away and can be directly reached by S-Bahn from the university station.
The facilities of TU Dortmund University are spread over two campuses, the larger Campus North and the smaller Campus South. Additionally, some areas of the university are located in the adjacent “Technologiepark”.
Site Map of TU Dortmund University (Second Page in English).