Faculty of Humanities

International Degree Programs

The following degree programs at the University of Tübingen may be studied completely in English (and in some cases, an additional language). Knowledge of German is not required for admission.

Bachelor of Arts

B.A. International Studies in Computational Linguistics

ISCL is a leading international program focusing on computational linguistics, the interdisciplinary combination of linguistics and computer science. The program includes both the practical side (programming, data structures and algorithms) as well as the linguistic foundations (morphology, phonology, syntax, and semantics). On this basis, courses establish the link between the practical, the empirical, and the theoretical sides and investigate current research topics and applications in computational linguistics.

An internship in a company or in-house is included in the degree program. The program also includes key qualification courses, such as language courses or additional courses in technology and tools. The BA ISCL program offers the broad and solid basis of knowledge needed to engage with research at MA (or PhD) level as well as the skills needed to successfully work as a computational linguist in the expanding language technology industry.

Website of B.A. International Studies in Computational Linguistics

B.A. Interdisciplinary American Studies

The B.A. program in Interdisciplinary American Studies (IAS) offers students a strong core curriculum of courses in literary and cultural studies and a flexible elective curriculum incorporating related disciplines such as history, political science, media studies and sociology. Taught by a dedicated staff - including three full professors in American Studies - the IAS program aims at enabling students to apply the tools and approaches developed by different disciplines to advance a critical understanding of the American experience in a global context.

Website of B.A. Interdisciplinary American Studies


Master of Arts

M.A. American Studies

The wide variety of courses in this Master's program ranges from those on America's colonial past and early literary culture to those covering contemporary themes in race, class, gender, religious, ethnic, and regional studies. We pride ourselves on offering students an interdisciplinary curriculum which emphasizes student autonomy as well as academic collaboration and exchange. The program consists of four core aspects:

  • American Literature and Culture
  • Interdisciplinary Profile
  • Research
  • Practice

Within this structure, students are exposed to the fundamental theoretical framework of American studies while completing collaborative and independent research projects. Each year, our department welcomes a number of esteemed guest professors from international universities. Teaching lectures and seminars, our guests bring new and innovative research and perspectives to students of American studies. All students of American studies are encouraged to spend time in an English speaking country. This is an invaluable opportunity for students to work with experienced professionals in a different academic environment.
Website of M.A. American Studies

M.A. Cultures of the Global South

In this MA degree program you will investigate contemporary cultures of the Global South with a focus on social and political dynamics and from the vantage point of comparative transregional studies. The program is international, interdisciplinary and intercultural in orientation, with a strong emphasis on research as well as on building bridges between theory and professional practice.

The program deals with thematic complexes such as

  • colonialism and postcolonialism
  • migration and mobility
  • transculturalism and globalization

Among the disciplines involved in teaching the program are Literary, Cultural and Media Studies, along with Cultural Anthropology, Education, and other related Social Sciences.

Website M.A. Cultures of the Gobal South

M.A. English Linguistics

The core teaching of the MA program consists of the modules

  • Descriptive Linguistics
  • Linguistic Methodology
  • Applied Linguistics
  • Theoretical Linguistics

Students are introduced to current theoretical and empirical issues in class and deepen their knowledge in work groups. The module Interdisciplinary Extensions adds expertise in the form of courses taken in other departments with which English linguistics collaborates. In the module Practice, students can do an internship or get experience in academic teaching. While the emphasis is on encouraging students to work independently, students always have the support of a structured program.

M.A. English Literatures and Cultures

This area of study delves into the rich tradition of English literature in Great Britain, as well as the newer literatures that have emerged in English across the globe. Of particular interest is the role literature has played across a range of cultural contexts throughout history, both in terms of its functions and achievements. Literature is therefore viewed as an integral part of the culture of the modern era, in the widest sense of the phrase – encompassing cultural developments from the Middle Ages to the "post-modern" era. More recent developments in the field, built on the concept of "literary studies as a form of media studies and cultural studies", form the basis for exploring the relationship between literary texts and other types of text and media, thus creating a productive link between literary and cultural studies. The ability to critically analyze and reflect on texts of any kind constitutes the core principle underlying teaching and learning in this area.

M.A. International Studies in Computational Linguistics

As one of the leading computational linguistics programs in Germany, the ISCL MA course of study focuses both on current themes in computational linguistics research as well as on practical skills. Students can choose from a wide range of courses at our department and other departments of Tübingen University.
Topics dealt with in our courses include

  • grammar formalisms
  • machine learning
  • information retrieval
  • dialectometry
  • and computer-aided language learning, to name just a few.

Most courses are accompanied by practical lab sessions. By writing term papers, our students learn how to solve problems on a solid academic basis.

M.A. Islamic Studies: Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations

The program of Islamic Studies is designed for students who wish to obtain a strong educational background in the history, religion, and cultures of the Near East. Students interested in specializing in classical and post-classical Islamic Intellectual History will find this program to be especially appealing.

The languages and cultural traditions of the Islamic Near East, both past and present, constitute the core of the degree program. The degree program allows students to combine a solid philological formation with a strong theoretical outlook. Courses are designed to equip students with advanced scientific and methodological tools and facilitate their ability to approach and analyze various textual traditions that are drawn from a broad spectrum of genres, ranging from medieval manuscript traditions to today’s written and social media.

M.A. Social and Cultural Anthropology

The Master's program in Social and Cultural Anthropology offers students an advanced understanding of cultures and societies. The regional focus of this program is on Central Asia and South Asia and core topics include

  • religion
  • economic and political organization
  • health and illness
  • patterns of exchange
  • kinship and solidarity
  • and socio-cultural diversity.

The program consists of seminars focusing on anthropological theories and methods, as well as on regional topics and languages (courses in Kyrgyz / Tamil / Persian / Afrikaans).

Students spend their third semester either engaging in a research project or working as an intern in an organization.
This M.A. program enables students to develop an understanding of the complexities of other peoples' life-worlds in order to be able to use this knowledge in both academic and applied fields.