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Facts and Data

  • Duration: 4 semesters
  • Degree Award: Master of Arts
  • Language: German
  • admission free
  • Special admission requirements

Slavic Studies - Master's Programme

Orientation and Goals

Given the political transition processes of recent years, resulting in an enlargement of the EU towards the east, among other things, the presence of Slavic countries in the formerly narrow Western European consciousness is here to stay. Engaging with the languages, literatures, cultures and societies of our Eastern neighbours with regard to their past and present, and the multi-faceted historical and contemporary relations between them and Germany, is a worthwhile endeavour.
Together with the Institute of Slavic Studies at the University of Oldenburg and the Federal Institute for Culture and History of the Germans in Eastern Europe (BKGE), three major institutions of Slavic Studies and Eastern European research are offering a joint Master’s degree programme (MA). This programme specifically trains Eastern Europe experts who have learnt to use the required academic distance to reflect upon cultural and social phenomena, are capable of bringing their linguistic and academic skills to bear in different discourses for stronger integration of the Slavic cultural area, and moreover, demonstrate the willingness and ability to represent an informed outsider’s perspective within the Slavic area.
The wide-ranging academic orientation of the disciplines involved enables phenomena in the Slavic area to be approached from a myriad of perspectives.

Study Design and Contents

The programme lasts 4 semesters with a total student workload of 120 ECTS.

I. Profile creation 6 ECTS
Fundamentals and background

II. Setting focus area 30 ECTS
Two course units of 30 ECTS, one from each of the following focus areas:
SP 1: Slavic Languages and Literatures
  • Contact linguistics and Linguistic variation and change
  • Systemic linguistics
  • History of Slavic literature
  • Literary theory and literary criticism
SP 2: German-Slavic contacts
  • Contact linguistics or Slavic history
  • Literatures of political and social history
  • Cultural history, memory and stereotypes
  • Cultural contacts
  • Art history in Eastern Europe

III. Supplementary area 15 ECTS
A course unit from one of the two focus areas for the second language

IV. Language practice 24 ECTS
Main language (Polish or Russian)
Second language (Polish, Russian, Ukrainian, Belarusian, or other)

V. Area of professionalization 15 ECTS
Choice of seminars from one’s own field or another field, placements,
language courses, etc.

Master’s thesis 30 ECTS
Master’s thesis 75%
Oral examination 25%

Teaching and Learning

Seminars, lectures, tutorials, language practice

Reasons for Studying


Foreign Language Skills

In order to study this course at the University of Oldenburg as a student from outside of Germany, you need an adequate knowledge of German.

German Language Proficiency
  • Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) Level C1
  • DSH: Deutsche Sprachprüfung für den Hochschulzugang (Level 2)
  • TestDaF: Test – Deutsch als Fremdsprache (with level 4 in all four areas)

Polish or Russian Language Proficiency see admissions regulations
  • Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) Level B1
  • if applicants are native speaker or they have university entrance qualification or a university degree obtained in Polish or Russian

The proof of language proficiency must be presented for the enrolment. For other proof possiblities see: Language requirements

Careers and Areas of Employment

In the Slavic Studies Master’s, students acquire critically reflected knowledge of cultural and societal mechanisms of the Slavic countries, which will enable them to develop a deeper understanding of each cultural area. Upon successful completion of the Slavic Studies programme, students are qualified Eastern European experts and have a wide range of opportunities to apply their skills in international, interdisciplinary discourses. The Master’s thus qualifies students to work in various professional fields, which can be further developed by way of the selected focus areas and appropriate placements during their studies. This degree opens up opportunities in the media, journalism, archives and libraries, in cultural organizations, tourism, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), intercultural business and project consulting, publishing or in adult education.
This Master’s qualifies students for an academic career path at the PhD level.

Target Group/Admission Requirements

  • Bachelor's degree or equivalent qualification in Slavic Studies, Slavic Philology or East European Studies or in a closely related field worth at least 60 credit points
  • Language proficiency in Polish or Russian or another Slavic language, when applying for the winter semester at least at level B1 , when applying for the summer semester at least at level B2 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR).
For more details see Foreign language skills on this page.

Application/Admission Procedures

This is an open admissions degree course, and applications are accepted for both the winter and summer semesters.
The application deadline for the winter semester is 30 September.
The application deadline for the summer semester is 31 March.

Please note
For open-admission Master's degree programmes it is strongly recommended to submit their applications as early as possible before 15 July for the winter semester and before 15 January for the summer semester. If the supporting documents are submitted after these dates but before the standard application deadlines, your application can only be processed at the start of the lecture period in the new semester. This may result serious problems (German document).

Further Information

Programme Information

Selected research projects

General Information
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(Changed: 15 Sep 2023)  |