Bachelor of Arts

At a Glance

Degree programs

• Bachelor of Arts with a major or minor in English and American Studies

Start Date

• Major: winter semester only
• Minor: winter and summer semester

Application Period

• Major and minor
  1 June – 15 July
  
• Minor:
  1 December – 15 January
  
• Transfer students: 1 June – 11 October & 1 December – 9 April

Entrance Requirements

• First-time students: English Language Proficiency Exam and weighted secondary school grades
  ► Please consult the additional information provided under Undergraduate Admissions
• Upper-semester students: open admission (from an equivalent field of study)

Length of Program

6 semesters

Language of Instruction

English

Costs

• Students from EU and EEA countries: €155 student activity fee per semester. No tuition fees.
• Tuition fees for students from non-EU/EEA countries or for those pursuing a second undergraduate degree came into effect starting in the 2017/18 Winter Semester. Read more details here.

Possible Program Combinations

• Major and Minor: 
  – Archaeological Studies
  – Art History
  – Chinese Studies
  – Classical Philology
  – Cultural Anthropology and European Ethnology
  – Educational Studies and Education Management
  – Ethnology
  – History
  – Islamic Studies
  – Jewish Studies
  – Musicology
  – Near Eastern Archaeology
  – Philosophy
  – Political Science
  – Scandinavian Studies
  – Slavic Studies
  – Sociology
• With the English and American Studies major: 
  – Business Administration (Betriebswirtschaftslehre)
  – Catalan
  – Catholic Theology
  – Classical and Christian Archaeology
  – Cognitive Science
  – Economics (Volkswirtschaftslehre)
  – European Societies and Cultures
  – French
  – Geography
  – German Literary Studies
  – German Linguistics
  – Italian
  – Portuguese
  – Psychology
  – Spanish
• With the English and American Studies minor:
  – Classical Studies
  – German Linguistics and Literary Studies
  – IberoCultura – Spanish Language and Literature/Culture
  – Media and Cultural Studies
  – Modern and Recent History
  – Romance Studies
  – Russian Studies
  
  

Find more information on the admissions process here.

Object of Study

The B.A. program in English and American Studies/Anglistik und Amerikanistik is devoted to the study of the culture, language, and literature of the English-speaking world, from its beginnings up to the present day.

English literary studies uses theoretical and comparative frameworks to deal with the history of English and North American literature, also integrating works from other English-speaking literatures.

English linguistics uses linguistic theories and models to study the English language, its history, and its continuing development. Special focus is laid on British and American English, older historical stages of English (Old and Middle English), as well as other standard and non-standard variants of the language.

British and North American cultural studies investigates the sociocultural backgrounds and nexuses of English-speaking countries and their cultural products, particularly in the context of societal structures. Through its integration of various cultural and academic perspectives, cultural studies takes a deeply interdisciplinary approach. It incorporates insights from literary studies, media studies, linguistics, history, social sciences, film studies, theatre studies, art history, musicology, economics, communications, and the humanities.

In addition, a broad and important part of the Bachelor's program consists in practical language courses. Our goal is to help our students bring their already-impressive English skills up to near-native proficiency.

Content & Structure – English Major

Content

The English major offers a wide-ranging undergraduate education focusing on linguistic, literary, and cultural developments in the English-speaking world. Alongside intercultural and near-native communicative competence (spoken and written), you'll develop a deeper understanding of the structure and various uses of the English language, and will familiarise yourself with the basics of linguistics (syntax, morphology, semantics, pragmatics, phonology, phonetics, and corpus linguistics) as well as applied language studies (e.g. language acquisition and teaching, psycholinguistics, sociolinguistics). You will develop a general understanding of English and North American literature, and of its historical and cultural background(s). Through your work with literary and cultural-studies frameworks (literary history, cultural theory, narratology, media studies), you'll expand your ability to analyse literary and non-literary texts. Furthermore, you'll gain special expertise either in linguistics, literary studies, or cultural studies, and learn to develop and present sound academic arguments.

Structure

The English program is structured as a series of modules. Each module is  a teaching and learning unit, composed of required and elective courses with similar content and/or themes. The major in English and American Studies requires 120 ECTS points. During your studies, you'll choose courses in the following subjects:

• Foundations of Linguistics
• Foundations of Literary Studies
• Foundations of Cultural Studies
• Advanced Linguistics
• Advanced Literary Studies
• Advanced Cultural Studies
• Specialisation in Linguistics or Literary Studies
• English Competence
• Foundations of Grammar and Phonetics
• Advanced Language Practice
• Translation
• Extended Studies and Practical Applications
  
  

In the module "Extended Studies and Practical Applications," you can expand your knowledge in cultural studies and/or language competence, and get credit for internships or time spent in English-speaking countries. Particularly in this module, you're encouraged to take advantage of the possibilities provided for our students by the EUCOR network.

Academic Program and Degree Plan (Prüfungsordnung & Studienverlaufsplan)

• General Guidelines for the Bachelor of Arts (PDF in German only)

• Academic program (PDF in German only)

• Degree plan (PDF in German only)

Content & Structure – English Minor

Content

Study Programs – Graphics

General Information

The Bachelor of Arts consists of a major (120 ECTS), a minor (40 ECTS), and a general education component (20 ECTS; link in German only). The B.A. in English and American Studies is one of the best-established Humanities programs at the University of Freiburg, and allows its students to complete a streamlined, well-organised degree in English language, literature, and culture in a comparatively short time. Furthermore, the program is distinguished by its optimal student-to-faculty ratio, leading to generally small course sizes–ideal conditions for focused studies. Of particular note is the program's practical relevance, ensured by professional skills courses (berufsfeldorientierte Kompetenzen, BOK) in the general education component, as well as the possibility of for-credit internships as part of the major.

ECTS

The European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS) is a standard for measuring the expected workload that's necessary for students to successfully meet learning outcomes. For successfully completed studies, ECTS credits are awarded. 1 ECTS point represents 30 hours of work, and each student should spend 1200 hours/yr for their major and 400 for the minor. The ECTS is designed to make the structure of tertiary education, as well as its associated workload, more transparent. Through the accumulation of ECTS points, the system simplifies the documentation of each student's progress.

Financial Support and Stipendia

Please consult the information offered by the Student Service Center as well as the SWFR (under the heading "Money").