The following admission requirements apply to the Master's Degree program:

1) A completed BA degree

a) A Bachelor's degree in Chinese Studies/East Asian Studies from Freie Universität Berlin.

Or

b) a BA degree from another German or foreign institution of higher education. This degree has to have China-related study components amounting to 30 credit points. These credit points have to be obtained in a China-related field other than Chinese language. (China-related study components are courses in which topics on contemporary Greater China or the history of Greater China have been the focus. Transcripts of Records are considered as proof as long as the China-related course focus is evident from the course titles. Alternatively, publicly available short descriptions of the courses, or term papers written as part of the courses can be submitted alongside the application).

2) In addition, the application to the MA program requires proof of the following language skills:

a) written and oral knowledge of Chinese (active and passive command of the language) corresponding to level B1.2 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). For this, one of the following proofs should be provided:

1. Completion of the “Advanced Module Chinese” according to the Study and Examination Regulations for the BA programme in Chinese Studies at Freie Universität Berlin (FU-Mitteilungen 41/2013, p. 961) with a minimum grade of 2.7.
2. Completion of the “Basic Module Chinese IV” according to the Study and Examination Regulations for the BA programme in Chinese Studies at Freie Universität Berlin (FU-Mitteilungen 24/2018, p. 484) with a minimum grade of 2.7.
3. HSK5 Certificate
4. Proof of completion of 600 hours of modern Chinese language training.
5. Successful completion of a placement test at the Institute for Chinese Studies at the FU Berlin.

b) Written and oral English language skills (active and passive command of the language) corresponding to level B2 CEFR.

3) Applicants who have obtained their degree at a foreign university or equivalent institution or in a non-German-speaking degree programme must provide proof of German language skills. This can be done by passing the German Language Examination for University Admission (DSH) or by providing proof of an equivalent level of knowledge in accordance with the Regulations for the German Language Examination for University Admission of Foreign Applicants at Freie Universität Berlin.

More information is available in the Admission Statutes for the Master’s Degree Program in Chinese Studies (in German).

announcement of extension of the time limit (in German)

Students do not pay any tuition fees, the university only charges semester fees and contributions each semester.

The master’s program in Chinese studies seeks to grasp the subject with methods and theories from the social sciences, linguistics, and humanities. Specialization on China is interdisciplinary and achieved through the consolidation of thematic, linguistic, and methodological findings. The aim is to integrate various approaches: Chinese traditions of scholarship and culture are explored. Thematic emphases of the degree program are Chinese society, its genesis and social transformations as well as the foundations of Chinese linguistics and its didactics.