The Haifa Center for German and European Studies (HCGES) is a joint venture of the University of Haifa and the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD – Deutscher Akademischer Austausch Dienst). HCGES was founded in 2007 with the goal of exposing students, researchers, and the community at large to a rich spectrum of topics related to modern Europe, and Germany in particular, since 1945.
The international Master of Arts program in German and European Studies at the University of Haifa is being launched as part of the teaching activities of the HCGES. The MA program is designed to acquaint students with topics related to Germany and Europe, highlighting Jewish and Israeli perspectives as well as the relationship between the Middle East and Europe. The program is interdisciplinary and allows students to approach German and European studies from a variety of angles while providing students with the opportunity to engage with other departments for a well-rounded education.
The MA program in German and European Studies aims to deepen students’ knowledge of Germany, Europe, and the European Union. The program is structured using the “area studies” model and offers a challenging and unique interdisciplinary curriculum that combines many fields of study including economics, law, political science, geography, environmental studies, sociology, history and literature. In addition to the core curriculum, students in the program acquire a strong command of the German language by studying 4-8 language hours per week. The program is available in two tracks: a thesis track and a non-thesis track. Students have the option to complete the program in one or two calendar years.
The program also includes an optional, though highly recommended, study tour to Germany and other European countries. The study tour is built around a chosen theme which changes every year. During the study tour, students visit EU institutions as well as other sites relevant to their studies. The cost of the study tour is not included in the program tuition.
For full curriculum please visit here.
Graduates of the program will be well placed to pursue career paths in cultural institutions, Europe-related NGOs, museums, galleries and places of learning, as well as other points of contact between Israeli and European countries.
Required Courses
Elective Courses (the list changes every academic year)
For more details on the current program curriculum, please visit here.
The Haifa Centre for German and European Studies is directed by Professor Eli Salzberger and includes staff with a number of subject-related area specializations. Also at the faculty is Winfried Schumacher who is our German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) lecturer at University of Haifa. He teaches language and additional culture and media courses at the Center for German and European Studies. He is also responsible for consulting students and researchers for the DAAD in Haifa and at the Goethe Institut in Tel Aviv.
For the full list of faculty staff please click here.
The program offers 15 DAAD scholarships annually, which covers tuition fees (around 14.000 NIS for the two years track and 27.000 NIS for the one year track). To obtain more information on DAAD scholarships and on how to apply, please click here. You can also visit the HCGES website for more information on scholarships.
This program is now eligible for Masa scholarship. For more scholarship information please visit the International school's Scholarships page.
One of the University’s larger modern language subject areas, German has earned its place as a significant centre for research, with half of our research ranked as internationally excellent or world leading in the latest Research Assessment Exercise.
The size of our graduate school means we are able to support a broad range of German and Austrian cultural and literary research themes, from the medieval period to the present.
Current interests include:
We promote the connection between language and culture through a number of extracurricular programmes, both formal and informal.
You will have the opportunity to take part in our annual play, which is commonly a collaborative effort with a noted German author or playwright.
We organise regular film nights, followed by Stammtisch, and gallery visits are also offered.
We maintain close links with the Scottish arm of the Goethe Institut and the Edinburgh German Circle, which both provide opportunities to make contacts and socialise with the city’s sizeable German community.
Testament to our breadth of research expertise and lively graduate school community, our RAE ranking also reflects world-class resources (such as our well-stocked libraries and the expansive Karin McPherson collection of GDR writing) and commitment to publishing, most notably through our production of the esteemed Edinburgh German Yearbook.
The German History pathway of the MA in Language, Culture and History allows students to investigate in depth the rich, diverse traditions and violent upheavals of German and Austrian history. Drawing on the expertise of an unparalleled range of specialists at UCL, this programme provides a foundation for understanding some of the most important junctures and developments of the modern era.
The MA offers students the opportunity to explore a range of aspects of German history, and gives students a grounding in one of the principal areas of modern history, essential for an understanding of contemporary Europe and its past. Text-based language teaching is available for students wishing to develop their linguistic skills.
Students undertake modules to the value of 180 credits. The programme offers two pathways: taught and research.
Taught: one core cross-language module (30 credits), three optional modules (90 credits), and a dissertation (60 credits). Research: one core cross-language module (30 credits), two taught modules (60 credits), and a research dissertation (90 credits).
A Postgraduate Diploma, one core module (30 credits), three optional modules (90 credits), full-time nine months or part-time two years, is offered.
