German as a Foreign Language: Teaching Cultural Studies, M.A.
The Master's degree program in German as a Foreign Language: Cultural Mediation provides students with methodological, analytical and conceptual skills in language and literature teaching, as well as in the description and communication of cultural phenomena, based on current research results. It provides foreign language didactic knowledge about the teachability and learnability of specialist scientific content that was acquired in the first professional degree and is deepened in the Master's degree program in German as a Foreign Language: Cultural Mediation. Students acquire intercultural skills and expand their own foreign language skills.
Programme facts
| Degree | Master of Arts (M.A.) |
|---|---|
| Duration | 4 semesters, 120 ECTS |
| Language of instruction | German |
| Required German | C1 |
| Study mode | Full-Time |
| Start | Winter semester |
| Application | Via uni-assist, winter semester until 15.08 |
| Admission | No admission restriction: every eligible applicant is admitted |
| Tuition fee | €0 per semester for international students |
| Semester contribution | €376.80 per semester |
What the tuition fee consists of
Will I get in
Every applicant who meets the formal requirements is admitted — but places can run out before the deadline, so apply at the start of the window.
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 →About the programme
Welcome to the site of our master’s program “German as a Foreign Language – Teaching Cultural Studies.” The program is intended for candidates holding a bachelor’s degree in German philology or a comparable international degree. In addition, candidates should already have gained some practical experience in teaching German language and culture.
Read moreShow less
This consecutive and practice-oriented master’s program aims to prepare students for a profession in the field of German as a foreign language and teaching cultural studies as well as in the politics of the study of language and culture abroad.
Previously obtained knowledge in the German language and the literature and culture of German-speaking countries is deepened and systematically expanded by concepts, positions, and discussions related to language didactics and the politics of language and culture.
Each winter term, we accept a new class of up to 25 students, usually with an international composition. Thus, the master’s program provides additional intercultural competence as well as further knowledge in foreign languages.
Study abroad is mandatory during the third semester of the program. Students spend a semester in a department for German language and culture at selected partner universities in Europe or abroad, where they sit in on German lessons, actively teach, and participate in academic courses. The standard course of study comprises four semesters. During the fourth semester, students usually work on their master’s project.
Graduates of the master’s program are specifically qualified to organize and teach classes to adults in German language, literature, and culture. Potential fields of work include universities in Germany and abroad, language schools, publishing houses, media editorial offices, cultural institutions like the Goethe-Institut, associations, foundations, and organizations committed to cultural exchange.
What you study
The master's degree program in German as a foreign language: cultural mediation is divided into modules from different study areas.
The full curriculum and the programme's parameters are part of programme selection: we compare them with your profile.
Pick programmesCareer
Graduates have in-depth academic knowledge and advanced professional skills.
Read moreShow less
The aim of the Master's program in German as a Foreign Language: Cultural Mediation is to prepare students for a professional career within higher education in the field of German as a foreign language.
Possible work environments include universities in Germany and abroad; language schools; textbook publishers and media editorial departments; cultural institutes (e.g. Goethe Institutes); associations, foundations and organizations committed to cultural exchange; companies in Germany and abroad (e.g. German as a foreign language teacher, as a regional consultant, as a trainer in the field of intercultural communication).
Cost of study
| Tuition fee of the federal state (Berlin), international students | €0 |
|---|---|
| Semester contribution | €376.80 |
Requirements and application
| Previous education | To gain access to the Master's program, applicants must meet the following requirements: a Bachelor's degree with a study component in the field of linguistics of at least 20 ECTS credits and in the field of German literature of at least 20 ECTS credits. |
|---|---|
| Language | German C1 — confirmed by a certificate when you apply |
| Application | Via uni-assist, winter semester until 15.08 |
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 via uni-assist until 15.08uni-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 15.08.2027 (305 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.