Springe direkt zu Inhalt

Master program Islamic Studies

Master's program in Islamic Studies (in german) 

Contents of the Master's program

A comprehensive overview of the structure and content of the Master's program at the Institute of Islamic Studies is provided by our Online Subject Selection Assistant (OSA).

You can find a detailed description of our major in Islam in Europe here.

Admission requirements

Required degree

A Bachelor's degree in History and Culture of the Near East or a comparable course of study must be available. Study programs in Islamic Studies, Arabic Studies, Middle Eastern Studies/History and the like are considered comparable. Students who did not complete their BA at the FU Berlin can contact us before the admission deadline to inquire about the comparability of their program. On p. 638 of the admission statutes (see link at the bottom of this page) you will also find a list of degree programs that are included in the selection process without an equivalence test.

Bachelor's degree at the time of enrollment

The Bachelor's degree does not have to be available at the time of enrollment. Applicants who have not yet received their first degree will also be admitted. In this case, a current transcript of records must be submitted as a substitute. The transcript must show an average grade. If this is not the case, the applicant will participate in the admission procedure, but will be at the end of the ranking list. Students enrolled at Freie Universität Berlin can submit a certificate from the examination office responsible for their degree program instead of the transcript of records, showing the current level of performance and the preliminary average grade. As a general rule, at least two-thirds of the work to be completed in the Bachelor's program must have been evaluated and the topic of the Bachelor's thesis must have already been issued. It only makes sense to apply for the Master's program in Islamic Studies if it is certain that the Bachelor's program will probably be completed either by the time of matriculation or during the 1st semester at the latest.

Language requirements

For admission to the master's program, applicants must demonstrate the following language requirements:

  • Proof of written Arabic language skills (level C1 CEFR) and oral Arabic language skills (level B1 CEFR). The proof is considered to be provided with the completion of the module Arabic IV in the Bachelor's program History and Culture of the Near East at Freie Universität Berlin with a minimum grade of 3.0.
  • Proof of written and oral English language skills (level B2 CEFR). In particular, applicants should be able to read technical literature without difficulty, even on a larger scale. 

Applicants who have obtained their degree at a foreign university or equivalent institution must provide proof of German language skills.

Knowledge of a second Islamic Studies source language need not be demonstrated.

Further informationen

Group size

The group size is around 15-20 students. Despite the increase in applicants, the maximum group size of 30 is not exceeded. In this respect, study conditions and supervision are very good.

Language training in the master's program

In Arabic, students should have completed the acquisition of grammar at the beginning of the program and be able to read shorter texts independently with the help of a dictionary. Arabic courses will therefore no longer be offered in the Master's program. Instead, a total of five modules (one in the first semester, two each in the second and third semesters) will contain exercises, which primarily serve the reading of Arabic texts on the topics of the parallel seminars. In addition, the use of various sources and aids (dictionaries, etc.) will be practiced. In the third semester, students will learn how to research Arabic sources independently. Students will be introduced to the use of Arabic secondary literature. In the "Law" module, a translation from Arabic is part of the examination requirements. All this is intended to enable students to use Arabic sources with confidence when working on their Master's thesis.

In the course of their studies, students also complete courses in a second language amounting to at least 10 LP. As a standard, a two-semester course "Turkish Reading for MA Students in Islamic Studies" is offered at the Institute, for which knowledge of Turkish at A2 level is a prerequisite. However, students can also choose Turkish, Persian, Hebrew or other subject-relevant languages at beginner or advanced level, depending on their interest and knowledge.

Internship Module

In another, students have the option of taking either an additional language course of 5 LP or a work-related internship of 120 hours in a field related to the subject in the broadest sense. Employers can be research departments of companies as well as media institutions, government institutions, international organizations, think tanks, NGOs or foundations and the like. The internship can also be completed abroad.

Subsidiary subjects/electives

The Master's program includes a so-called inter- and transdisciplinary area. Within this framework, a module of another subject amounting to 10 LP must be completed. The Institute for Islamic Studies has concluded agreements with other subjects so that a sufficient number of firmly reserved places in modules are available. As things stand, this includes modules in Arabic Studies, especially on the Qur'an, in Edition Studies (especially recommended for those interested in manuscripts), in History, in Japanese Studies, and the aforementioned Ottoman module in Turkish Studies; agreements are also being sought with subjects in the social sciences: geography, other regional studies, political science, and religious studies. In principle, however, students are completely free to choose their inter- and transdisciplinary module, provided that a place is available. It is advisable to contact the lecturers of the desired courses in good time before the semester begins.

Semester abroad

A semester abroad is not firmly planned. However, we strongly recommend it, especially in an Arabic country or also Iran, Turkey etc., if this corresponds to the linguistic focus and interests. However, it is usually not always guaranteed in these countries to acquire the credit points required in the Master's program: At the beginning of their stay abroad, most students do not yet have sufficient language skills to successfully complete events in the local languages. For the acquisition of good Arabic skills, a full year abroad would be ideal, either between Bachelor and Master or after the first year of the Master's program with simultaneous leave of absence at the FU Berlin.

Please also have a look at: FU Students Abroad

If you are going to a university where you can take courses and earn credits that fit the content, e.g. in another European or American country, in Israel, at an English-speaking university in the Middle East, etc., then we recommend the third semester as the most favorable time.

Master thesis

The master thesis with a length of 15,000 - 18,000 words is usually written in the course of the 4th semester. In addition to individual supervision, a research colloquium is also planned for this, in which methodological-theoretical questions are discussed and students have the opportunity to present their master's thesis projects. It is advisable to start thinking about the thematic orientation of the master's thesis already in the course of the 2nd or at the latest 3rd semester.

A small list of MA thesis topics written at the institute in recent years can be found here.

Application and deadlines

Applications do not go through the Institute for Islamic Studies, but through the (central) Application and Admission Department. Applications are possible for the winter and summer semester. The majority of places are allocated according to final grade. Despite the steadily increasing number of applications, all applicants who met the formal criteria have been accepted so far.

Any questions?

If you have any further questions, please feel free to contact our secretarial staff or the Master's Program representative.

CURRENT STUDY/EXAMINATION REGULATIONS

Tutoring
Mentoring
Akkreditierte Studiengänge_v3