Official Study Guide for Germany
Culture studies
Study programmes in this field are multidisciplinary in nature, combining study content from different disciplines. Ethnology, for example, researches the cultures of peoples and ethnic groups worldwide, while folklore is limited to European societies.
Overview of the academic discipline
The programme focuses on the academic-theoretical examination of ‘culture’ in the broadest sense. How do cultures develop and what significance does culture have for and in a society? Depending on the orientation, the degree programmes also deal with the cultural aspects of ethnology and linguistics. They analyse cultures, their historical development and individual cultural achievements and techniques and compare them with each other. However, students not only deal with cultural studies content in theory, but also work on the preservation or reconstruction of architecture and archaeological finds in monument conservation or conservation and restoration sciences. Degree programmes in cultural management and museology prepare students for work in museums and other cultural institutions. These programmes also cover aspects such as cultural financing, controlling, marketing, management and logistics, as well as application-oriented guidance on possible professional fields. Some of these are international degree programmes.
Ethnologists also conduct empirical field research and occasionally take part in the lives of the groups they are studying. This gives them in-depth insights. Prospective students are therefore expected to be very open to direct contact with (foreign) people, as well as having a keen interest in social developments.
Which topics are included in the curriculum?
Common to all cultural studies degree programmes are courses on cultural theory and history. In addition, depending on the university, modules impart knowledge from a wide range of optional disciplines. The range of courses on offer includes dealing with questions of scientific methodology and interdisciplinarity. There are also courses in economics, law, art and aesthetics - in some cases also cultural, artistic and technical - as well as introductions to data processing and language courses.
What are the requirements?
These school subjects will best prepare you for a degree in cultural studies: History, German, Art, Music and English.
Depending on the specialisation, different skills are important for successful study. Strong language skills and intercultural competence are essential for all of these degree programmes.
What study programmes are there to choose from?
Bachelor's degree programmes are usually offered at universities, but rarely at universities of applied sciences. They may have titles such as Empirical Cultural Studies, Social and Cultural Anthropology, Ethnology, Folklore Studies/European Ethnology, Cultural History, Franco-German Studies/Études Franco-Allemandes, Cultural Management, Museology, Social and Cultural Anthropology.
What job opportunities are there after graduation?
Cultural scientists primarily perform communicative and integrative tasks in the cultural sector. As employees or freelancers, they work in an advisory capacity, for example in politics. They also organise exhibitions, city festivals, theatre or film festivals and more on behalf of private or public cultural organisers. They also work as museum educators and museologists or as journalists for the press, radio and television. There are also job opportunities in the fields of cultural management, tourism, advertising, marketing, public relations, media, trade, science and research as well as in child, youth and senior citizen work.
In addition to universities, research institutions and museums, there are employment opportunities for graduates of ethnological degree programmes in areas where intercultural skills and culturally oriented regional knowledge are in demand. These include development cooperation, employment in international organisations and in areas that deal with migration.