If you wish to apply for the MA studies programme ECUE, you must fulfil the following requirements:

• completed BA studies of at least six semesters (minimum of 180 Credit Points/ ECTS) in multiple combinations of social and/or political science, in economics, in humanities, or in cultural studies at a German university or an equivalent foreign academic degree e.g. BA, ... (see content-related requirements)
• very good to excellent academic degree (final degree: minimum 2.3 according to the German grading system)
• If there is no final assessed degree at the time of the application deadline, you can apply by providing proof of at least 80% of the credit points of the degree programme (transcript of records) with a provisional average grade of 2.3 or better. Proof of completion of the BA studies or equivalent must be provided by the time of enrolment at the latest. Enrolment without a proven BA degree is not possible.
• submission of application essay
• German and English language skills (see language requirements)
• for applicants from PR China, Vietnam or Mongolia: valid certificate of the German Embassy (Acedemic Assesment Office, APS).

Your study contents are supposed to serve as a profound basis for the MA studies programme ECUE. Therefore, you need to fulfill one of the following pre-requisites.

Before applying, you are welcome to send us a current Transcript of Records of your studies by email to ecue@rub.de. Without obligation, we will check your content-related requirements .

Proof of possile BA studies from social science, politcal science, economics, cultural studies or humanities, history studies, philosophy:

• BA 1-subject programme; in addition to your major you need to have obtained a total amount of  minimum 20 Credit Points (CP/ ECTS) in at least two of the follwoing subjects: sociology, political science, economics, history studies, philosophy, language and cultural studies, media studies.

• BA 2-subject programme with major in literature and/or lingusitic studies (resp. cultural studies); in addition to your majors you need to have obtained a total amount of  minimum 20 CP/ ECTS in at least two of the follwoing subjects: sociology, political science, economics, history studie, philosophy, media studies.

• BA 2-subject programme with major(s) in economic studies (economics and/or business administration); n addition to your majors you need to have obtained a total amount of  minimum 20 CP/ ECTS in at least two of the follwoing subjects: sociology, political science, history studies, philosophy, language and cultural studies, media studies.

• BA 2-subject programme with one major in aus den literature and/or lingusitic studies (resp. cultural studies); studies need to be combined with one of the following subjects: sociology, political science, economics, history studies, philosophy, media studies.

• BA 2-subject programme combining two of the following subjects: sociology, political science, economics, history studies, philosophy, media studies.

• An interdisciplinary BA studies programme combining at least two of the following subjects: sociology, political science, economics, history studies, philosophy, language and cultural studies, media studies. You need to have optained a total of 100 CP/ ECTS in those subjects. Out of those 100 CP/ ECTS you need to have optained at least 30 CP/ ECTS in non-lingusitic and/or non-literature studies.

If you wish to provide evidence of your international/ intercultural orientation, which are relevant for the MA studies programme ECUE, you may do so by handing in further certificates or documents (e.g. traineeships in foreign countries and/ or international organisations/ institutions or stays abroad during your BA studies).

In the admission essay, the applicants should deal with one or more main topics of the MA studies programme ECUE (European Politics, European Society, European Culture, European Economy, European History). In particular, it is assessed whether the applicants can develop their own relevant questions on one or more of the focal points of the degree programme and answer them independently and conclusively.

Specifications:

• lenght: two to three pages (maximum number of characters: 7200) plus one page maximum for references
• language: German or English
• submitted as pdf-Document togeter with the admission documents to ecue@rub.de 

The admission essay should fulfill following criteria:

• the candidate is able to write an essay indepedently and conclusively to one or more of the main topics (European Policy, European Society, European Culture, European Economy, European History) of the MA studies programme ECUE;
• the candidate is able to consider and to connect normative and analytic-descriptive aspects;
• the candidate is able to structure his or her own essay in an easily accessible format and to articulate in a both generally comprehensible and academically adequate language;
• the candidate knows generally accepted academic standards (arguments and analyses presented must be clearly substantiated by citing sources).

The application essay must be written independently by the applicant. This means that no sources or aids other than those indicated may be used and that quotations must be clearly marked.

The study components within the MA studies programme ECUE are conducted in German and English. To be a successful student, you must possess excellent German and English language skills.

International students should have successfully completed standard German language competency testing at the time of application (for example: Deutsche Sprachprüfung für den Hochschulzugang called "DSH"). In all cases the DSH-test (or its alternative) must be successfully completed by the start of the studies. Alternatives to the DSH qualification include the TestDaF (minimum standard required is 4 x TDN 4 in 4 sub-tests) and the following tests conducted by the Goethe Institute abroad: Goethe-Zertifikat C2, ZentraleOberstufenprüfung (ZOP), KleinesDeutschesSprachdiplom (KDS) or GroßesDeutschesSprachdiplom (GDS).

For all applicants, proof of English language skills extends to:

• TOEFL (internet based from 87 points/ computer based from 227 points),
• IELTS (levels 9 – 6),
• FCE, CAE or CPE (grades A – C)
• UNIcert II
• a completed undergraduate degree in Englisg, including study of the subject English, may also provide for confirmation of requisite skills,
• alternatively: a proofed regular stay abroad (high-school, college, traineeship, work) in an English speaking country (stay: minimum six month).