Master of Arts (MA) in Intercultural German Studies

The program information below was valid for the spring 2023 term (May 1, 2023 - August 31, 2023). This is the archived version; the most up-to-date program information is available through the current Graduate Studies Academic Calendar.

The Graduate Studies Academic Calendar is updated 3 times per year, at the start of each academic term (January 1, May 1, September 1). Graduate Studies Academic Calendars from previous terms can be found in the archives.

• Admit term(s) 
  • Fall
• Delivery mode 
  • On-campus (Waterloo/Mannheim campus)
• Length of program 
  • Students enrolled in this integrated two-year program spend one year at the University of Waterloo and one year at the Universität Mannheim in Germany.
  • Waterloo cohort residency (admitting university: Waterloo):

  Term/Semester	Term 1	Semester 1	Semester 2	Term 2	Term 3
  Months	September - December	January - June	August - December	January - April	April - August
  Location	University of Waterloo	Universität Mannheim	Universität Mannheim	University of Waterloo	University of Waterloo

• Program type 
  • Joint
  • Master's
  • Research
• Registration option(s) 
  • Full-time
• Study option(s) 
  • Thesis
• Additional program information 
  • This program is fully accredited in both Germany and Canada, and the degree is recognized in both countries.

• Minimum requirements 
  • A four-year Honours Bachelor’s degree (or equivalent) in German Studies or a four-year Honours Bachelor’s degree in the Humanities and Social Sciences if evidence justifying admission is offered (with sufficient German proficiency; normally level B2).
  • Minimum average of 78% overall in final two years.
  • Students whose native language is neither English nor German and who have not taken their first degree in a program taught in either language will have their language skills assessed by the admitting university.
  • While every student will be registered at both the University of Waterloo and the Universität Mannheim during the two-year program, students should apply to the university that they will consider their home-university, via that university’s application system. This means that Canadian students should apply to the University of Waterloo while German students should apply to the Universität Mannheim.
• Application materials 
  • Résumé
  • Supplementary information form
    • Outlining intellectual interests and reasons for applying; international study and work experiences, as well as academic honours, or presentations or publications should be included.
  • Transcript(s)
    • From all other post-secondary institutions.
• References 
  • Number of references:  2
  • Type of references: 

    academic

• English language proficiency (ELP) (if applicable)

Thesis option:

Graduate Academic Integrity Module (Graduate AIM)

Courses 

• Students must complete the following courses and seminars:
  • GER 700 Methods of Research (or equivalent)
  • GER 792 Master’s Thesis Colloquium
  • GER 793 Knowledge Transfer & Reflection
  • 1 graduate seminar in Applied Linguistics
  • 1 graduate seminar in Literature/Media Studies
  • 1 graduate seminar in Intercultural Perspectives
  • At least 4 more graduate seminars in either Literature/Media Studies or Applied Linguistics (all graduate seminar courses have a 0.50 credit weight per unit)
  • 1 graduate lecture course in Literature/Media Studies (Mannheim)
  • 1 graduate lecture course in Applied Linguistics (Mannheim)
• Candidates must obtain a minimum overall average of 75% in the courses and seminars presented in fulfillment of the degree requirements.

Link(s) to courses

• German (GER) courses

Master’s Internship

Master’s Thesis

• The Master’s Thesis comprises a Master’s Thesis Prospectus, the Master’s Thesis (should be 80 pages in length), and the Master’s Thesis Defence. The Defence is normally public.
  Guidelines for the Thesis Prospectus and the Thesis Defence are available from the Department.