Anthropology Master of Arts

Admission to our consecutive MA program in sociocultural anthropology requires the following:

A BA or equivalent university degree in cultural/social anthropology, or a degree in a course of studies comparable in topics and theoretical orientation (sociology, area studies, philosophy, geography) with at least 70 credit points acquired in anthropologically relevant seminars (please upload your transcripts and highlight the anthropologically relevant seminars).

All applicants need to submit a letter of motivation and the transcripts of their BA studies proving their familiarity with anthropological methods and theory together with the other required documents.

Please highlight the seminars you consider to be anthropologically relevant in the submitted transcripts. The letter of motivation must convincingly explain the specific motivation to apply for our consecutive MA program in sociocultural anthropology based upon the applicant’s thematic and regional areas of interest. Please detail your engagement with anthropological theory and methodology during your BA studies. Read the module handbook (opens in a new tab) in advance and answer the following questions in your motivational letter: How do your interests relate to the program’s contents and aims? What study focus would you like to choose and why? In addition, the letter must detail the language and methodological qualifications of the applicant that will equip them for our MA program. How do you want to build on and possibly expand these qualifications in your studies? We strongly advise all applicants to refrain from using AI when writing their motivational letters. Suspicion that AI was used during the crafting of the motivational letter may lead to the exclusion from the application process.

These documents need to be submitted together with the other admission documents online via heiCO. The admissions commission will review the documents and will either indicate that the applicant is eligible on heiCO or invite the applicant to an interview via email. Please contact the program coordinator if you are unsure, whether you have to submit additional documents.

All applicants need to prove very good proficiency in English, i.e. at least level B2 according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFRL).

• English from 5th grade until Abitur in Germany
• a minimum score of 72 in the internet-based TOEFL
• a minimum score of 5.0 in the IELTS
• a certificate of the language centre of Heidelberg University with "good" (2.0) or better

Please note that applicants with a degree from a university whose language of instruction is English and who have written their BA thesis in English do not need to provide TOEFL or IELTS scores. B-level proficiency or higher needs to be proven in one more foreign language other than German or English. A certificate for one's first mother tongue (if it is not German or English) is not required.

All applicants apply online via heiCO (opens in a new tab). The closing date for the application is March 31 for the summer semester, September 30 for the winter semester.

Please don't forget to submit proof of prior academic certifications (certified copies), all previous academic transcripts, and proof of English language and/or another foreign language proficiency. If your university does not issue a final grade, please submit an internal university ranking.

You will be informed by heiCO, whether your application was successful. The Institute of Anthropology is not allowed to communicate any details about the application process to applicants. Please refrain from contacting the Institute of Anthropology or the programme coordinator with questions regarding the state of the application process and direct all questions related to the posting and receipt of your application directly to: [email protected] (opens in a new tab)

Once admitted to the MA Anthropology, follow the steps detailed on the International Relations Office’s homepage (opens in a new tab) to matriculate prior to the start of the semester. Further details and information on the application are available at the International Relations Office. Please contact the International Relations Office for any technical questions relating to the application process.

Please inform the programme coordinator immediately after you have received the official admission notification.

Tuition Fees

German nationals and EU residents pay the Universität Heidelberg administrative fee of EUR 186,50 per semester.

Starting in the winter semester 2017/18, international students from non-EU (European Union) and non-EEA (European Economic Area - Iceland, Lichtenstein, Norway) countries with a foreign university entrance qualification will be required to pay a tuition fee of EUR 1500 per semester for Bachelor’s/Staatsexamen and consecutive Master’s degree programmes at all institutions of higher education in Baden-Württemberg (Germany).

International students, thus, need to pay a total sum of EUR 1686,50 per semester.

For further information regarding the possibility of exceptions for payment obligations, please visit the university's information page (opens in a new tab).