Applied Cultural Studies, M.A.
One of the defining characteristics of Saarland University's Master's degree programme "Applied Cultural Studies" is the way in which it links academic and theoretical subject matter with practical career-related content. Students have the opportunity to establish and develop skills of relevance to careers in the cultural sector. Career-related courses help students to make informed decisions about future areas of employment. A work experience phase is an integral part of the programme. As students on the M.A. programme also receive tuition from professionals drawn from the arts and cultural sector they can build up a network of contacts early on. Students can also customize their course content to reflect their own personal academic interests and the professional field in which they would later like to work.
Programme facts
| Degree | Master of Arts (M.A.) |
|---|---|
| Duration | 4 semesters, 120 ECTS |
| Language of instruction | German |
| Required German | C1 |
| Required English | B1 |
| Study mode | Full-Time |
| Start | Winter semester, summer semester |
| Application | uni-assist (VPD) + the university, winter semester until 31.07, summer semester until 15.01 |
| Admission | Admission restriction (NC): a competition of school grades |
| Tuition fee | €0 per semester for international students |
| Semester contribution | €412.30 per semester |
What the tuition fee consists of
Will I get in
The programme has an admission restriction: the average grade of your certificate, converted to the German scale, decides. The cut-off changes every year — last year's value shows the order of magnitude, not a promise.
How the selection works and how strong the competition is — we go through it against your certificate when we select programmes for you.
Programme selection →What you study
The specific modules on offer cover more than 20 subjects taken from the following disciplines: ancient civilization studies, European cultural and social anthropology, historical anthropology, history, geography, art history, musicology, philosophy, language and literature studies, theology and religious studies. Students select three subject areas in which they wish to pursue their studies. The interdisciplinary nature of the M.A. programme encourages students to acquire skills that go beyond single-subject boundaries. The Master's degree programme "Applied Cultural Studies" at Saarland University provides students with excellent preparation for careers in print media, radio and television broadcasting, in public and private bodies involved in policy making, administration and the dissemination of culture and the arts, as well as in event and leisure management and cultural tourism.
The full curriculum and the programme's parameters are part of programme selection: we compare them with your profile.
Pick programmesCost of study
| Tuition fee of the federal state (Saarland), international students | €0 |
|---|---|
| Semester contribution | €412.30 |
Requirements and application
| Previous education | The prerequisite for admission is a bachelor's degree or equivalent (at least 180 ECTS credits), mainly in cultural studies from fields such as classical studies, history, human geography, historical anthropology, European ethnology, art history, literary studies, musicology, philosophy, religious studies and theology. |
|---|---|
| Language | German C1, English B1 — confirmed by a certificate when you apply |
| Application | uni-assist (VPD) + the university, winter semester until 31.07, summer semester until 15.01 |
The procedure and the set of documents depend on your certificate. We check the university's requirements against your documents and give you a list: what to submit, how to certify and translate it, where and when to apply.
Check the requirementsHow to get into this programme
- 1Check your certificate and its recognitionDirect admission, a year at a university at home, or Studienkolleg first — this decides the whole plan.
- 2German up to C1 and a certificateDSH or TestDaF has to be passed before you apply.
- 3Documents and translationsCertified translations of the certificate and transcript, an APS if required. 3–4 weeks.
- 4Application uni-assist (VPD) + the university until 15.01uni-assist checks documents for 4–6 weeks — send them well before the deadline.
- 5Admission, visa, movingPlan 2–3 months for the visa and the blocked account in parallel.
How to apply
You can submit the application yourself or with our help — the university decides on admission in both cases.
Applications go through the university's portal or uni-assist. Typical mistakes:
- ×incorrectly made certified copies and translations
- ×a wrong set of documents
- ×the application submitted the wrong way
- ×errors or gaps in the application form
- ×the application submitted at the wrong time — too early or too late
An incomplete or incorrectly prepared application is excluded from the selection — it can no longer be corrected after the deadline.
StudyInFocus does not represent the university and does not influence the admission decision. We do not sell study places and do not guarantee admission — this is a service for preparing and submitting documents on the applicant's side.
If your level is not enough yet
The two most common stoppers are a language level below the requirement and a certificate without direct admission. Both can be solved, but they take months — plan them now, not after a rejection.
Questions about this programme
How much does the programme cost?
What language level do I need?
When do I need to apply?
Don't postpone the application
The deadline is 15.01.2027 (93 days left). Language, translations and the document check take months, not weeks. In 30 minutes we will build a plan backwards from the deadline and tell you honestly whether you can make it.