MA MEAS - Applicants and Prospective Students
Coronavirus-related Information:
Teaching and research at the University of Duisburg-Essen take place predominantly on-site face-to-face and almost all IN-EAST classes are taught on campus only.
Please refer to the central Corona-information website of the university for more general information on current regulations and measures.
Contact
mameas@in-east.de
Ms. Melanie KOGLER, M.A., Coordinator
Campus Duisburg
Office LE 602 in LE building
Please contact me by E-mail to set up an individual appointment.
IN-EAST Consultation – Talk to a student
In this virtual consultation hour you can ask all your questions regarding our BA and MA programs directly to a student, every Monday from 3 to 4 pm on Skype. Whether you have already decided to apply or are yet unsure, please feel free to join!
Concept of the MA MEAS Program
The Master’s in Modern East Asian Studies is an English-taught degree program on contemporary East Asia for graduates with a BA in East Asian regional studies and outstanding knowledge of an East Asian language. Depending on an applicant’s prior education and training (e.g. a BA degree with less than 240 ECTS credits), conditional admission may be granted requiring up to 30 ECTS credits in additional courses.
The MEAS program aims to train students in the theoretical and problem-centered analysis of East Asian societies, politics and economies.
The program’s objective is to deepen and enrich students’ skills in assessing contemporary change, the challenges facing the East Asian region and the implications of such developments for Europe, doing so on the basis of strong language skills (in Chinese, Japanese or Korean) and a sound knowledge of discipline-specific methods and theories.
Career Prospects
Students completing the MA degree are qualified for further studies at the doctoral level, for high-level positions in multinational corporations, in politics (including political consulting), in governmental and non-governmental think tanks and institutions, and in international organizations where intensive knowledge of East Asia and language proficiency is in high demand.
Some of our alumni have gone on to further their academic training by pursuing a PhD degree. Local destinations for research-oriented graduates of our MA programs for example include the Alliance for Research on East Asia (AREA) Ruhr (in cooperation with the Faculty of East Asian Studies at Ruhr-University Bochum), supported by the Mercator Research Center Ruhr (MERCUR).
Program Structure
The MA program offers Chinese, Japanese or Korean language and a choice of a discipline (sociology, political science or economics). The program combines acquired language skills with interdisciplinary and discipline-specific modules focusing on Chinese, Japanese and Korean studies. Methodological training is integrated into the Advanced East Asian modules.
During the first semester of the one-year (two-semester) MA program, MEAS students deepen their Chinese, Japanese and Korean language skills by focusing on advanced reading of essays and newspaper articles. Additionally, students choose three out of ten Advanced East Asian Studies (AEAS) modules, complemented by one elective module.
During the second and last semester of the MA MEAS, students concentrate on writing their Master’s thesis. The thesis is an independent piece of research about a cutting-edge topic on contemporary East Asia. It is intended to provide evidence of the student’s newly acquired knowledge, theoretical and methodological skills in East Asian regional studies, and language proficiency.
Depending on an applicant’s prior education and training, conditional admission may be granted requiring up to 30 ECTS credits in additional courses (for example for applicants with a BA degree of less then 240 ECTS credits in total). In this case, the student can also be admitted for the summer term. The additional classes are determined individually by the admission board/examination board of IN-EAST. We strongly recommend applying as early as possible if you are unsure about the sufficiency of your prior training.
Further details of the program and all modules and classes can be found in the Examination Regulations and Module Handbook in the Downloads section.
Application Deadlines
- July 15 for non-EU citizens
- September 15 for EU citizens
You are advised to apply as soon as possible and long before the deadlines expire. This is to ensure that you have enough time to obtain a visa (if you are from a non-EU country), take care of all necessary preparations and arrive in time for the start of the program in early October. Please see below for details according to your nationality.
EU applicants and BildungsinländerInnen: Early submission of your application is strongly recommended. We are permanently processing incoming applications, so early applicants will be informed – and successful ones admitted – irrespective of the deadlines. However, if you are close to finishing your BA degree, it might be most efficient to wait until you have your final cumulative grade point average (CGPA), if not your BA certificate. Please also see our FAQ “Can I apply now, even if I have not yet finished my BA?”)
Non-EU applicants: Starting from
Application Procedure
As EU citizen or BildungsinländerIn, please send all your application documents except the recommendation letter in one single pdf file by E-mail:
mameas@in-east.de
As Non-EU citizen, please follow the steps outlined under “Application deadlines” and upload your application via the online platform of our International Office.
