Frequently Asked Questions
General information on the university and the city
History & accreditation of the M.A. NTS programme
Application phase - dates
Application requirements
Cost and funding
Contact persons
General information on the university and the city
"What kind of life and study experience does Muenster offer?"
If you would like to get some introductory insights into campus and city life, you might be interested in watching a few short videos which the university has produced for prospective students. These videos can be accessed here.
In addition, you might like to check to following websites:
Muenster University homepage
City of Muenster homepage
History & accreditation of the M.A. NTS programme
"How long has this M.A. programme been running?"
The M.A. programme "National and Transnational Studies: Literature, Culture, Language" has been running since 2008.
"Has this M.A. programme already been accredited?"
Yes, it has been accredited since May 2008. For details see ZEvA.org
Application phase – dates
“When is the application deadline?”
for non-EU applicants: 31 May 2013
for EU applicants: 15 July 2013
This information will be sent to you around mid-August.
Application requirements
Language skills
“Will I need to have obtained my language certificates before applying, or is there a possibility to do this later, i.e. between application/acceptance and the start of my M.A. studies?”
This depends on the language:
English is our language of instruction. Thus, you must possess excellent skills in English before you start studying on the programme – otherwise you will not be able to follow classes. In order to ensure that places on the programme are only offered to students who indeed possess such language skills, all applicants who are not native speakers of English must submit evidence of their English language skills (such as language certificates) at the time of their application.
“How important are German language skills?”
German language skills are desirable but not mandatory.
You do not need German language skills to study at the English Department, where all classes and assignments are in English.
Other departments teach some courses in English (or other languages), but most of their courses tend to be in German. Thus, a good knowledge of German will extend your course choices, especially for the interdisciplinary "External Module" in the third semester.
A working knowledge of German will, of course, also facilitate your general life in Germany. However, it is usually possible to get by in English – most people speak some English and will be happy to practise their skills on you!
If you would like to attend a German language course while you are here, a good starting point is the University's Language Centre (Sprachenzentrum), Dept. for German as a Foreign Language / Lehrgebiet Deutsch als Fremdsprache (contact:
Other educational certificates
“We don't have an equivalent to the German Abitur in my country, and the application requires those scores. Am I exempt from that requirement?”
Non-German school leaving certificates / college admissions tests can be accepted as Abitur equivalent. Whether this applies in your individual case is not dependent on the general type of certificate you have (e.g. American SAT or ACT test), but on your individual grades and qualifications shown on those certificates. Thus, when applying for our M.A. programme, please submit both your school leaving certificates and (if applicable in your case) your certificate(s) about the college admissions test(s) you sat. The admissions committees of
In many cases, however, the requirement for Abitur or non-German equivalent school leaving certificates / college admissions tests is a mere formality, since we also require your BA certificate which is a more important (and more recent) indicator of your academic abilities.
For such specific questions relating to application formalities, please contact the University’s central Student Services Office (Studierendensekretariat). For instance, you can explain your problem to them and ask if they accept a certificate from your current university that you are due to graduate this year, along with a current student transcript which shows the grades you’ve obtained so far (to give at least some impression of your performance level) – as long as you supply your official B.A. certificate at a later date, once you have obtained it (even if that will be after the deadline).
If such agreements come to be made in your case, you should briefly refer to them again in your application, as a reminder and an explanation of why your documents are (at present) slightly different.
Other application questions
“Should I submit my application documents in English or German?”
The application form required by the University’s central registration office should be filled in in the language in which the questions are asked.
Certificates (Zeugnisse), e.g. your B.A. certificate or proof of other educational qualifications, can be submitted in German or English.
Your cover letter (Anschreiben), letter of intent (Motivationsschreiben) and CV (Lebenslauf) should definitely be in English in order to enable us to get an impression of your English language proficiency.
""What is the difference between a cover letter and the letter of intent? Which aspects should be covered in these letters?"
