The program requires that you participate in classes on the campus of Freie Universität Berlin.  

Students holding a degree from a university outside of Germany must submit their application through uni-assist. For more information click here.

The master's program Interdisciplinary Studies of the Middle East is tuition-free. Fees for registering as a student of Freie Universität Berlin currently run at around €300 per semester (including free use of the Berlin public transportation system). For more information about the exact fees, see the website of the student administration.

There are no specific scholarships for the program, but students can apply for funding independently. A variety of German organizations and foundations offer scholarships for international students in Germany. Each year, several international students of Freie Universität apply successfully for funding from such programs. The DAAD site can help you find a scholarship that fits your personal profile.

Yes, you can submit two applications of equal value for the first semester, but only one application for the higher subject-specific semester.

Yes, if you provide official, provisional documentation from the examination office of your university or faculty that includes a preliminary final grade and certifies that you have already earned at least two-thirds of the necessary credit points. It is not sufficient to calculate the preliminary final grade yourself. The certification must be handed in by the application deadline or your application will not be considered.

We recommend checking the anabin database – a portal informing about recognizing foreign degrees in Germany. 

NO. It may be any degree in an archaeological discipline OR a degree in a related discipline like history, cultural anthropology, art history, historical geography or similar with a STRONG focus on archaeological topics. Wether such a relation is strong is evaluated by the MA-AAW selection commission of the Department of History and Cultural Studies within the process – not ahead of it. 

Yes. Please note, however, that this is a consecutive master's program; therefore, you will be required to apply on the basis of your bachelor's degree. Qualifications acquired in addition to the bachelor's degree (e.g. education other than a university program, professional experience), can be considered within the application process to document skills and knowledge.

Yes. Please note, however, that this is a consecutive master's program; therefore, you will be required to apply on the basis of your bachelor's degree. Qualifications acquired in addition to the bachelor's degree (e.g. education other than a university program, professional experience), can be considered within the application process to document skills and knowledge.

To establish qualifications equivalent to 60 ECTS or more that are relevant to interdisciplinary studies of the Middle East in fields such as Arabic Studies, Iranian Studies, Islamic Studies, Jewish Studies, Semitic Studies, or Turkish and Ottoman Studies – in the sense of cultural studies (including literary studies, linguistics, religious studies, philosophie, cultural history) –, submit together with your application a CV as well as relevant documents. 

Qualifications for the master’s degree program earned outside of a university setting can be documented through diplomas, certificates, or other official documents. Such qualifications include certificates of continuing education programs, degrees from training programs for recognized occupations, diplomas from institutions that are state-approved or recognized by a Chamber of Commerce and Industry, or an equivalent international professional qualification, and they must have been earned subsequent to the degree mentioned in sentence 1.

The qualification must be substantially related to the subject matter of the degree mentioned in sentence 1 or to the degree pursued in the master’s program. Moreover, the qualification must have been awarded by an institution that is recognized by public law and must have been earned in the form of quantifiable and consecutive individual curricular modules. The qualification must be equivalent to at least level 6 of the German Qualifications Framework (Deutscher Qualifikationsrahmen, DQR). Professional experience that is pertinent to the master’s degree program must have been gained after the completion of the degree mentioned in sentence 1 and must be fundamentally related to the subject matter of the degree mentioned in sentence 1 or to the degree pursued in the master’s program. Relevant professional experience can include, for example, work at a research center, either at a university or elsewhere, that deals with topics on the Near or Middle East, working for international organizations or (non-) governmental organizations, for cultural or educational institutions that support intercultural, international, or interfaith understanding, or working in the field of translation.

Please note that in the case of applying with a degree unrelated to Interdisciplinary Studies of the Middle East, we cannot take into account language courses to fulfil two different admission requirements, the minimum of 60 ECTS in courses that are relevant to interdisciplinary studies of the Middle East AND the proficiency (at least level B1 CEFR or equivalent) in a programme-related language. 

The language of instruction in our program is English. We must stress that a high level of English proficiency is required in order to study our master's program successfully. Even if you formally fulfil the language requirements, we recommend that you reflect on your personal language proficiency. Students are expected to read and understand academic texts, to discuss and present advanced scholarly questions when attending classes and to articulate their thoughts in an academic style when submitting assignments or writing research papers and their master's thesis.

Language proficiency in German is not required for the program.

Applicants must submit proof of English language proficiency on a C1 (CEFRL) level together with their application.

To document your English language proficiency, you can submit one of the following certificates:

• IELTS (Academic): overall score at least 7.0 (C1)

• TOEFL Internet-based iB: overall score 100 or higher, at least 25 in writing

• Cambridge Certificate of Proficiency in English (CPE): grades A-C

• Cambridge Certificate in Advanced English (CAE): grades A-C

• Cambridge First Certificate of English (FCE): grades A-B

• Cambridge English Scale CPE, CAE and FCE (from January 2015): overall score at least 180 and in writing at least 180

• UNIcert® (level III or higher)

These certificates must not be older than three years at the time of application.

You have to prove your proficiency in English on level C1 CERF upon application. Failure to submit complete documents upon application will result in rejection.

No, you have to document your proficiency in English on level C1 CERF upon application. Failure to submit complete documents together with your application will result in rejection.

No, you would definitely have to enroll for the semester for which you receive the letter of admission; otherwise, your spot in our program will be forfeited and you would have to reapply – also, there will be no admissions in summer semesters. 

In case you are not sure whether you can start your studies in the first semester, please check whether a leave of absence would be an option for your: https://www.fu-berlin.de/en/studium/studienorganisation/immatrikulation/rueckmeldung/urlaubssemester/index.html We know that is says there that usually leave of absence is not accepted in the first semester, but we have been informed that due to the pandemic situation, you may simply make your case and we would definitely support you (e.g. through a statement if necessary) should you choose this option.

No, your application has to be complete before the deadline, which is why we would advise you to submit your application as soon as possible, so that in case there are missing documents, you would still have the chance to complete your application before the deadline.

No, your application will be considered solely on the basis of your qualifications.