General Information:
We are looking for highly qualified international students with excellent skills and motivation to take on the challenges of our demanding study programs.
Successful applicants who meet the requirements receive an invitation for an interview to test their aptitude and motivation for the study program.
Candidates from abroad can be interviewed via video conference.
After the evaluation process the most promising candidates are offered a place in our Master’s program.
Depending on an applicant’s prior education and training, conditional admission may be granted requiring up to 30 ECTS credits in additional courses before the start of the regular MA MEAS coursework (for example for applicants with a BA degree of less than 240 ECTS credits in total). In this case, the student can also be admitted for the summer term. The additional classes are determined individually by the admission board/examination board of IN-EAST. We strongly recommend applying as early as possible if you are unsure about the sufficiency of your prior training.
Required Documents
The Letter of Recommendation needs to be issued by a university professor. He or she should send the completed form directly to us via E-mail.
In addition to the application for admission and the letter of recommendation, the documents listed below should be submitted, either in English or German. Diplomas, degree certificates, transcript of grades, evidence of language proficiency, etc. need to be scans of the originals or certified copies. If any documents are not already in German or English, you need to submit scans of certified translations into either English or German.
- Proof of English language proficiency, e.g. TOEFL, IELTS, CET, etc.
- Proof of advanced East Asian language proficiency (Chinese, Japanese or Korean), equaling at least 60 credits or equivalent certification, e.g. HSK, JLPT, TOPIK, etc.
- Complete and up-to-date CV showing your professional experience and education
- Copy of BA degree certificate, including a transcript of grades showing an average grade of 2.5 or higher, based on the German grading system, and also including a transcript of any semesters spent abroad (Please use the so-called Bavarian Formular to calculate your CGPA in the German grading system)
- Statement of reasons for applying for this program, including your interest in East Asia (1–2 pages)
- APS Certificate (= Certificate of the ‘Akademische Prüfstelle’): relevant only for graduates from universities in China, Vietnamand Mongolia
EU citizens: Please send all application documents in one single pdf file by E-mail, except for the letter of recommendation, which should be submitted by the writer. In order to merge several documents into one single pdf file, please use free software and programs, which you can easily find online. Please note that we do not accept any other file type but pdf for security reasons.
Non-EU-citizens: Please use the online platform of the International Office to hand in the application documents, except for the letter of recommendation, which should be submitted by the writer directly to us by E-mail.
Application Procedure for BA MOAS Students/Graduates
For BA MOAS graduates, we have a simplified application procedure.
To apply, please send the following documents by E-mail (as early as possible) before Sept. 14 to mameas@in-east.de:
- current and complete CV with photo
- current Transcript of Records (Notenspiegel)
- A list containing information about all courses you still need to pass for obtaining the BA MOAS degree and about your BA thesis
- Include the following information: module ID (e.g. OA 7, Soz 1, E 3 …), complete module and course title, name of instructor, date of examination/deadline
- name of BA supervisor and current status of BA thesis (date of registration, date of submission)
- in case you are interested in going abroad in the 2nd semester of MA MEAS (summer term), please check “Information on Possible Stays Abroad” (/in-east/study_programs/ma_meas/students.php) and submit all required documents according to the deadlines given. Please note that you need to already have a solid plan for your MA thesis and your MA supervisor’s approval in order to apply for a stay abroad at a partner university.
The required CGPA for being accepted to MA MEAS is 2.5. Exceptions from this required CGPA are not possible. After receiving the application we will invite you for an interview.
FAQ and Downloads
- Frequently asked questions
- MA MEAS Examination Regulations, including module description (in German)
- Module Handbook (English version, updated 2021. For an impression of the modules currently taught, check the LSF – switch to English, choose the term you want to look at, choose “Courses”, Click “Course Overview”, select “Ostasienwissenschaften/East Asian Studies” and then choose the specific study program)
- Module Handbook (German version, updated 2021)
Contact
If you need further information or have open questions, please contact the Coordination Unit at
mameas@in-east.de
Ms. Melanie KOGLER, M.A., Coordinator
Campus Duisburg
Office LE 602 in LE building
Please contact me by E-mail to set up an individual appointment.
Data Protection
Your details are covered by the full set of data protection laws that are valid at the time of writing.
https://www.uni-due.de/en/privacy-policy.php
