MA Linguistics
Application Process
Application process
Application deadlines
International students:
- January 15 for the summer term (start the program at April 01)
- July 15 for the winter term (start the program at October 01)
Domestic students:
- March 31 for the summer term (start the program at April 01)
- September 30 for the winter term (start the program at October 01)
We strongly advise domestic students to apply early.
The process
Please check whether you meet the admission criteria and prepare all the required documents (see below)
- Upload your documents and information on the university's application and status portal. (You first have to register and login.)
- Your application is reviewed and the program coordinators will let you know whether you have been approved or not. An appeal against this decision is not possible.
- If you have been approved, you will have to participate in a mandatory consultation with the program coordinators. For this you will get an online or in person apppointment.
- Once you have been admitted to the program, please make sure to start planning your stay in Bielefeld early.
Please find more information on the application process and everything regarding living and studying in Bielefeld and Germany on these sites:
Documents to prepare for your application
Admission criteria
1. A completed bachelor's degree in linguistics or a related discipline (see the case studies below)
3. Applicants must demonstrate completion of courses worth 10 credit points within each of the following four areas below(if the bachelor’s grade is better than the German grade 2.5, proof of three areas suffice)
- Area 1 - Core linguistics
Advanced knowledge of central linguistic levels of description, e.g. phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics or pragmatics, as well as their interfaces. (Introductory classes in linguistics are not sufficient, neither are specific language courses.) -
Area 2 - Linguistic interfaces
Knowledge of central theories and methods of language acquisition, language production, language comprehension, language dynamics, language variation, or linguistic communication.
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Area 3 - Methods
Knowledge of linguistically relevant methods of algebraic and logical-mathematical methods, quantitative-empirical methods (statistics) or transcription procedures for spoken language or other audio-visual communicative signals.
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Area 4 - Analytical methods and application skills
Knowledge of further analytical methods and application skills relevant within a linguistic field of research (e.g. a bachelor’s thesis in linguistics or further advanced skills in one of the areas listed above).
Example cases for meeting the admission criteria
© Universität Bielefeld Student A received a BA in sociology (major) and linguistics (minor) from Bielefeld University. During her studies she took mandatory classes in phonetics & phonology, syntax & morphology, semantics & pragmatics, formal methods, language acquisition, quantitative methods, linguistic transcription, linguistic communication, language production and comprehension as well as advanced classes in psycholinguistics and experimental pragmatics. She therefore qualifies for the master’s program.
© Universität Bielefeld Student B received a BA in English language and literature from another university. His classes in English grammar, English phonetics, essay writing and introductory linguistics do not qualify him for the Bielefeld master’s program in linguistics. However, he additionally completed advanced classes in semantics, pragmatics, phonology, diachronic linguistics and linguistic conversation, each worth 5 CP. His Bachelor’s thesis is a corpus study of the historical development of particles in English, for which he received a good grade. Student B qualifies for three of the four areas and is therefore admitted to the master’s program.
© Universität Bielefeld Student C finished a BA in psychology (major) with linguistics as minor. In her studies, she took advanced classes in statistics. She also completed courses in language acquisition, language production & comprehension, as well as a number of courses in syntax and semantics. She additionally received a good grade for her bachelor’s thesis, thereby qualifying for the master’s program in linguistics.