FAQs Next

Foreign Language Competency: What foreign language skills are necessary?

For US students, we require foreign language skills in Spanish, French, or German, (in exceptional cases and only after intense consultation Russian), i.e., in the languages in which we offer graduate-level seminars. Language competency in these languages should be sufficient to be able to read very complex theoretical texts, conduct difficult academic discussions, and write seminar papers at this level. Therefore we require both an outside evaluation as well as a self-evaluation of your language skills as a prerequisite for admission into the MA program.

Financial Aid for US students: What opportunities are there for financial aid for US students?

We recommend that our US students apply through the FAFSA program for financial aid based in work/study arrangements. The Graduate School and other offices on campus offer various jobs and forms of employment throughout the semester with flexible hours.

Thesis or non-thesis option: What are the differences between the two?

The thesis option requires 6 credits of Masters thesis research and 12 credits of language courses for US students enrolled in the language tracks. After choosing a research advisor (towards the end of the first half of your studies), you would discuss with the research advisor whether to do the thesis or the non-thesis option. The non-thesis option requires 18 credits of electives, which may be split between language electives and other relevant ones. In addition, the non-thesis option requires a written comprehensive exam covering the material in 3 of the 4 core courses. The non-thesis option requires writing a scholarly paper (50-80 pages) as well. We recommend that students select the thesis option only if they attain a grade of “A” in at least half of their core courses and focus on a topic covered by a paper in at least two of them.