German Studies

Study information
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Key facts
Degree
Bachelor of Arts
Supplement to degree
major in a multi-subject bachelor’s programme
Admission restriction
without admission restriction (without NC)
Duration
6 Semesters
Credits/ECTS
120
Teaching language
German
Tuition fee
None
Semester contribution
€ 305,05
Start of studies
Winter semester
Part-time possible
Yes
Institutions
Faculty of Arts
Institute of German Literature de
Institute of German Linguistics
Application & Deadlines

Programme content

German Linguistics at the University of Jena is represented by the Institute of German Linguistics and the Institute of German Literature, which are closely interlinked. Here, the German language and its literature are researched and taught in their entire breadth: in literature from the medieval heroic epic to contemporary prose and in linguistics from the level of the sound to word formation and grammar to text analysis. You will be given an overview of the academic branches of German Studies - synchronic and diachronic German Linguistics, Modern German Literature and Age German Literature (Medieval Studies) - and familiarised with methods of academic work. You will be sensitised to processes of linguistic, especially cultural and aesthetic communication and will be shown ways of analysing, critically reflecting on and actively shaping them. At the same time, you will be able to expand your knowledge of culture and cultural history by analysing the fundamentals, history and characteristic manifestations of the German language and literature.

Structure

Multi-subject bachelor’s programme

Picture: Sophie Bartholome

The Bachelor's degree is the first professional qualification. The standard period of study|regular programme length is six semesters in total, during which various forms of courses (e.g. seminars, lectures or tutorials) are offered for the individual modules.

A multi-subject Bachelor's degree consists of a major subject with 120 credit points (abbreviation: LP / 1 LP = 30 hours of attendance, preparation and follow-up work|follow-up activity, learning and assessed coursework and examinations) and a supplementary subject with 60 LP.

Why study in Jena?

  • Literary and cultural Centres such as Weimar, Leipzig and Halle are between twenty minutes and an hour by train from Jena. However, German Studies is also part of the cityscape in Jena: Goethe used to go in and out of Frommann's House, the home of the Institute of German Literature, and Schiller's Garden House and the Romantikerhaus are just ten minutes away.
  • In Jena, it is also possible to study German Grammar School Teacher Training (Gymnasium) and Secondary School Teacher Training (Regelschule); a transition from the Bachelor's degree programme to the teaching degree programme is possible up to the 4th semester.

What can you do after your studies?

Career opportunities:

The Bachelor's degree qualifies students for subject areas that focus on cultural, communicative and linguistic skills, for example media, advertising, literary publicity, editing, cultural management, public relations, specialist journalism, adult education, literary and cultural work and theatre.

Postgraduate master’s programmes at our University

  1. German as a Foreign Language ‐ German as a Second Language (International Master) Master of Arts
    • Faculty of Arts
  2. Education ‐ Culture ‐ Anthropology Master of Arts
    • Faculty of Social and Behavioral Sciences
  3. German Classicism in the European Context Master of Arts
    • Faculty of Arts
  4. German Linguistics Master of Arts
    • Faculty of Arts
  5. Indo‐European Studies Master of Arts
    • Faculty of Arts
  6. Literary Translation in Theory and Practice Master of Arts
    • Faculty of Arts
  7. Literature - Art - Culture Master of Arts
    • Faculty of Arts
  8. Medieval Studies Master of Arts
    • Faculty of Arts
  9. Professional Writing Master of Arts
All degree programmes

Downloads and links for the degree programme

What are we looking for in prospective students?

  • good verbal expression
  • communicative competence
  • Sensitivity to the processes of linguistic interaction and aesthetic communication

Admission requirements

  • University entrance qualification

    A university entrance qualification, such as a general secondary school leaving certificate, is required for admission onto the study programme.

    More information on university entrance qualifications can be found here.

  • Language requirements

    two modern foreign languages or one modern foreign language and Latin; proof by the time of registration for the Bachelor's thesis at the latest

Contacts

Academic Advisory Service - Dr. Manfred Consten (German Linguistics)

Fürstengraben 28
07743 Jena Google Maps site planExternal link

Academic Advisory Service - Dr. Alexander Löck (German Literature)

Room E 030
Fürstengraben 18
07743 Jena Google Maps site planExternal link

Academic Office for Student Affairs and Examinations (ASPA)

Bachstraße 18k
07743 Jena

Telephone hours:
Mondays and Fridays (9:00 – 11:00)
Wednesdays (13:00 – 15:00)

The ASPA is primarily responsible for students in the Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences, the Faculty of Arts and Humanities, and the Faculty of Theology.

Postal address:
Akademisches Studien- und Prüfungsamt
Fürstengraben 1
07743 Jena

Central Student Advisory Service

University Main Building / SSZ
Fürstengraben 1
07743 Jena Google Maps site planExternal link

Office hours:
We offer consultations in person, by telephone, and via Zoom. You can make an appointment by calling us on +49 3641 9-411111 (Mondays to Fridays from 9:00 to 11:00) or outside these office hours on +49 3641 9-411200. You can also use our remote help desk.

Consultation hours:
Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays (9:00 to 12:20), Tuesdays (14:00 to 18:00), and Wednesdays and Thursdays (14:00 to 16:00).

Video chat: To the video chat – Zoom Videochat ZeitenMondays to Fridays (12:30 to 13:00) Password ZSB2020 Data protection informationpdf, 101 kb

Student Service Centre

University Main Building, Room E065
Fürstengraben 1
07743 Jena Google Maps site planExternal link

Opening hours:
ATTENTION:
In the period 11.08.-12.09.2025, the information desk is open for very urgent personal matters on Monday 10 am - 12 noon and Thursday 1 pm - 3 pm.
The information desk will be closed on Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday!
Please use the ServiceDesk for your concerns. Thank you very much.

Information Desk (UHG; Room E0.65) - outside the above-mentioned period:

Mondays (10:00 – 12:00)
Tuesdays (13:00 – 15:00)
Wednesdays (10:00 – 12:00)
Thursdays (13:00 – 15:00)
Fridays (10:00 – 12:00)

You can also use our remote help desk at
www.uni-jena.de/service-ssz
or send us your enquiries by post.

Telephone hours:
Mondays to Fridays
(9:00 – 11:00)

Postal address:
Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena
Studierenden-Service-Zentrum
07737 Jena

International Office - International students

University Main Building
Fürstengraben 1
07743 Jena Google Maps site planExternal link