Master of Arts in Transcultural Studies Heidelberg University

The Master of Arts in Transcultural Studies at Heidelberg University is a research-oriented and interdisciplinary programme focusing on the regions of Asia (mainly South Asia and East Asia) and Europe. It is informed by the perspective that cultures are not contained within ethnically closed, linguistically homogeneous, and territorially bounded spheres, but that they are constituted through transformations and entanglements.
The courses of this programme address these issues by focusing on the changes which circulatory practices have undergone from past to present. Studying the dynamics of transcultural exchanges involves analysing the agency of participants in these developments and shifts over longer and shorter time spans. The programme is designed to provide substantive knowledge and methodological tools. Particular attention will be paid to introducing students to the integrated study of different types of records - objects, texts of different genres, visual, audio or digital media - with a view to fleshing out the ways in which people in specific regional contexts experience, contest, and represent these shifts.
Within the wide range of courses offered in the MA Transcultural Studies, students choose one of the three study foci within the programme. Each study focus cuts across disciplines and is not confined to one region. The three study foci are:

• Society, Economy, and Governance (SEG)
• Knowledge, Belief, and Religion (KBR)
• Visual, Media, and Material Culture (VMC)

The core courses are taught by the chairs of the Heidelberg Centre for Transcultural Studies.
For more details on the study foci and the programme's academic staff, please refer to our website at https://www.hcts.uni-heidelberg.de/en/studies/masters-program-mats.

Courses in the MA Transcultural Studies are mainly seminars that require a substantial amount of student participation (e.g. reading, presentation, etc.). The coursework is supported and supplemented by e-learning tools as well as digital media and technologies.
During the first semester, the theoretical foundation is laid, the second and third semesters are intended for extending and applying this foundation to one study focus and a certain region. The last semester is spent entirely on the writing of the Master's thesis.

For detailed information on the programme's structure and courses offered, please visit the website at https://www.hcts.uni-heidelberg.de/en/studies/masters-program-mats.

Research-oriented internships related to the studies are supported during the third semester, but are not compulsory.

International Students apply for the MATS from April to mid-July. 

Applicants must hold a BA or equivalent (minimum three years of study) in a discipline of the humanities, cultural, or social sciences with an above-average grade.
For a comprehensive list of all requirements, please refer to the programme's website at https://www.hcts.uni-heidelberg.de/en/studies/masters-program-mats.

151.05 EUR

Students wishing to work during their studies have numerous options within Heidelberg University and outside of the university. They can find jobs as student assistants in the university, working between 20-60 hours per month. Other popular student jobs include working as language tutors as well as in gastronomy or in various companies in the region.

Accommodation is available through student services or on the private market. Rent for a single room in a student residence is approx. 250 to 350 EUR.