Institute for Digital Humanities

Master Application FAQ

Are you interested in our Master’s programme? Here you will find information on the admission requirements, the application process and the course of studies.

  • What kind of experience from my previous studies do I have to bring to the table?

    • Our Master's programme in Digital Humanities in Göttingen is a consecutive Master's programme, which means that you already need prior knowledge to the extent of a corresponding Bachelor's programme in order to be eligible. Formally, we require this knowledge to the extent of a total of 60 credits for the Mono-Master and the major subject and to the extent of 45 credits for Digital Humanities in the minor subject. This means that you are eligible for the Master Digital Humanities if you...

    … have completed a Bachelor's degree in Digital Humanities or have obtained the Certificate in Digital Humanities.

    or

    … have completed a Bachelor's degree in the humanities or in computer science and have already acquired credits in the other subject area. You have already taken courses in computer science as a humanities scholar and courses in the humanities as a computer scientist - or in each case already in the digital humanities.


  • What does this mean specifically for the courses I have taken?

    • We cannot look through your application in advance and judge which courses count and which do not. That is the task of the selection committee after you have applied. However, you can use the following information as a guideline.

    First of all, the respective disciplines:

    • "Humanities" is a collective term for about 40 different individual sciences that use different methods and theories to study subject areas related to culture, history, media, religion, philosophy, societies etc. This means that we cannot accept non-scientific, more practice-oriented programmes such as e.g. librarianship, translation and interpreting, excavation technology or fine arts. However, if you have attended courses in the humanities as part of these degree programmes, these can be credited to the corresponding extent.
    • As computer science entrance requirements, we count degree programmes that deal with the processing of data and programming of algorithms. This includes, for example, applied computer science, data science, but also interdisciplinary courses such as computational linguistics or media informatics. We cannot count practical training such as web design or mechanical engineering as an entry requirement.

    This means in practical terms:

    • If you have done your bachelor's degree in computer science, you should have 18 credits of humanities courses.
    • If you studied a humanities subject in your Bachelor's degree, you should have computer science knowledge to the extent of 18 credits. This ideally includes a programming course and a statistics course.

  • What language skills are necessary?

    • For the Master's programme in Digital Humanities, you must have English language skills at level C1. You can find further information here.


  • Do external certificates from online platforms (e.g. Coursera) count as proof of my computer science knowledge?

    • There are many online courses on the market and we cannot review all of them, nor make any recommendations. We can only take certificates into consideration if they have ETCS credits and the content is transparent and relevant for the master programme.


  • I do not meet the admission requirements, but would still like to study Digital Humanities in the Master's programme. What can I do?

    • Our entry requirements are mandatory. However, if you can already foresee that you do not meet them, you could also gain 6 credits in Digital Humanities as a student from another university through our freely available course unit. You can find more information on this here. If you have any questions about the course, please contact Prof. Dr. Langner. If you have any other questions about the admission requirements, please do not hesitate to contact our study advisor.

  • Where can I find more information about the application process?

    • The application runs through the faculty and here you will find the counselling services for the process.


  • I meet the entry requirements. Does this mean that I have a guaranteed place at the programme?

    • No. The number of places is limited and a selection committee chooses suitable students from the applicants who are admitted. The criteria are the subject-specific eligibility - which you must explain in a letter of motivation - and your grades.


  • I was admitted, but only "conditionally". What does that mean?

    • Conditional admissions are granted in exceptional cases if the person has proven in their application that they are suitable for the study of Digital Humanities, except for only a few credits. If this applies to you, conditions will be formulated. These conditions consist of modules with which you can make up the missing credits. These courses are to be completed first, and you should refrain from attending advanced Master's courses without having fulfilled these requirements!

  • What exactly awaits me in my studies? How is it structured?

    • Please read through this link and preferably also the study regulations and the module catalogue carefully before you apply. There you will find all the information about the structure, the examinations and what is expected of you. If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact our student advisor.


  • Are the courses in English?

    • Our Master's programme is bi-lingual, as the language of publication in the Digital Humanities is English. This means that the Master's-only courses are usually taught in English and the language of discussion is also English. However, exercises from the Bachelor's programme are regularly modularised in the Master's programme, so that you may also encounter German classes in the range of courses. There are enough English-language courses for international students so that they can complete their studies successfully and on time.


  • Help, I am an international student and can't find my way around at all! Who can I turn to?

    • The University of Göttingen has a central office for international students where you can ask questions about all areas of life and study. Please refrain from contacting our study advisor for anything else than specific questions regarding your studies in the Digital Humanities. For more general questions please contact the international students office of our faculty or Göttingen International.