No, according to current study regulations there is no age restriction.

No, according to the Study and Examination Regulations there are no restrictions.

No, the master's programme 'European languages' will admit students in winter term only. Student will be admitted only once a year.

Yes, technical diplomas count as university degrees. They must, however, meet the conditions of the admission requirements. (see Admission Statute)

Yes, if the criteria of the admission requirements are met (see Admission Statute) and the applicant can prove the necessary credit points in linguistics. Please note that the master's programme is research-oriented and focusses on linguistics. Although the further development of language competence is part of the study, it is not the focus of the master's programme.

The anabin database will help you to find out if your university degree is recognized in Germany.

It is a prerequisite for an application for the master course "Languages of Europe" that your university degree is recognized as equivalent to a Bachelor's degree obtained in Germany.

Yes, since April 2008 international students with a foreign degree who want to apply for master's programmes have to do so via uni-assist.

• For more information on application procedures
• For more information about uni-assist

You can, in fact, not be completely sure. There is no generally recognized reference grid to compare ECTS credits with other evaluation systems. We can only recommend to be guided by the ECTS regulations applicable to Erasmus students or other foreign students at your home university. Please contact your examination office or info service for foreign students to find out how many credit points are awarded to them for individual courses.
ECTS (European Credit Transfer System) is a European evaluation system that does not only consider the exam result, but also the workload associated with a particular course. For 30 hours of work (per semester) 1 ECTS credit is granted. Hours of work include the time spent in class, the time spent for preparation and follow-up as well as the time for exam preparation, if applicable.

We recommend that you ask your previous university for a document which specifies the local credit system and regulations for conversion into ECTS points or work hours. Please add this document to your application in order to avoid errors in credit conversion during the selection process.

Proof of German language competence

Regarding the proof of German language skills applicants need to distinguish between application and registration.
The skills required are higher for regular registration than for application.

Details an binding information can be found on the central pages of Freie Universität.

• C1 CEFR certificate
• TestDaf with at least the grade of 4 in two parts and 3 in the other parts
• DSH-1

• DSH 2 (standard) or equivalent:

- TestDaF on TDN 4 or higher in all parts of the exam (at least 4 x TDN 4)
- Zentrale Oberstufenprüfung des Goethe-Instituts (ZOP)
- Kleines Deutsches Sprachdiplom (KDS)
- Großes Deutsches Sprachdiplom (GDS)
- Sprachdiplom II der KMK mit C 1 in allen Prüfungsteilen
- Feststellungsprüfung des Studienkollegs
- C 2-Zertifikat des Goethe-Instituts

 Applicants who cannot provide proof of DSH-2 German language competence or higher at the time of application will be invited by the FU to take the DSH exam. Students who pass the exam on DSH-1 level will be provisionally immatriculated and will have to pass the DSH-2 exam by the end of the second semester or else they cannot continue their studies Please see the DSH information of the FU Language Centre. For exemption from the DSH requirement please see the DSH-FAQs.

Proof of English language skills

There is no distinction between application and registration. Proof of the required skills has to be submitted at the time of application.

• six years English lessons at school
• IELTS 5.0
• Cambridge Examinations:
  First Certificate (FCE)
  Advanced (CAE)
  Proficiency (CPE)
• TOEFL: Paper 500 or Computer 170 or Internet 80
• UNIcert® II

Yes, in exceptional cases applicants may be exempt from the DSH  requirement, if evidence of sufficient knowledge of oral and written German can be provided. Examples of such evidence are:

• completed studies in a German speaking study course at a German speaking university,
• the International Baccalaureat (IB), depending on the mark in the subject German,
• the successful attendance of  the tenth grade at a German speaking highschool ("Gymnasium"), depending on the mark in the subject German.

Please send your queries and applications for exemption to

Claudia Burghoff E-Mail: claudia.burghoff@fu-berlin.de or

Gabriela Leder E-Mail: gabriela.leder@fu-berlin.de

Having the the German nationality or having a German-speaking parent are no reason for exemption.
Likewise, having obtained a degree in German language and literature in your country of origin does not exempt you per se from the DSH requirement.

No, native languages cannot be chosen as foreign languages in the course of the language training of the master's programme.

When studying a master's programmes at the FU no malus points or the like can be accrued.
However, it is recommended to give advance notice to the examination's office if you wish to exceed the regular study period.

It is possible to apply with a yet incomplete degree if the following conditions are met (§ 2, paragraph 5 of the Admission Statute of the master's programme 'Linguistics'):

• As a substitute, a current transcript of records covering at least 2/3 of the mandatory study program with a linguistics content of at least 14 credit points. Also, the subject of the thesis must already have been issued.

• In case of submission, the diploma must be submitted within the first semester.

The admission is conditional.