A Postgraduate Certificate, one core module (30 credits), one optional module (30 credits), full-time three months, part-time six months, is offered.
Core module
The core Language, Culture and History module permits research into two areas of major contemporary interest, such as:
Optional modules
Students choose from a range of optional modules on topics such as the following:
Dissertation/report
All MA students undertake an independent research project which culminates in a dissertation of12,000 words (taught pathway) or 18,000 words (research pathway).
Teaching and learning
The programme is delivered through a combination of lectures, seminars and tutorials. Formal teaching occurs in the first two terms and the third term is devoted to revision sessions, examinations and detailed supervision of the dissertation project. Student performance is assessed through coursework essays, a dissertation, and unseen written examinations.
Further information on modules and degree structure is available on the department website: Language, Culture and History: German History MA
The degree offers a graduate qualification in its own right, as well as serving as a pathway towards doctoral research in the field of German and European history. Many students progress from one of our MA programmes to an MPhil or PhD research degree.
Employability
With their specialist knowledge and language skills, German Master's graduates can be found in business, finance, the media, international agencies, teaching and academia.
UCL is ranked third in the UK for Modern Languages in the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2017.
UCL's central location offers students easy access to excellent resources, including the British Library, the Institute for Germanic Studies, the German Historical Institute and the Institute of Historical Research.
The cultural offerings of the Goethe-Institut, the Austrian Institute, and a wealth of exhibitions, films and theatrical performances are all nearby.
The Research Excellence Framework, or REF, is the system for assessing the quality of research in UK higher education institutions. The 2014 REF was carried out by the UK's higher education funding bodies, and the results used to allocate research funding from 2015/16.
The following REF score was awarded to the department: School of European Languages, Culture & Society
74% rated 4* (‘world-leading’) or 3* (‘internationally excellent’)
Learn more about the scope of UCL's research, and browse case studies, on our Research Impact website.
The German Studies pathway of the MA in Language, Culture and History offers a wide range of modules covering many aspects of German language, culture and history. This highly flexible programme allows students from a diversity of backgrounds to pursue topics in more depth, to acquire new areas of interdisciplinary expertise and to enhance their German language skills.
This MA enables further exploration of aspects of German literature, culture, history, politics, and social and political thought, within an explicitly thematic and theoretical framework. Students can specialise in particular areas of interest through the optional modules. Text-based language teaching is available for students wishing to develop their linguistic skills.
Students undertake modules to the value of 180 credits. The programme offers two pathways: taught and research.
Taught: one core cross-language module (30 credits), three optional modules (90 credits), and a dissertation (60 credits). Research: one core cross-language module (30 credits), two taught modules (60 credits), and a research dissertation (90 credits).
A Postgraduate Diploma, one core module (30 credits), three optional modules (90 credits), full-time nine months or part-time two years, is offered.
A Postgraduate Certificate, one core module (30 credits), one optional module (30 credits), full-time three months, part-time six months, is offered.
Core module
Optional modules
Students choose from a range of optional modules on topics such as the following:
Dissertation/report
All students undertake an independent research project which culminates in a 60-credit dissertation of 12,000 words, or a 90-credit dissertation of 18,000 words.
Teaching and learning
The programme is delivered through a combination of lectures, seminars and tutorials. Formal teaching occurs in the first two terms and the third term is devoted to revision sessions, examinations and detailed supervision of the dissertation project. Student performance is assessed through coursework essays, a dissertation, and unseen written examinations.
Further information on modules and degree structure is available on the department website: Language, Culture and History: German Studies MA
The MA provides an excellent foundation year for subsequent doctoral research in all areas of the department's research specialisms. Many students progress from one of our MA programmes to an MPhil or PhD research degree.
Employability
With their specialist knowledge and language skills, German Master's graduates can be found in business, finance, the media, international agencies, teaching and academia.
UCL is ranked third in the UK for Modern Languages in the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2017.
UCL's central location offers students easy access to excellent resources, including the British Library, the Institute for Germanic Studies, the German Historical Institute and the Institute of Historical Research. The cultural offerings of the Goethe Institut, the Austrian Institute, and a wealth of exhibitions, films and theatrical performances are all nearby.
The Research Excellence Framework, or REF, is the system for assessing the quality of research in UK higher education institutions. The 2014 REF was carried out by the UK's higher education funding bodies, and the results used to allocate research funding from 2015/16.
