Master

Applications possible

First-year and advanced students need to submit their applications for a study place online. This only applies to a master's program. All the required supporting documents must be uploaded to the Internet by the deadline and, if required, submitted to the SfS International in hard copies prior to enrollment. The documents you have to submit will be mentioned in the admission letter.

The application portal will be open for the winter semester at the beginning of May and for the summer semester at the beginning of December. All the information that is important for submitting applications, such as admission regulations and application deadlines, can be found in the application portal, which you can also find on this website.

Application deadlines

Application as a first-year student

Different application deadlines apply for undergraduate students, depending on the degree program. As a rule, the master's degree programs begin in the winter semester. Sometimes a start is only possible for the summer semester or even both the winter and the summer semester. Information about the beginning of studies can be found in the master portal.

Application as an advanced student

As a rule, advanced students can apply both for the winter and summer semester. The deadlines for the winter semester are the same as for undergraduates; January 15 for the summer semester.

Dual Degree

Master's students on a dual degree program acquire one or two international degrees. Dual degree students must complete part of their studies at a foreign university. The participating universities either offer two separate certificates (double degree) or a joint certificate (joint degree). Admission to the dual-degree program is often subject to special requirements, which are listed in the respective admission regulations. You will find master's programs with dual degrees on our international programs website.

For each master's degree program, the requirements are laid down in subject-specific admission regulations. To apply for admission, you need a subject-related university degree at least at bachelor’s level. In addition, language skills, certain subject-related achievements, a letter of motivation, a certain average grade or participation in an admission test may also be required.

Subject Proximity of the Bachelor’s Degree Program

Some master’s programs are interdisciplinary in nature and broadly interpret the subject proximity of the bachelor’s program to the intended master’s program. Other master’s programs aim rather at a subject-specific specialization and therefore expect a close subject-related connection. The subject-related proximity must be assessed by the selection committee. The admission regulations specify the bachelor’s degree programs to which the respective master’s program is primarily directed. The bachelor’s programs named there are close in subject to the chosen master’s program and applications from these bachelor’s programs will not be rejected on the basis of their subject orientation. However, bachelor’s programs that are not listed may still be close to the master’s program in terms of subject matter.
In the overview "Which Master's degree goes with my Bachelor's degree?" you can get an overview of which Master's degree programs are open to you.

Linguistic proficiency

You will find the required language skills for admission to a master's program in the admission regulations of the respective degree program. You can find out how to evidence your language competences by contacting the Language Center.

German C1

The language certificate for German C1 is not required if your university entrance qualification (e.g. Abitur) or bachelor’s degree was obtained from a German-speaking institution. Required language certificates must be submitted either by the application deadline or two weeks after the start of lectures. The time at which the language certificates must be submitted is indicated in the Master's portal for the respective degree programs.
► more information regarding German language skills

English C1

If the admission requirements for a master's program specify English language skills at the C1 level, the language of delivery is English.   ► more information how to prove English language skills

Minimum CPs when applying

At the application deadline, undergraduate students are usually still unable to provide evidence of having obtained their bachelor's degree before the application deadline. In order to facilitate timely applications, therefore, a lower number of credit points can be accepted than that specified. The admission regulations contain details of how many CPs you need to present when applying for admission to the degree program under such circumstances.

In the case of admission,evidence of having obtained your bachelor's degree must be available no later than two weeks after the beginning of the program. The final grade awarded for the bachelor’s degree must be attested. Please note that a certificate without a definitive final grade is not sufficient for enrollment; nor is an overall grade of 4.0 sufficient.

Minimum CP in certain fields of study

For some master’s programs, proof of a minimum number of CP in a certain discipline, of methodological knowledge such as statistics, or in certain areas of specialization is a requirement in order to be considered in the application process. The minimum CP defined in the admission regulations must be proved by the application deadline.

Restricted Admission

For some programs, the number of places is limited and there has to be a selection process. For the restriction-free master's programs, holders of a bachelor’s degree are awarded a place, provided they meet the requirements. In the award procedure for restricted-admission master's programs, several criteria are usually taken into account. In the allocation of places, the grade of the bachelor's degree is always included. But also a grade point average in a major field of study, a letter of motivation or the test results can play a role in the allocation of places. The modalities are regulated in the admission regulations of the respective master's program. A hardship application is possible and can be submitted durin the application process on MOIN.

Advanced Students

Advanced master’s applicants must have recognized credits in the requested master's degree program (usually at least 10 CP). They are then to be enrolled in a higher semester. Proof of CPs must be available for restricted-admission master's programs by the respective application deadline; for open-admission Master's programs, proof of 10 CP must be received by two weeks after the start of the course (usually the end of October for the winter semester and mid to late April for the summer semester).
Please note: At present, not all admission regulations have been adapted to this deadline. In the case of open-admission Master's programs, the deadline of two weeks after the start of the course for the advanced proof of 10 CP applies even if the admission regulations specify a different deadline.

Master degree programs in the area of continuing education require periods of practice, charge tuition, and are currently offered as extra-occupational programs: Information from the Academy for Further Education .