Language courses and requirements for admission to German-language degree programmes

Language requirements

To gain admission to a German-language degree programme at the University of Münster, you need very good German language skills, usually at the DSH-2 level. There are programmes, however, that require a lower (DSH-1) or even higher (DSH-3) German language level.  Before applying, please read the relevant admission requirements provided in the "Studienführer" (Study Guide) to find out what level of German language proficiency is required for your desired degree programme. 
Studienführer (Study Guide) by the Student Advice and Counselling Centre (ZSB)

The following certificates are accepted as proof of German language competence:

 

  • DSH-3 level (medicine, dentistry)

    • DSH-3 certificate
    • Test DaF level 5 in all skill areas
    • Assessment test (Feststellungsprüfung): Grade between 1.0 – 1.3 in the subject "German" in both the oral and written sections
    • Goethe Certificate C2  (minimum total score 82%)
    • UniCert Certificate level IV
    • Telc C1 Hochschule (level "sehr gut")

  • DSH-2 level (most degree courses)

    • A DSH-2 certificate (or higher)
    • TestDaF level 4 in all four skill areas (or higher)
    • Deutsches Sprachdiplom (German Language Diploma) of the Standing Conference of Education Ministers, level II (C1 level in all sub-sections)
    • Assessment test (Feststellungsprüfung)
    • Goethe-Zertifikat C2
    • UNIcert certificate, level III (or higher)

    • TELC C1 Hochschule (level "befriedigend" or "gut")

       

     

  • DSH-1 level (Physics, Geophysics and Mathematics B.Sc., some music degree courses)

    • DSH-1 certificate
    • TestDaF certificate level 3 in all skill areas (or higher)
    • Telc C1 Hochschule (level "ausreichend")

     

Proof of German language competence is not required for admission to English-language degree programmes.

Language courses

Preparing for the DSH examination

The Language Centre of the University of Münster offers international students a "German as a Foreign Language" (DaF) course which prepares them for the DSH examination. Please note that basic knowledge of German is required to take part in this course.

The course fee is currently 500 euros per semester. Because language course participants are enrolled at the University of Münster, they must pay the regular semester fee as well – about 300 euros per semester.  

The course fee is reimbursed to participants who pass the DSH examination and then enrol in a degree programme at the University of Münster when they re-register for their second semester.  
Information on applying for a DSH preparatory course at the University of Münster
Contact the Language Centre – Department of German as a Foreign Language [de]

Fee-based language courses in Münster

For information on language courses offered by other organisations in Münster, please view the following link:
Fee-based language courses

Possibilities of exemption

Exemption from the DSH examination

If you can provide evidence that you have had at least three years of intensive German instruction in the final phase of your secondary-school education with at least passing grades, and are competent in oral communication – or that you have earned an undergraduate degree in German Studies – you may be eligible for exemption from the DSH examination. In this case, please contact the Department of German as a Foreign Language at the Language Centre [de] and request that they confirm the grounds for exemption for your application.

Language certificate waiver

Proof of language proficiency in German is not required for admission to the following English-language degree programmes:

 

  • British, American and Postcolonial Studies (MA)
  • Comparative Public Governance (MA)
  • Geoinformatics and Spatial Data Science (MSc)
  • Geophysics (MSc)
  • Geospatial Technologies (MSc) (ERASMUS MUNDUS)
  • Human Movement in Sports and Exercise (BSc)
  • Information Systems (MSc)
  • Mathematics (MSc)
  • National and Transnational Studies: Literature, Cultures, Language (MA)
  • Physics (MSc)
  • Public Sector Innovation and eGovernance - PIONEER (MSc) (ERASMUS MUNDUS)
  • Social Anthropology/Sozialanthropologie (MA)
  • Sports, Exercise and Human Performance (MSc)