M.A. North American Studies

Our M.A. in North American Studies is a two-year research-oriented program. It attracts graduates interested in transdisciplinary work and intercultural exchange who wish to gain a thorough expertise in North American cultures, literatures, politics, histories, and economics. The curriculum puts literary and cultural studies at its core and offers a unique variety of potential fields of specialization. Run in joint venture with the Master program in North American Studies at the University of Cologne, our M.A. allows students to focus on areas of their own scholarly interest at different schools and departments, both in Bonn and Cologne. Since we stress a systematic training in transdisciplinary work, students have the opportunity to conduct original research toward an M.A. thesis.

Beyond its long-standing alliances with U.S. and Canadian universities and research institutions, our program also cooperates with the embassies of the United States and Canada. Throughout the years, we have kept in contact with our alumni, who pursue careers in journalism, publishing, media, public administration, politics and the foreign service, business, law as well as teaching and research. If you have similar professional aspirations, our M.A. in North American Studies will be an excellent choice.

Next application phase (for the summer term 2024): December 4, 2023 until January 31, 2024

Before you apply to our program, please make sure to carefully read the information provided on the tiles "Detailed Information" and "How to apply". Please note in particular that certain language requirements must be met. 

For any additional M.A.-related questions, please contact Johanna Kluger or Ted Richthofen.

Application phase for the winter term 2024/25: May 13, 2024 until September 2, 2024

Click here to find the University of Bonn's application portal. Once you click on "Start your application," you will be able to select the North American Studies program and apply/register. 

Language requirements:

  • C1 proficiency in English (documented by, e.g., a B.A. program taught entirely in English, minimum scores of TOEFL iBT 94/IELTS 7.0)


Information on M.A. Application Procedure (German)
M.A. Application Guidelines (English)
Information on German-language exam DSH for international students (English)
 
Legal Documents (German):
Examination regulations ("Masterprüfungsordnung" und Änderung inkl. Modul Plan)
DSH exam regulations ("DSH-Prüfungsordnung")

Tuition Fees

There are no tuition fees at the University of Bonn. You will, however, pay a student services fee (currently around 300 EUR) that includes a public transportation ticket valid for six months and the entire state of North Rhine-Westphalia.

 

Finding a Place to Live

Finding an affordable room in Bonn can be a challenge. As an alternative to the private real estate market, you can apply for a dorm room through Bonn's Studierendenwerk. Please consult their FAQ's, browse the list of available options, and apply here.

Your progress toward your degree

 Your progress is important to us. In order to make sure that you are able to attain your degree in timely fashion, we have developed a number of tools to keep our conversations ongoing. Feel free to take advantage of our information resources (e.g., our website as well as our Facebook page), and sign up for our newsletter. Additionally, we have devised the following itinerary in order to keep in touch about your ongoing progress:

Before Your Studies

Annual information events on our M.A. North American Studies (April)
Annual career forum “Forum Beruf North American Studies” (May)
Individual advising about our program’s structure via email (office[at]nap-uni-bonn.de) and in office hours
 

During Your Studies

1st semester

Orientation session (usually during the week before the semester starts)
Advice on choice of elective modules and help with module registration

2nd – 4th semester

Individual advising in case of any academic problems

5th semester and beyond

We know there are many reasons why your studies may take longer than expected, including a year of study abroad, an internship overseas, other professional experience, family business, and other matters. To ensure you’re still on track pursuing your M.A., you are asked to arrange a meeting with us every six months to discuss your progress and ways in which we can cooperate to assure the timely completion of your course work and M.A. thesis.
 

We’re here to help! Contact us anytime with questions and concerns at office[at]nap-uni-bonn.de or Johanna Kluger [jkluger@uni-bonn.de] or Ted Richthofen [ted.richthofen@uni-bonn.de].

Internships

Within the Professional and Intercultural Competence module, you may elect to do an internship, which offers you the opportunity to obtain valuable practical experience and apply the knowledge you have gained during your studies to new professional tasks and situations. In addition to discovering how the skills you develop in the M.A. program translate into the professional world, doing an internship can give you new ideas and perspectives that shape your studies.

Requirements

To receive credit for an internship, it must have a minimum duration of four weeks (full-time).

The internship should relate to your course of study; that is, it should be demonstrably linked to North American culture, media, education, business, or politics. Since this module is designed to enhance your professional and intercultural competence, you are especially encouraged to seek out internships that address the junction between cultures.

