Joint Online Master's Programme "Australian Studies"

Given current transformations in academia that foster digital transnational interconnectedness, the PTTS team is pleased to announce the establishment of a joint Master's programme in the field of Australian Studies, in cooperation with several universities located in the state of North-Rhine Westphalia and funded by the Ministry of Culture and Science from April 2022 to March 2024.

Initiated by the University of Cologne’s Centre for Australian Studies, and together with partners at the Universities of Düsseldorf, Duisburg-Essen, and Aachen, the PTTS team is developing an inter- and transdisciplinary online Master’s program in Australian Studies. It is an exceptional project that uses the possibilities of digitization strategically and sustainably to establish Germany’s first MA in in Australian Studies to date, with the explicit focus to engage with the field from postcolonial, transnational and transcultural perspective.  We envision that classes will be taught online by staff at the WWU or our partners, as well as by a number of host institutions in Australia. Among them are ANU Canberra, Curtin University, Edith Cowan University, Macquarie University, ACU Melbourne, Sydney University, University of Western Australia, and the University of Western Sydney.

With the MA “Australian Studies” we seek to:

  • internationalize teaching and study through cooperation with lecturers and students from Germany and Australia
  • strengthen the field of Australian Studies at the University of Münster
  • emphasise the study of diversity, migration, environmental issues and indigenous cultures as well as on Australia in a global context
  • help our students gain knowledge about several intersectional research fields and to gain comparative insights into the academic landscape of a central European country and the Australian continent
  • lay the groundwork for future dual degree study programmes that will aid our students’ international mobility
  • allow for the compatibility of studies and family/care work
  • contribute significantly to the further internationalization of the participating German universities
  • prepare students for careers with relevant government agencies as well as NGOs, museums, or the media sector
  • deepen future teachers’ understanding of digital teaching and participation.