Students in the Master’s degree programme in Chinese Studies will receive instruction in in-depth research methods as well as in subject-specific content in Sinology, including their application in scientific practice. The course content of this degree programme stems from and is shaped by a deep intellectual curiosity about foreign cultures, within which, however, China (including both Taiwan and Greater China) is not viewed as isolated research object within the East Asian region. Regional aspects will also be examined in equal depth. The focus of this consecutive Master’s degree programme is therefore the examination of specific China-related topics on the basis of knowledge of the entire region.  

Research questions investigated by the student will include the areas of language, culture and literary studies as well as sociological-historical topics within Chinese Studies. As China specialists, graduates of this degree programme will have obtained a comprehensive, transcultural, and comparative understanding of Chinese culture and society. Students will expand their previously-acquired knowledge and skills, strengthen their linguistic ability, and pursue topics of particular personal interest in the areas of culture, literature, and sociological-historical topics.

The degree programme consists of one general section and one specialised section: 

- What does the general section consist of? 

- The specialised section is divided into two specialisations: Classical Chinese Studies and Modern Chinese Studies. 

The modules in the Master’s degree programme in Chinese Studies are topic-based and are subdivided as follows:  

- Research competence modules 

- Language competence modules 

- Interdisciplinary competence acquisition modules  

- Examination modules 

Students in this Master’s degree programme are required to also pursue a minor in another subject. Students may generally choose a minor in any other subject, providing that an appropriate minor in a Master’s degree programme exists.  

Conversely, the Master’s degree programme in Chinese Studies may also be taken as a minor and another subject may be studied as the major.

Students are recommended to begin their studies in the winter semester.

Entry requirements:

(1) Documents to be submitted and thus entry requirements are:

1. the certificate of the general university entrance qualification, a relevant subject-specific university entrance qualification, a foreign university entrance qualification or a university entrance qualification recognised as equivalent by the competent state authority;

2. proof of a degree with above-average success in the BA East Asian Studies (Diploma Supplement: Focus on Sinology) or in courses with essentially the same content, in particular BA Sinology at

a domestic or foreign university for which a standard period of study of at least three years is set or a degree recognized as equivalent.

3. proof of sufficient English language skills (usually through the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) with the minimum number of test points set by the DAAD, or through the internal test in the BA East Asian Studies at Heidelberg University.

No. 3 does not apply to applicants whose mother tongue is English.

4. a tabular curriculum vitae with a minimum of two, maximum of three DIN A 4 pages (optionally in German or English);

5. a letter of motivation written personally by the applicant, either in German or English, in the amount of at least two, maximum three DIN A 4 pages, in which the reasons for taking up the master's degree programme are set out;

6. an assurance that the applicant has prepared the motivation letter independently and without outside help and has marked the thoughts taken from external sources as such;

2. In assessing the above-average result, account may be taken in particular of::

University degree grades of at least ECTS-Grade C "good", a German grade point average of at least 2.5 or a comparable result.

(3) The Admission Committee shall decide on the equivalence of previous education and the comparability of qualified qualifications. When recognising foreign degrees, the recommendations of the Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs as well as agreements within the framework of university partnerships must be observed. In cases of doubt, the Zentralstelle für ausländisches Bildungswesen (ZAB) is consulted.