Master's Program (MATS) Structure
The Master’s in Transcultural Studies is a two-year program taught in English. It can be studied full-time and as a major only, and requires a total of 120 Credit Points (CP) to be accumulated over four semesters. Coursework mainly consists of seminars that require a substantial amount of student participation (e.g. reading, presentation, active participation in discussion) and is regularly accompanied by e-learning tools as well as digital media and technologies.
Modules in the first year are designed to expand the students’ theoretical and methodological knowledge and to transfer it to new, transcultural contexts. In the first semester’s introductory module students deal with basic theories and methods of Transcultural Studies. At the same time, they apply the gained knowledge in seminars. In the course of the first semester, students select one out of three fields of specialization, the so-called study foci (see below).
The aim of the second semester is for students to gain deeper insights into their chosen study focus. Within their seminars, they learn about specific methods and theories associated with transcultural research and expand their region- and culture-specific competencies.
Students can design their third semester individually. Either they broaden their knowledge by enrolling in additional courses in Heidelberg, by completing a research-oriented internship, or by studying at a university abroad.
Throughout the first three semesters, students have the option of taking some of their courses in related Master’s programs at Heidelberg University . The fourth and final semester is dedicated exclusively to the completion of the Master's thesis and successful graduation.
Study Foci
Within the broad repertoire of transregional and interdisciplinary courses offered in the Master’s in Transcultural Studies, each student is required to select one of three study foci in the course of the first semester. The chosen study focus provides the basis for the choice of courses in the following semesters as well as the topic of the Master's thesis.
Three study foci are offered, all representing the disciplinary and conceptual pillars on which the HCTS rests. They are: “Knowledge, Belief and Religion” (KBR), “Society, Economy and Governance” (SEG), and “Visual, Media and Material Cultures” (VMC). Our study focus advisors support students in their initial decision for a study focus and further guide them in regard to their study plan, mobility, and thesis topic/supervision.