FAQ for international applicants for a degree programme in German Studies

If you have sufficient knowledge of German (regardless of the language certificates you have to submit), you should be able to read and understand the German version of this FAQ.

Table of Contents
  1. What level of German do I need?
  2. Does the Institute for German Language and Literature offer German courses to acquire these language skills?
  3. Do I need further language skills?
  4. Will I be studying one or two subjects?
  5. What academic requirements must I fulfil in order to study German Studies in the M.A. programme in Bochum?
  6. What academic requirements must I fulfil in order to study German on the M.Ed. (Teacher Training) programme in Bochum?
  7. What requirements must I fulfil in order to study German Studies in the B.A. in Bochum?
  8. Who checks the academic requirements, and when are they checked?
  9. How do I apply for a study place?
  10. How can I contact Dr Händel?

What level of German do I need?

  1. In order to study German Studies in the B.A. or M.A. programmes in Bochum, you need German language skills at DSH-2 or TestDaF 4×4 level, which means that you must have achieved at least 4 points in all four test areas. As German is both the language of instruction and the target language, a better knowledge of German is advisable.
  2. In order to study German in the M.Ed. programme (teaching degree) in Bochum, you need German language skills at the level of DSH-3 or TestDaF 2×5 and 2×4 (reading comprehension level 5, one further test section at level 5, the two remaining test sections at level 4).

Does the Institute for German Language and Literature offer German courses to acquire these language skills?

No. You will not find any language courses at the Institute for German Language and Literature; the courses are generally on academic or didactic topics and require a corresponding knowledge of German.

Do I need further language skills?

Yes, you must provide proof of proficiency in two foreign languages for all the above-mentioned degree programmes at the Institute for German Language and Literature. One of these languages must be English.

  • For international students, the first language (if not German) is usually accepted as an additional (foreign) language.
  • You can prove your knowledge of English with a certified (and if necessary translated) copy of your school report or a corresponding certificate/diploma. Your knowledge should be checked in your first semester; please go to Dr Händel’s office hours for this.
  • If necessary, missing language skills must be made up by the time you register for the first examination (Abschlussmodul or MAK/Studienprojekt) or by the time you register for the profile semester.

Will I be studying one or two subjects?

That depends on which degree programme you want to apply for:

  1. In the B.A. degree programme, you will study two B.A. subjects to the same extent. In addition, there is the so-called Optionalbereich (optional area) to a lesser extent.
  2. There are two options for the M.A. programme:
    1. In the 1-subject M.A. programme, you only study the M.A. subject German Studies.
    2. In the 2-subject M.A. programme, you study two M.A. subjects to the same extent
  3. In the M.Ed. degree programme (teacher training), you will study two M.Ed. subjects to the same extent. In addition, you will study Bildungswissenschaften (Educational Sciences) to a lesser extent.

What academic requirements must I fulfil in order to study German Studies in the M.A. programme in Bochum?

Admission to the M.A. programme requires a B.A. degree in German Studies with at least 60 CP/ECTS, at least 10 of which must come from each of the three disciplines German Linguistics, German Medieval Studies and Modern German Literature (Germanistische Linguistik, Germanistische Mediävistik, Neuere deutsche Literaturwissenschaft).

Please note that in degree programmes with two subjects, you generally have to fulfil admission requirements for both subjects. Therefore, please also seek advice on this from the other subject.

What academic requirements must I fulfil in order to study German on the M.Ed. (Teacher Training) programme in Bochum?

The following academic achievements must be demonstrated for admission to the M.Ed. degree programme in German:

  1. Knowledge in the disciplines German Linguistics, German Medieval Studies and Modern German Literature (Germanistische Linguistik, Germanistische Mediävistik, Neuere deutsche Literaturwissenschaft) at the level of the basic course/advanced modules of the aforementioned disciplines of the B.A. degree programme in German Studies at Ruhr-Universität Bochum, amounting to at least 12 CP/ECTS each;
  2. Advanced knowledge in one or two of the disciplines German Linguistics, German Medieval Studies, Modern German Literature (Germanistische Linguistik, Germanistische Mediävistik, Neuere deutsche Literaturwissenschaft) at the level of the specialisation modules of the aforementioned disciplines of the B.A. degree programme in German Studies at Ruhr-Universität Bochum totalling at least 18 CP/ECTS.

Please note that in degree programmes with two subjects, you generally have to fulfil admission requirements for both subjects. In the M.Ed. (teaching degree) you also have to have additional school-related knowledge. Therefore, please also seek advice on this from the other subject and, for the M.Ed. (teaching degree), from the Professional School of Education (PSE) at Ruhr-Universität Bochum!

What requirements must I fulfil in order to study German Studies in the B.A. in Bochum?

You must have a university entrance qualification (Hochschulzugangsberechtigung) for admission to the B.A. degree programme. Please contact the Admissions Office for details.

Who checks the academic requirements, and when are they checked?

Your documents will be checked for equivalence (fulfilment of the subject-specific admission requirements) after you have formally applied. In addition, the formal requirements, for example the required German language skills, will be then checked.

You can find more information on the further procedure after your application here:
https://germanistik.blogs.ruhr-uni-bochum.de/internationale-bewerbung

Please note: We frequently receive emails with transcripts, certificates etc. requesting a preliminary check, i.e. before the actual application. For capacity reasons, we are unable to fulfil such requests for preliminary checks. However, you can obtain non-binding advice during Dr Händel’s consultation hours.

How do I apply for a study place?

Please contact the Admissions Office; information can be found here:
https://studium.ruhr-uni-bochum.de/de/bewerbung-bis-einschreibung-der-weg-die-rub

How can I contact Dr Händel?

You can find contact information here:
https://germanistik.blogs.ruhr-uni-bochum.de/haendel