MA National & Transnational Studies - Frequently Asked Questions

General information on the university and the city

"What kind of life and study experience does Münster offer?"
If you would like to get some introductory insights into campus and city life, you might be interested in watching a few short videos which the university has produced for prospective students.

In addition, you might like to check to following websites:

Muenster University homepage
City of Muenster homepage

History & accreditation of the M.A. NTS programme

"How long has this M.A. programme been running?"
The M.A. programme "National and Transnational Studies: Literature, Culture, Language" has been running since 2008.

"Has this M.A. programme already been accredited?"
The programme was accredited in May 2008 and re-accredited for another eight years in 2021. For details see the following website of the Stiftung Akkreditierungsrat [de]

Application phase – dates

“When do I have to submit my application?”

For the MA NTS, the application period begins in the first week of May every year. One application per candidate is possible during this period; applications outside the designated application period cannot be accepted.

Applications will be processed in three phases and places will be offered accordingly. Applications received by May 7th will be evaluated in time for notifying candidates around May 12th. The second round of applications, received by June 11th, will be evaluated in time for notifying candidates around June 19th. Applicants from outside the EU are strongly advised to apply as early as possible. In this way, successful candidates have a maximum of time to apply for visas (which can be time-consuming) and also to arrange funding, travel, and accommodation before the start of the MA NTS orientation week. This generally takes place in the first week of October.

Candidates applying between 12 June and 15 July will be notified at the end of July.

Application requirements

"Should I provide a motivation letter/cover letter/previous academic writing sample for the application?"

In order to apply for the M.A. NTS, you need to upload an essay which corresponds to the essay task of the year you are applying instead of a motivation letter, a cover letter, or a previous academic writing example. The essay task is updated for each cohort, you can find the most recent one on our Admissions page.

Language skills

“Will I need to have obtained my English language certificates before applying, or is there a possibility to do this later, i.e. between application/acceptance and the start of my M.A. studies?”

You must already submit your English language certificate at the time of application.
This is necessary in order to ensure that all candidates really do have excellent skills in English (our official medium of instruction on this M.A.) by the time they start studying on the programme – otherwise they will not be able to follow classes. In order to ensure that places on the programme are only offered to students who indeed possess such language skills, all applicants who are not native speakers of English must submit evidence of their English language skills (language certificates) at the time of their application. For this kind of language certificates required, please see the "Admissions and Regulations" section of this website.

"Do I really need a language certificate? My previous education was conducted entirely in English, does this count as proof of language proficiency?" (for applicants from non-native-speaker countries)

Please note that it is NOT possible to just apply with a BA diploma in English, not even if that BA program was taught through the medium of English. All applicants who are not native speakers also need to submit a separate language certificate such as TOEFL, IELTS or similar. The reason is that language standards vary from university to university, even for BAs in English; hence we need a certificate like TOEFL etc. to facilitate assessment of applicants' actual language skills. Please note that we consider you a native speaker if English is an official language in your country.

"Due to certain social, political or economical reasons, I'm unable to take an IELTS or TOEFL test in my country. What else can I do to provide proof of language proficiency?"

In these particular situations, please contact us via email, so we can assess it and let you know about other possibilities.

“How important are German language skills?”

German language skills are desirable but not mandatory.
You do not need German language skills to study at the English Department, where all classes and assignments are in English.
Other departments teach some courses in English (or other languages), but most of their courses tend to be in German. Thus, a good knowledge of German will extend your course choices, especially for the interdisciplinary "External Module" in the third semester.
A good knowledge of German will also be helpful for the module "Work Experience": If you wish to do your work placement in Germany rather than abroad, a good knowledge of the language will greatly extend the range of options available to you.
Having at least a working knowledge of German will, of course, also facilitate your general life in Germany. However, it is usually possible to get through everyday life in English – most people speak some English and will be happy to practise their skills on you!
If you would like to attend a German language course while you are here, a good starting point is the University's Language Centre (Sprachenzentrum), Dept. for German as a Foreign Language / Lehrgebiet Deutsch als Fremdsprache – they offer advice and a range of courses at different levels.

