Studying English and American Studies at the KU means learning about English and American literature from its beginnings to the present day, English linguistics, English language and literature didactics, and historical, cultural, social, and economic aspects of the United Kingdom, the United States of America, and other English-speaking countries, as well as practicing and perfecting your oral and written skills in the English language.
The subject can be studied in the Interdisciplinary Bachelor’s degree program as a major or minor subject in the Aisthesis. cultural and media studies variant or in the flexible variant in the amount of up to 90 ECTS credits, in combination with at least one other subject and/or the Studium Individuale.
The Interdisciplinary Bachelor's degree program in the flexible variant allows you to design your studies individually, based on your personal interests and professional goals. English/American Studies can be taken as a major or minor subject in combination with one or more subjects, with a total of up to 90 ECTS credits.
In the interdisciplinary Bachelor's degree program with variant "Aisthesis. Culture and Media", English/American Studies can be studied as major or minor subject. You choose a total of two subjects from a catalog and supplement these with basic courses in the fields of culture, media and communication studies.
Research and teaching in English linguistics at the KU cover all areas of the discipline from a diachronic and synchronic perspective – the development of the English language from the time of the Anglo-Saxons to the present day; linguistic analysis of contemporary British, American, and postcolonial varieties of English; and the study of English as a lingua franca .
This is based on cognitive language theory that explains how our brain generates and understands language structures. The empirical focus of the quantitative and qualitative analyses is on corpus linguistic approaches (where large databases of natural language utterances serve as data sources).
English literary studies focuses on the literatures and cultures of the British Isles from the early modern period to the present and on new English literatures.
The interdisciplinary field of American Studies is based on a comprehensive understanding of North American literatures and cultures from the early colonial period to the present. A special focus at the KU is on race and diaspora studies. The subject examines many different literatures in the USA and Canada from different perspectives and critically reflects the internationalization of American Studies in the recent past.
KU students and alumni have voted for their University to be Germany's most popular university in the 2024 ranking of the online portal StudyCheck. This is the third time in a row, as KU was also voted the most popular university in 2021 and 2022. The ranking was based on over 78,000 evaluations for more than 500 higher education institutions and universities. 97 percent of students questioned for the ranking would recommend studying at the KU to others.
"There is no better praise for a university than almost 100 percent of students and alumni agreeing: I can only recommend studying at the KU! That is why we are very pleased with the ranking’s outcome, because it expresses the high level of satisfaction of our students," says KU President Prof. Dr. Gabriele Gien.
The KU maintains a partnership network with around 300 universities worldwide. The KU International Office supports students in the planning phase and provides information on different financing possibilities for stays abroad.
The Interdisciplinary Bachelor's degree program provides for an internship at a private or public institution, which brings students into contact with possible professional fields at an early stage. Students also have the possibility to complete their internship abroad; for individual advice and support in finding an internship and financing possibilities, the KU Career Service and the International Internship Service are happy to help.
The main goal of the program is to develop critical and structured thinking in dealing with language in all its manifestations.
The program provides practical professional knowledge and skills that are relevant to numerous social fields.
These skills qualify not only for an academic career, but also for fields of activity in publishing, public relations, advertising, higher education, language teaching and adult education, foundations and non-profit organizations.
The KU has two campuses: Eichstätt and Ingolstadt. Seven faculties are located in Eichstätt. The Ingolstadt School of Management (WFI) and MIDS (Institute of Applied Mathematics, Machine Learning and Data Science) are located on our Ingolstadt campus.
This degree program is taught on our Eichstätt campus.
The district of Eichstätt and the city of Ingolstadt are located in the heart of Bavaria. This central location also means that the KU is easy to reach. Eichstätt impresses with its unique combination of baroque architecture, modern amenities and the picturesque nature of the Altmühltal natural park.
Short distances and lavish green spaces characterize the KU campus in Eichstätt. The KU is a campus University with modern facilities. The buildings on campus are located close to the Eichstätt old town.
Studying at the KU not only provides you with the specialist knowledge you need, but also aims to open up real future prospects for its students. We want to support our students in finding their own personal path to their individual dream future! The question is not "What career do I want to pursue?", but rather "Who do I want to be?"
Some offers and study conditions are different for international students – our International Office is happy to provide help and support. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact our team. We are happy to accompany you on your way to the KU and hope that we can welcome you in person soon!
The application process for international applicants is now completely digital. You can register online in our application portal and carry out and submit your application. After you have carried out the application and uploaded your documents, you do not need to send your documents to us again by post. You do have to submit certified true copies only if you are admitted at the time of enrollment.
Depending on the course of study, you may be asked for information on internships, professional experience, etc. Please upload the relevant documents in the upload area for all the information you provide, even if these are not mandatory fields!
Before you start the application process, please read the additional information on this page, in particular the information on the respective (German) language requirements and university entrance qualifications.
The prerequisite for studying English/American Studies is an informal written application for admission to the aptitude test procedure.
Application deadline is July 15 of each year.
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