Buddhist Studies (M.A.)
Application Period for the winter semester: February 15th to March 31st and June 1st to July 15th.
Application Period for the summer semester (if any free places left from the winter semester): December 1st to January 15th
In exceptional cases, applications outside these periods are accepted. Please contact the Program Director.
The International Master Program in Buddhist Studies brings together students from five different regional specializations: India, Tibet, China, Japan and Thailand. This Master Course runs for 4 semesters (ca. 2 years). The aim is to graduate with a Master of Arts in Buddhist Studies. You are encouraged to contact us in case there are questions about the requirements (see the email address below). For details of the application process click here.
Admission requirements
The International Master Program in Buddhist Studies has five regional specializations: India, Tibet, China, Japan, Thailand. Depending on the regional specialization you choose there are different requirements. Whereas all courses specializing on India, China, Tibet and Thailand are taught in English, the specialization Japan has several courses in German language so that German language competence is required for the specialization Japan.
All applicants whose mother tongue is not English must provide:
Evidence for proficiency in English (equivalent to B2 level of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages [CEFR])
Further requirements for each specialization are:
- India:
Legally attested certificate of a university degree: this may be a Bachelor's degree, a Master's degree or a Licentiate ("Staatsexamen"). The degree can be a Bachelor "Sprachen und Kulturen des Indischen Subkontinents und Tibets" from the Universität Hamburg or a comparable Bachelor of a German or international academic institution. It can be a Bachelor with the specialization in Buddhist or Religious Studies as long as a minimum of 30 credit points (ECTS) for language courses in Sanskrit or Pali have been acquired. Alternatively you will need a degree from a German or international academic institution with a minimum of 45 credit points (ECTS) related to Buddhist Studies, Religious Studies or Indology which include a minimum of 30 credit points (ECTS) for language courses in Sanskrit or Pali or equivalent language training. In case no sufficient evidence for competence in Pali or Sanskrit can be provided within the application period the candidate will have the possibility to undergo a placement test conducted by the Universität Hamburg which has to be passed. - Tibet:
Legally attested certificate of a university degree: this may be a Bachelor's degree, a Master's degree or a Licentiate ("Staatsexamen"). The degree can be a Bachelor "Sprachen und Kulturen des Indischen Subkontinents und Tibets" from the Universität Hamburg or a comparable Bachelor of a German or international academic institution. It can be a Bachelor with the specialization in Buddhist or Religious Studies as long as a minimum of 30 credit points (ECTS) for language courses in Classical Tibetan have been acquired. Alternatively you will need a degree from a German or international academic institution with a minimum of 45 credit points (ECTS) related to Buddhist Studies, Religious Studies or Tibetology which include a minimum of 30 credit points (ECTS) for language courses in Classical Tibetan or equivalent language training. In case no sufficient evidence for competence in Classical Tibetan can be provided within the application period the candidate will have the possibility to undergo a placement test conducted by the Universität Hamburg which has to be passed. Candidates whose mother tongue is Tibetan will need to document at least 20 credit points (ECTS) for language courses in classical Tibetan.
Alternatively, please apply for the Master Study Program Indology and Tibetology: click here
For all contacts regarding Tibetology or the track Tibetan Buddhism please contact Prof. Dr. Dorji Wangchuk (dorji.wangchuk"AT"uni-hamburg.de).
- China:
Legally attested certificate of a university degree: this may be a Bachelor's degree, a Master's degree or a Licentiate ("Staatsexamen"). The degree can be a Bachelor "Ostasien" from the Universität Hamburg or a comparable Bachelor of a German or international academic institution. You will need a minimum of 50 credit points (ECTS) for language courses in Chinese (not necessary for applicants whose mother tongue is Chinese). Required is also evidence of substantial experience in reading classical Chinese. - Japan:
Legally attested certificate of a university degree: this may be a Bachelor's degree, a Master's degree or a Licentiate ("Staatsexamen"). The degree can be a Bachelor "Ostasien" from the Universität Hamburg or a comparable Bachelor of a German or international academic institution. Prove of competence in the Japanese language: You will need
- a minimum of 50 credit points (ECTS) for language courses in Japanese, or
- 44 semester hours per week (SWS) of Japanese language courses, or
- you must have passed the (old) level 2 of the Japanese Language Proficieny Test (JLPT)
The attained degree for language competence must not be older than two years. In case none of the above-mentioned three documentations can be provided within the application period, the candidate will have the possibility to undergo a Japanese language placement test conducted by the Universität Hamburg which has to be passed.
