CfA: Master Programme in Transcultural Studies

The
M.A. in Transcultural Studies is a research-oriented, interdisciplinary programme at the confluence of Humanities and Social sciences hosted at the HCTS. It has a transregional and transdisciplinary focus. The Master´s offers a wide range of courses within an international research environment and is taught completely in English. Students are trained in transcultural theories and methods as well as the study of cross-cultural exchange in the past and present, with particular regard to the entanglements between Asia and Europe.

MATS students specialize in one of the following
study foci: "Society, Economy, and Governance," "Visual, Media and Material Culture," or "Knowledge, Belief, and Religion." Within the selected specialization, they learn to critically evaluate research tools and methodologies from different disciplines in order to arrive at a set of methods and theories, which are being reframed from time to time on the basis of specific research question and materials.

Students are encouraged to spend their third semester abroad on study exchange or research-oriented internship. To this scope, they can benefit from the HCTS partnership with several institutions, among which are
Tokyo University,
Kyoto University,
Seoul National University, and
Yale University The offer includes funding opportunities. Study exchanges with other Asian and European countries are possible, too.

The M.A. in Transcultural Studies further provides the option to earn a
Joint Degree Master’s Certificate in Transcultural Studies with Kyoto University (Graduate School of Letters). Please note: Students can apply for the Joint Degree version (Heidelberg/Kyoto) only after enrolling in, and completing the first semester of, the regular Master’s in Transcultural Studies at the HCTS.

Applicants must hold a B.A. or equivalent (minimum three years of study) in a discipline of the humanities or social sciences with an above-average grade. Furthermore, proficiency in English and two more languages is required.

The application deadline for international students is June 15, 2021.

For more information about the programme as well as the application requirements and process, please visit the
MATS website or contact the programme coordinator Dr. Takuma Melber (
takuma.melber@hcts.uni-heidelberg.de).

Below you can download the PDF of the current CfA.