Examples may include: Chamber of Commerce, embassies and consulates, media companies, NGOs, academic exchange programs, companies with international branches, etc.

If you are uncertain as to whether or not a given internship will satisfy the requirements described above, please contact a faculty member to discuss your plans.


Before Your Internship

Fill out the “New Internship” form and submit it to us as soon as you know when you will begin the internship. This form will be reviewed to make sure that your proposed internship satisfies the requirements described above.


After Your Internship (Report)

Once you have completed your internship, you must submit a report describing your experiences. This report should be 5-7 pages long (2200-3000 words) and include the following sections:

Overview: A description of the internship, including the duties you performed, challenges you faced, new skills and experiences you gained.
Intercultural implications: In this section you should explain how your experience has contributed to your understanding of intercultural structures and relations. What did the internship illuminate about the relationship between Germany/Europe and North America? What new professional, political, economic, or other links between different cultures did you encounter through your experience?
Academic aspects: How does your internship relate to your studies? What elements of your academic work influenced your experience and vice versa? Are there skills that seem especially relevant to both the internship and your studies?
Future directions: In this section you should discuss what you see as the future implications of the internship for your academic and professional life. Questions to consider might include the following: How do you imagine applying the skills you learned to future work or study? Can you envision yourself working in this field?
To make writing this report easier, we encourage you to keep a brief journal during your internship. Not only will this journal serve as a useful aid when you write your report, it will also function as a record of the various skills you developed and can therefore be helpful in crafting a C.V. at a later time.
 

Please send your questions regarding  the Professional and Intercultural Competence Module to skontbay@uni-bonn.de

Exemplary M.A. theses

The M.A. theses in our program tackle very diverse subjects, draw on methods and theories from different disciplines, and are often highly original. If you are currently enrolled in our M.A. program and would like to draw guidance and inspiration from great projects, why don’t you take a look at some theses that were highly graded in recent years and nominated either for the annual Ambassador’s Award or the Gender Studies Prize. The first exemplary projects are now available for review at the IAAK library (just ask to see them at the information desk) — and we hope that your thesis will soon be among them, too.

Students taking classes at the University of Cologne must first register as “Kleine Zweithörer” there (which is free of charge for students in the MA NAS because of our cooperation with the Cologne NAS program). To do so, you must create an account in KLIPS (their equivalent to BASIS): https://klips2.uni-koeln.de/co/webnav.ini.

 

Afterwards, please proceed as follows: 
 
1. Auswahl Studium / Choice of Degree Program
After creating your account in KLIPS 2.0, please select:
“Degree programme: Visiting Students - Faculty of Arts and the Humanities Cooperative Study Programme UoC/Uni Bonn”
or (German)
“Studium: Kleiner Zweithörer - Phil Fak. Kooperationsstudiengang UzK/Uni Bonn“

2. Einschreibungsunterlagen / Matriculation Documents
You will be asked to upload the following documents (listed in your KLIPS account):
- Application form (You will have to download this document from KLIPS and sign it)
- Your current (valid) enrollment certification from Uni Bonn (Studienbescheinigung University of Bonn)
- Approval form signed by your Cologne lecturer(s) and by the Dean’s Office in Cologne (You will have to download this document from KLIPS first).

3. Rückmeldung / Re-Registration
Please note: You will have to re-register as a “Zweithörer/in” (repeat the whole process) each term if you plan on signing up for further courses at the University of Cologne.


Once you are registered as a “Zweithörer,” you can sign up for classes in KLIPS and access course materials in ILIAS (equivalent to our eCampus). However, you will still need to register for the same classes in BASIS!

Please note: Should you encounter any difficulties with signing up for classes in KLIPS, please contact the person who is teaching the class in question and let them know about your intention to attend their class.


When taking exams (written exams, term papers) at the University of Cologne, please make sure you register for them in our own BASIS system (!) and let your Cologne lecturer know about your registration. As regards term papers, the exam form must be signed by your lecturer and your grade must be recorded on it as well. This is the only way to ensure you are actually granted your well-deserved credit points.

 

 


When in doubt about any of these regulations, please do not hesitate to contact Katja Niederschulte at the Institute for North American History in Cologne or Johanna Kluger or Ted Richthofen at our Institute.

 

More information on our collaborative MA in North American Studies on University of Cologne website