Other educational certificates

“We don't have an equivalent to the German Abitur in my country, and the application requires those scores. Am I exempt from that requirement?”

Non-German school leaving certificates / college admissions tests can be accepted as Abitur equivalent. Whether this applies in your individual case is not dependent on the general type of certificate you have (e.g. American SAT or ACT test), but on your individual grades and qualifications shown on those certificates. Thus, when applying for our M.A. programme, please submit both your school leaving certificates and (if applicable in your case) your certificate(s) about the college admissions test(s) you sat. The admissions committees of Muenster University will then check your documents for Abitur equivalence.
In many cases, however, the requirement for Abitur or non-German equivalent school leaving certificates / college admissions tests is a mere formality, since we also require your BA certificate which is a more important (and more recent) indicator of your academic abilities.

“If I don’t yet have my B.A. certificate at the time of application, the admissions regulations (Zulassungsordnung) requires a preliminary certificate. But my current university does not give out preliminary certificates (e.g. incl. information on expected final grades).”

For such specific questions relating to application formalities, please contact the University’s Master Admissions Office (Masterbüro) at masterbuero@uni-muenster.de. For instance, you can explain your problem to them and ask if they accept a certificate from your current university that you are due to graduate this year, along with a current student transcript which shows the grades you’ve obtained so far (to give at least some impression of your performance level) – as long as you supply your official B.A. certificate at a later date, once you have obtained it (even if that will be after the deadline).
If such agreements come to be made in your case, you should briefly refer to them again in your application, as a reminder and an explanation of why your documents are (at present) slightly different.

"I did my BA in a different field, but I already have an MA in English Studies, can I still apply for NTS?"

Depending on your BA subject, yes you can. You can find a list of accepted fields here. Please remember that we are only allowed to take BA grades into account, so we will only assess the grades of courses from your BA transcript that are relevant to the NTS curriculum when taking your application into account.

Cost and funding

"What is the cost of tuition per semester or academic year?"

There are no tuition fees (regardless of students’ country of origin). There is, however, a social service contribution which currently amounts to € 316.98 per semester (as of summer semester 2023) and includes a semester ticket covering public transport for the greater Münster area and the German federal state of North Rhine–Westphalia.
Consider this website for further details regarding semester fees.

“How high are the costs of living in Münster?”

Costs of living amount to approximately € 800–900 per month.

“I'd like to apply for a grant or scholarship (e.g. DAAD, Fulbright). Who would be the best contact person for me to begin discussing projects/requirements?”
The University has a central institution dealing with such matters, the International Office. They should also be able to give advice.

“Does the English department offer any sort of teaching assistantships to M.A. students?”
The numbers of student tutors (studentische Tutoren) we employ is very limited. But there are posts for student assistants (studentische Hilfskraefte) working for professors/chairs or in the departmental library – and openings for such jobs are regularly available. It would be good to signal your interest in and qualifications for this early on. We cannot guarantee such placements, however.

Information on residency regulations for international students

“How can I apply for / extend my residence permit?”

For detailed information on regulations, required documents, and the procedure, download the following document: PDF: Information for international students. You can also find more up-to-date information on the website of the Foreigners' Office in Münster.

Information on thesis registration and graduation

"When do I have to register my thesis with the Prüfungsamt in order to finish my MA on time, in semester four?"

For more details, advice, and the relevant forms, go here.

Contact persons

"Whom can I contact for further information?"

If you like, you can use our general contact form. We will then forward your inquiry to the appropriate contact person or department.

If you prefer to contact an individual contact person or department directly:

Inquiries about the contents and curriculum of the degree programme, as well as inquiries about entry requirements, application procedures, etc. can be addressed to MANTS@uni-muenster.de.

Inquiries concerning formal aspects of the admissions procedure can also be addressed to the University's Registry / Student Services Office (Studierendensekretariat) (e-mail studierendensekretariat_AT_uni-muenster.de)

The University also has a Student Advisory and Counselling Centre [de].

Information about scholarships is also available at http://www.uni-muenster.de/studium/en/kosten/stipendien.html [de]

Frequently Asked Questions