The FAU Master of Arts English Studies is a degree programme with a focus on research. It offers in-depth study of the English language and the literatures and cultures of Great Britain and Ireland (as well as other English speaking countries). The course of study is modularised and encourages a specialisation in one of the two following fields:
"Culture and Literature"
Culture and Literature employs two of the most prominent approaches in the humanities: the history of ideas and discourse analysis.
Courses in Cultural Studies focus on cultural history, popular culture, and processes of cultural and medial translation. A specific emphasis is placed on the intersection of culture with economics and politics.
Courses in Literary Studies cover a wide range of English literatures from the Renaissance to the present, closely examining literary texts as well as their relations to other discourses such as philosophy and religion.
A Wild Card module provides the opportunity to do an internship in order to get work experience in a related area (optional). Internships will have to be organised by the students themselves.
"Linguistics and Applied Linguistics"
This specialisation focuses on the description and analysis of the English language in the light of current linguistic theories and teaching approaches. The following topics are covered:
the idiomatic element of language: construction grammar, valency theory, research on collocation and idiomaticity
foreign language teaching: lexicography, grammar, contrastive linguistics, speech perception and production, literacy development, bilingualism and bilingual education
first and second language acquisition and research on learner language
corpus linguistics
the English language: history and variation
Students may study one of these fields exclusively (specialisation), or they may choose to study a combination of the two fields (dedicating an equal amount of their studies to both fields). All three paths:
comprise special advanced language classes to further develop students' skills in the English language as well as their academic skills
encourage students to choose modules from a range of related subjects (including North American Studies, Book Studies, Romance languages and others)
offer a number of places for studying abroad at other European universities
are taught entirely in English
The areas of research are also embedded into a number of well-established research centres. Among them are the following:
the Interdisciplinary Centre for Research on Dialects and Language Variation
the Interdisciplinary Centre for Research on Lexicography, Valency and Collocation
the Interdisciplinary Centre for Contemporary Literature and Culture
the Center for Literature and Natural Science Studies, ELINAS
the Interdisciplinary Centre for Research on Gender, Difference and Diversity
Requirements
Entry Requirements
The academic prerequisite for admission to the programme is an undergraduate degree (BA or equivalent) in English and American Studies (or a related subject). For all applicants, the final grade in the qualifying degree must be 2.5 or better. (Exceptions for students who achieved a final grade better than 3.3 may be made in well-substantiated cases.) For details concerning the requirements, please consult the programme's website: https://www.angam.phil.fau.de/degree-programs/ma-english-studies/
Fee Information
How to Apply
First, submit your application online. Register at www.campo.fau.de
Once you finished the online application process, you need to send all required documents by post to the Master’s Office:
Masterbüro (Referat L4)
Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg
Schlossplatz 4
91054 Erlangen
Germany