The cover letter is a very brief letter (less than 1 page) which only gives the most basic information, i.e. your address, the title of the degree programme you are applying for, a list of the other application documents which you are enclosing, and perhaps some basic information about yourself, for instance what your previous degree was and why you are interested in the MA NTS (in a few sentences only - you will have more space to explain your motivation in detail in the other letter, i.e. the letter of intent).
The letter of intent is a much longer document of several pages (c. 2000 words) which explains your motivation, and your plans for your studies in Muenster, in more detail.
Your letter of intent should cover:
- reasons why you are interested in this degree programme
- relevant previous experience in the field, such as:
- aspects of national/transnational studies already studied as part of your previous degree;
- experience of living/working/studying/travelling abroad;
- work experience in transnational contexts;
- voluntary work in national or transnational political or cultural organisations;
- private interests, e.g. concerning reading materials
(some of these may already be stated in your CV, but the letter of intent gives you the opportunity to give more details if desired)
- subject areas within national/transnational studies you would like to study if you are admitted to this M.A. course;
- careers you are interested in;
- any other factors which reflect and elucidate your interest in the subjects relevant to this programme.
At the University’s Student Services Office (Studierendensekretariat). Mr Uwe Goldstein deals with general inquiries relating to (prospective and actual) non-EU students (phone +49-(0)
Cost and funding
There are no tuition fees (regardless of students’ country of origin).
There is, however, a social service contribution which currently amounts to € 210 per semester and includes a semester ticket covering public transport for the greater Münster area and the German federal state of North Rhine–Westphalia.
“How high are the costs of living in Münster?”
Costs of living amount to approximately € 700–800 per month
“I'd like to apply for a grant or scholarship (e.g. DAAD, Fulbright). Who would be the best contact person for me to begin discussing projects/requirements?”
1) The first person you should contact for general advice on scholarship programmes is Ms Silja Fehn (e-mail Silja.Fehn_AT_uni-muenster.de), an instructor at the English Department who is our main study advisor.
2) The University also has a central institution dealing with such matters, the International Office. They should also be able to give advice.
“Does the English department offer any sort of teaching assistantships to M.A. students?”
The numbers of student tutors (studentische Tutoren) we employ is very limited. But there are posts for student assistants (studentische Hilfskraefte) working for professors/chairs or in the departmental library – and openings for such jobs are regularly available. It would be good to signal your interest in and qualifications for this early on. We cannot guarantee such placements, however.
Contact persons
"Whom can I contact for further information?"
If you like, you can use our general contact form. We will then forward your inquiry to the appropriate contact person or department.
If you prefer to contact an individual contact person or department directly:
Inquiries about the contents and curriculum of the degree programme can be addressed to Dr. Silke Stroh (e-mail Silke.Stroh_AT_uni-muenster.de)
Inquiries about entry requirements, application procedures, etc. can be addressed to Ms Mirjam Manoutchehri, one of the English Department's main study advisors (e-mail mmanoutchehri@wwu.de).
Inquiries concerning formal aspects of the admissions procedure can also be addressed to the University's Registry / Student Services Office (Studierendensekretariat) (e-mail studierendensekretariat_AT_uni-muenster.de)
The University also has a Student Advisory and Counselling Centre.
Information about scholarships is also available at www.uni-muenster.de/studieren/stipendien.html and the University's International Office.
International students who are already enrolled in the programme and would like help with settling in here, or with making new contacts and friends, can contact the University's international centre "Die Bruecke" ('The Bridge'). Among other things, the centre offers a "Friendship" programme which connects international students with local people (fellow students, families or professionals) to help with practical advice on life in Muenster,or with extra information on German culture. German students are also welcome to participate in the centre's activities and programmes.
For general information on the centre, see:
http://www.uni-muenster.de/DieBruecke/en/
For specific inquiries about the "Friendship" programme, contact Johanna Hömberg or Katrin Terwiel at friendship_AT_uni-muenster.de, or by phoning +49-(0)251-83-22229.
