Interdisciplinary American Studies, B.A.
The B.A. program in Interdisciplinary American Studies (IAS) offers students a strong core curriculum of courses in literary and cultural studies and a flexible elective curriculum incorporating related disciplines such as history, political science, media studies and sociology. Taught by a dedicated staff – including three full professors in American Studies – the IAS program aims at enabling students to apply the tools and approaches developed by different disciplines to advance a critical understanding of the American experience in a global context.
Programme facts
| Degree | Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) |
|---|---|
| Duration | 6 semesters, 180 ECTS |
| Language of instruction | English |
| Study mode | Full-Time |
| Start | Summer semester, winter semester |
| Application | Directly to the university, winter semester until 15.07, summer semester until 15.01 |
| Admission | Admission restriction (NC): a competition of school grades |
| Tuition fee | €1,500 per semester for international students |
| Semester contribution | €199.80 per semester |
| Practical semester | Optional |
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 B.A. Interdisciplinary American Studies (IAS) is a mono-bachelor program, meaning that you will not have to choose an additional minor ("Nebenfach"). The program can be completed in either three or four years, depending on whether you will use the mobility option to spend an extra year at a partner university abroad and/or doing internships. You can start the program during the winter or summer semester. The B.A. program consists of four main parts: The core curriculum in Literary and Cultural Studies, the elective curriculum, academic English, and professional skills.
The full curriculum and the programme's parameters are part of programme selection: we compare them with your profile.
Pick programmesCareer
Our students develop the skills – critical thinking and analysis, research design and synthesis, academic writing and presentation – that will prepare them for a variety of careers in academic research and teaching, publishing, journalism, new media, cultural management, public administration, international organizations, consulting, and marketing and sales. IAS graduates are also attractive to a wide range of employers because of their excellent English language abilities and their advanced understanding of inter-cultural communication. In addition, the B.A. program qualifies students for a large number of M.A. programs.
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The unique, yearlong mobility option allows IAS students to build a distinctive resume through an extended stay at an American university and/or one or more long-term internships. Employers appreciate the immense value of spending a full year in the U.S.!
Cost of study
| Tuition fee of the federal state (Baden-Württemberg), international students | €1,500 |
|---|---|
| Semester contribution | €199.80 |
Requirements and application
| Previous education | A school certificate that gives access to university in Germany — directly or after a Studienkolleg. |
|---|---|
| Application | Directly to the university, winter semester until 15.07, 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.
- 2Documents and translationsCertified translations of the certificate and transcript, an APS if required. 3–4 weeks.
- 3Application directly to the university until 15.01Send the documents well before the deadline — an incomplete application cannot be completed after it.
- 4Admission, 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?
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.