You are here: Bielefeld University >
Here in the FAQs you find by clicking the answers to common questions around the Master Programme Inter-American Studies.
For application you need the following documents:
Application deadlines: January 15th for Summer Semester and July 15th for Winter Semester
Very important: since Summer Semester 2010 the new online application is obligatory.
Here you can get to the online application portal:
Please send a copy of your application via post or email to:
Prof. Dr. Sebastian Thies
Universität Bielefeld
Postfach 10 01 31 D-33501 Bielefeld
E-Mail: ias@Uni-Bielefeld.de
You can find additional information on the admission requirements, the application process, the contents of study, and the standards of examinations here.
There is a selection process, during which all submitted application documents (diploma/ transcript of records, proof of competence in English/ Spanish, CV, letter of motivation) are reviewed by a selection committee, which decides whether the applicant fulfills admission requirements. Applicants who pass this first round are invited to a selection interview (15 - 20 minutes long) to establish whether the candidate is qualified to successfully study the MA Program Inter-American Studies. A negative answer does not exclude reapplying at a later date.
Further information on admission process can be found in the Program regulations
Fields of Study
The MA Program Inter-American Studies attaches great importance to an interdisciplinary approach, thus enabling students to build up a specific and individual profile at our foreign partner universities.
For the Master Program Inter-American Studies you need extensive language skills in English and Spanish since a large part of courses will be given in these languages. Proofs of language skills can be provided either before the semester start or during the first term. Students can take the language tests at the University of Bielefeld. Similar language certificates (e.g. TOEFL) are also accepted.
Good German language skills are obligatory for IAS students since some of the offered courses for the Master Program Inter-American Studies will be given in German, and students will have to take exams in this language as well. Applicants who are not German native speakers must take an entrance test (DAF-3 or DSH I) before applying at the University of Bielefeld. The exam can also be taken during the first term. Similar language certificates (e.g. ÖSD) are also accepted.
| Module | Coordinator of module |
|---|---|
| (1) Interdisciplinary Introduction Module "Inter-American Studies" | Sebastian Thies |
| (2) Profile-area supplement | Christian Büschges Sebastian Thies |
| (3) Transnational Area Studies | |
| (3a) Contact Zones and Intercultural Studies | Stephan Gramley |
| (3b) Theory Module Transnational History | Thomas Welskopp |
| (4) American Literature and the Processes of Cultures | Wilfried Raussert |
| (5) Literaturas y culturas iberoamericanas | Sebastian Thies |
| (6) Advanced Module Literature and Culture in the Americas | Wilfried Raussert |
| (7) Languages in Contact | U. Dausendschön-Gay Barbara Job |
| (8) Transnational History in the Americas | Christian Büschges |
| (9) Structures and Dynamics of World Society and Transnationalization | Thomas Faist |
| (10) Forms of Transnational Socialization and Community Building | Joanna Pfaff-Czarnecka Thomas Faist |
| (11) Politics of World Society | Matthias Albert |
| (12) Thesis Module | Supervising tutor of the thesis project |
The M.A. Program in Inter-American Studies is designed to create expertise in international processes of culture-, society-, and communication. Therefore, students are expected to spend at least one semester at one of the partner universities abroad. This provides the opportunity to test the acquired theoretical knowledge in a concrete cultural, social and political environment in the Americas. Additionally, the stay abroad prepares students for their role as intercultural mediators, since they gain deeper insights in the culture and society of their host country. The University of Bielefeld has numerous partner universities in North and Latin America at which students can continue their degree program in Inter-American Studies.
For more information about studies abroad please click here.
The M.A. Program in Inter-American Studies does not require an internship. Nevertheless an internship- also in connection with a longer stay abroad - has a positive impact on career opportunities. Therefore we recommend an internship. Students can use term breaks or do an internship in connection with their Master`s thesis. For questions concerning internships, please contact our
internship agent Diana Fulger:
Diana Fulger
E-Mail: ias@uni-bielefeld.de
Phone: +49 521 106-3663
Office: C4-237
The M.A. Program in Inter-American Studies helps students aquire professional skills in text and media analysis. Additionally, students gain practical media qualifications through their study project. Consequently, graduates are trained in various career fields. They can pursue a career in the areas of international and development agencies, intercultural communication, public relations, and text- and media-based fields, such as internationally operating PR-agencies and radio- and tv-broadcast stations. Beyond that, graduates can work in internationally operating business assemblies and consultancy, since cultural and language skills in the Anglo- and Latin American region are increasingly gaining significance.
Portal 
