Languages and Literatures in English

Confront the complexities of English languages and literatures. Improve your methodological skills. Investigate your research interests. The MA Programme in Languages and Literatures in English offers a wide variety of topics, theoretical approaches and historical perspectives to explore.

The MA programmes convey profound historical and systematic knowledge of the varieties of the English language as well as English speaking literatures and cultures. They promote expertise in theories, concepts and methodologies in the field of English literatures and linguistics, advance oral and written competences in English academic discourse, and instruct students in developing their own research questions and independent academic work.

The MA study programme (Major) consists of three semesters of courses (seminars and lectures) and a final semester devoted to the Master Thesis. A minimum of 76 credits have to be earned within the specialisation (e.g. linguistics), and another 10-14 in the other field (e.g. literature).

In the course of their studies MA Majors are required to complete the following graded modules:

• Foundation Lecture (4 ECTS; within chosen specialisation)
• 4 seminars (7 ECTS each; at least three within chosen specialisation)
• Master Thesis (30 ECTS; within chosen specialisation)

The following module is compulsory but ungraded:

• Master Forum (12 ECTS; within chosen specialisation)

Additional ungraded credits (Wahlleistungen Englische Sprach- und Literaturwissenschaft) have to be acquired from courses on offer within the department or in the form of independent studies (16 ECTS).

Major 90 ECTS credits with special qualification:

• Linguistics
• Literary Studies

The following academic qualifications are required for admission to the master's degree program in English Languages and Literatures (major):

• Curriculum vitae in table form with uninterrupted chronology of your education and academic studies up to the present incl. up-to-date passport photo (45 mm high by 35 mm wide)
• Motivation letter (incl. family name, given name, full address, e-mail address, date and signature and – if you have one – mobile phone number)
• If you are holding a bachelor degree's: Originally certified photocopies of your degree (e.g. diploma and diploma supplement). The correspondence of the photocopy to the original must be officially certified.
• Originals (stamped and signed) or originally certified photocopies of all official proofs of your achievements (transcripts) with grades/scores
• Grading system of the degree issuing university, if the grading system is different from ours. Our scale goes from 1 to 6, with 6 being excellent and grades below 4 being unsatisfactory.
• Brief description of the content/learning objectives of the different courses/lectures (annotated course catalog or module handbook)
• Originally certified translations of the original documents (e.g. diploma, diploma supplement, bachelor's or master's degree, transcripts of diploma records), if these are not written in German, English, French or Italian. These translations have to be inseparably connected with the originally certified photocopies of the original documents.
• Photocopy of your valid passport or identity card
• Application fee: CHF 105