International Master's Program in Tibetan Studies ("Tibetology")
Application Period for the summer semester: December 1st to January 15th.
Application Period for the winter semester: February 15th to March 31st and June 1st to July 15th.
Outside the application period applications are possible. Please contact the Program Director.
Application Requirements
An application form that has been filled in by the applicant online and submitted electronically. A printed version of the application form should be sent by post along with the required documents (see items 2 through 8) to the address given below. Please do not forget to sign the application! The application form will be made available between February 15th and March 31st for the following winter semester and (if any free places left from the winter semester) between December 1st to January 15th for the next summer semester at "Bewerbung"/"Application". In exceptional cases, applications outside these periods are accepted. Please contact the Program Director.
Applications without a certificate of a first graduate degree are possible, provided the certificate/provisional certificate/transcript of records will be handed in by the end of your first semester at the latest.
This Master's Program runs for 4 semesters (ca. 2 years). The aim is to graduate with a Master of Arts in Tibetan Studies.
Please find the course structure below.
Admission requirements
- Legally attested certificate of a university degree: a Bachelor's degree, a Master's degree or a Licentiate ("Staatsexamen"). The degree can be a Bachelor in "Sprachen und Kulturen des Indischen Subkontinents und Tibets" from the University of Hamburg or a comparable Bachelor of another German or international academic institution. It can be a Bachelor with the specialization in Tibetan Studies or closely related subject.
- In case no sufficient evidence for language 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 University of Hamburg that must be passed.
All courses are taught in English. All applicants who received their secondary education outside of U.K, Ireland, USA, Canada (except Quebec), New Zealand, Australia and South Africa must provide:
- Internationally recognized certificate of proficiency in English (equivalent to B2 level of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR))
Specific requirements
- A minimum of 30 credit points (ECTS) for language courses in Classical Tibetan have been acquired. Alternatively a degree from a German or international academic institution with a minimum of 45 credit points (ECTS) closely related to Tibetan Studies (e.g. Indian or Buddhist Studies) that include a minimum of 30 credit points (ECTS) for language courses in Classical Tibetan.
Overview of the two-year structure of the Program in Tibetan Studies
You are encouraged to contact us in case there are questions about the requirements (see contact email addresses below).
The Program's Content and Qualification Aims
- The general objective of the International Master's program in Tibetan Studies ("Tibetology") at the University of Hamburg is to further train students to independently and critically investigate any given theme dealing with various aspects of the Tibetan culture transmitted primarily in the form of written texts. For the successful fulfilment of this objective the acquiring of two skills is decisive: (a) proficiency in both classical and modern Tibetan, and (b) skills in the employment of historical-philological tools and techniques. Given that Tibetan culture is predominantly impregnated with Buddhism, the program lays emphasis on Tibetan Buddhism. Courses thus include seminars on Tibetan philology, Tibetan Buddhist literature, religion, philosophy, culture, and history of ideas, in which a variety of texts in classical Tibetan are studied in depth. Tibetan Buddhist textual scholarship is one of the main research areas of the Department and is well represented in teaching. By the end of the course, students will have acquired their skills in using sources in classical (and also modern) Tibetan for research, and will have deepened their knowledge of the Tibetan civilisation.
Contact
Prof. Dr. Dorji Wangchuk
Phone: +49 40 42838-3383/3385
E-Mail: dorji.wangchuk@uni-hamburg.de
Semester Fee
There is a semester fee. The fee stated is in Euro (EUR) and covers one semester. Students must pay the semester fee for Student Services (Studentenwerk), the semester public transport ticket for the HVV (Hamburg Transport) and student administration (non-optional).
Application Procedure
Application Requirements
- 1. An application form that has been filled in by the applicant online and submitted electronically. A printed version of the application form should be sent by post along with the required documents (see items 2 through 6) to the address given below. Please do not forget to sign the application! The application form will be made available between February 15th and March 31st and from June 1st to July 15th for the following winter semester and (if any free places left from the winter semester) between December 1st to January 15th for the next summer semester at "Bewerbung"/"Application".
- 2. Curriculum Vitae
- 3. A Brief Statement of Motivation
- 4. Legally attested Certificate of a University degree (i.e. only copies, not originals): this may be a Bachelor's degree, a Master's degree or a Licentiate ("Staatsexamen"). If the relevance for Tibetan Studies of the area (or sub-area) in which you completed your first University degree is not evident from the certificate, please enclose further certification (e.g. Transcript of Records).
- 5. For applicants who are at the concluding phase of their first university education: a. A list of credited courses ("Auszug aus der Prüfungsakte," "Transcript of Records" or "Provisional certificate")
b. In the case of Magister students, applications will be considered even though the Magister thesis has not yet been submitted or a grade has not yet been given provided all examinations have been completed.
c. If the relevance for Tibetan Studies of the area (or sub-area) in which you are completing your first university education is not evident from the certificate, please enclose further certification. - 6. Internationally recognized certificate of proficiency in English (equivalent to B2 level of the Common European Frame work of Reference for Languages (CEFR)). See above.
Application to be sent
Please send a printed version oft he online application form and the required documents (see "Application Requirements" above) by post tot he following address:
Universität Hamburg
Asien-Afrika-Institut
Abteilung für Kultur und Geschichte Indiens und Tibets
Univ.-Prof. Dr. Dorji Wangchuk
Alsterterrasse 1
20354 Hamburg
Germany
Notification of Results
- After evaluating your application documents, the selection committee will contact you by mail, informing you (1) whether you have been considered for admission, (2) whether the admission committee has for you any special recommendations for preparation or other requirements.
- After the application deadline, admittance will be notified in your STiNE-application account under "my documents". IMPORTANT: Please take note of the admission deadline indicated there.
- Academic calendar: Information on the beginning of lectures, vacation etc. can be found on: http://www.uni-hamburg.de/campuscenter/studienorganisation/semestertermine.html.The exact time and venue for the "kick-off-meeting" will be announced by the department.