The following REF score was awarded to the department: School of European Languages, Culture & Society
74% rated 4* (‘world-leading’) or 3* (‘internationally excellent’)
Learn more about the scope of UCL's research, and browse case studies, on our Research Impact website.
The MLitt in German Studies is a one-year taught programme run by the Department of German in the School of Modern Languages. The programme is aimed at those looking to expand their understanding and knowledge of the literature, culture and history of German or to continue at PhD level.
The taught portion of the course consists of five compulsory modules involving literary theory, research skills, and German literature and culture. Classes are delivered through a mixture of lectures, seminars and fortnightly tutorials, with class sizes ranging from individual one-to-one teaching up to 20 students. Modules are assessed through coursework; there are no final exams for this programme.
You will spend the summer months focusing on researching and writing a final dissertation of no more than 15,000 words.
Further particulars regarding curriculum development.
The modules in this programme have varying methods of delivery and assessment. For more details of each module, including weekly contact hours, teaching methods and assessment, please see the latest module catalogue which is for the 2017–2018 academic year; some elements may be subject to change for 2018 entry.
This double degree programme is a research-focused postgraduate programme in German and Russian Law with a fully integrated study-abroad component. As a student enrolled in this programme, you will study towards your double Master's degree at two universities – the University of Passau (Germany) and Siberian Federal University in Krasnoyarsk (Russia). The programme carries a total workload of 120 ECTS credits and is directed at students who have an undergraduate degree in law or in a subject with a strong legal focus.
The programme acquaints German students with the principles of the Russian legal system, allowing them, for instance, to put the focus on the economic and tax laws in Germany and Russia. This requires knowledge of Russian (legal) language, which is taught as part of the degree programme.
As a student enrolled in this degree programme, you will acquire the skills and knowledge required to work as a jurist in the area of German and Russian law, while simultaneously developing the competencies required for independent scholarly work.
– The first fully integrated Russo-German law degree programme in Germany
– Students spend two semesters at the partner university in Krasnoyarsk
– No tuition fees whatsoever
– The same module catalogue at both universities
– Joint colloquia with German and Russian students
– Compulsory internship abroad as part of the programme
– Previous academic achievements at other German or Russian universities are eligible for recognition
– The University of Passau and Siberian Federal University each award a final certificate making reference to the respective opposite
university (double degree)
The degree programme consists of five areas of study:
A) General Scientific Foundations
You will attend lectures on the philosophy of law and complete one foreign language course. This part of the degree programme allows you to engage in advanced study of the theoretical underpinnings of law at the beginning of your Master's programme, while the language course imparts the language skills you will need for studying in Russia.
B) Professional Cycle
Module group B.I – Legal Methods and History of Law
Module group B.I is composed of the following foundation courses: methods and history of comparative legal studies; history of political and legal science; history and methods of law; beginner's colloquium: current problems of law. These modules provide the research-methodological and theoretical foundations for comparative legal studies and working with foreign law. The primary purpose of the beginner's colloquium is to help students on the course to identify more closely with the degree programme. All students complete the beginner's colloquium in Krasnoyarsk.
Module group B.II – Principles of foreign law
Students enrolled in the programme complete this module group during their stay at the partner university. This involves courses on the principles of German and Russian law, as well as other courses. The required electives include courses on the core areas of the respective foreign law: Russian students in Passau will complete one two-semester foundation course in either civil law, public law or criminal law, and at least one additional course from this list for a duration of one semester.
Module group B.III – Specialisation
Students will study the courses taught in this module group upon their return to their home university. This module group allows you to set your own specialisation by choosing a sub-discipline which you will study in greater depth. The module is designed to maximise your choice, allowing you to focus on selected questions of (public) economic or (civil) business law, tax law, or international and European law. In addition, German students can complete courses with an East-Central-European focus offered by the University's Faculty of Arts and Humanities.
C) Research
In this segment of the programme, you will apply the theoretical knowledge accumulated over the previous semesters. In a variety of courses, you will gain the ability to write shorter academic papers. You will also use this module group to write up a synopsis of your Master's thesis, which you will present and discuss in the group. The research colloquium is open to all students in Passau.
D) Professional Preparation
This part of the programme prepares you for legal work in an international context. The practical module consists of a six to eight-week internship, which you will usually complete abroad.
E) Final Assessments
At the end of the degree programme, you will undergo an oral examination. In addition, all students are required to write a Master's thesis (preferably on comparative law) in German, English or Russian and undergo an oral defence.
Join one of our 16 International English-language Master’s programs at the University of Haifa