The need to prove competence in the Japanese language is not necessary for applicants whose mother tongue is Japanese. Applicants who do not hold a qualifying high school degree from a German-speaking institution are requested to demonstrate their competence in the German language according to the regulations of the Universität Hamburg. - Thailand:
Legally attested certificate of a university degree: this may be a Bachelor's degree, a Master's degree or a Licentiate ("Staatsexamen"). The degree can be a Bachelor "Sprache und Kultur Südostasiens" from the Universität Hamburg or a comparable Bachelor of a German or international academic institution.
Language skills: a minimum of 25 Credit points (ECTS) in Thai.
The need to prove competence in the Thai language is not necessary for applicants whose mother tongue is Thai.
Buddhist Studies at the Asien-Afrika-Institut of the Universität Hamburg
The International Master Program in Buddhist Studies is aimed at students with a solid background in one of the five regional specializations: India, Tibet, China, Japan or Thailand. We consider language competence in one of these regions a crucial factor. Most of our courses are based on primary sources and philological training is required in order to be able to follow the classes.
Our program runs for four semesters. The first year you will stay in Hamburg and participate in the classes of your regional specialization. In these classes you will be joined by other M.A. students of your regional specialization who are not necessarily students in Buddhist Studies. Offered courses vary year by year and deal with topics related for instance to the intellectual history or the literature of a particular region. We firmly believe that it does not make sense to study Buddhism as an isolated phenomenon. We consider Buddhism to be one of varied factors which constitute and shape culture, society, and the intellectual and religious history of a particular region. In order to understand Buddhist ideas and history properly it is therefore necessary to know a good deal about the region this particular strand of Buddhism has developed in, the ways Buddhist traditions have interacted with other sectors of society and how Buddhist thinkers in that region have been influenced by other religious systems and socio-political settings.
In each semester of your first year you will further join the class Topics in Buddhist Studies, whose focus lies on themes spreading across cultural and regional differences, particularly important for Buddhist Studies as a discipline. This course regularly brings together graduate students in Buddhist Studies from all different regional specializations at the Asien-Afrika-Institut. Topics of this course can deal with Buddhist modernity such as Socially Engaged Buddhism, Buddhist stands on environmentalism and animal rights or Buddhism's contribution to the dialogue with other religions. On the other hand the course can take up topics with a more comparative nature such as the question whether Buddhist hagiographies cross-culturally have common elements or how different Buddhist traditions dealt and deal with questions of gender and sexuality.
Participating in the courses will train your skills in dealing with Buddhist primary sources and advance your competence in cross-cultural and interdisciplinary communication with your fellow students. It will prepare your academic career in terms of joining international post-M.A. graduate schools which emphasize thorough intimacy with Buddhist primary sources on the one hand and interdisciplinary research skills on the other.
Your third semester you will spend at one of our partner universities abroad which offer Buddhist Studies courses. The Asien-Afrika-Institut has many partners throughout Europe and Asia. The final semester is dedicated to doing research and writing your M.A. thesis in which you will deal with a topic of your choice related to Buddhist Studies under the guidance of our faculty.
Overview of the two-year structure of the Program in Buddhist Studies
Tuition Fees
Students must pay a semester fee. All fees stated are in Euro (EUR) and cover one semester: Student Services (Studentenwerk), semester public transport ticket for the HVV (Hamburg Transport) and student administration (non-optional).