Culture and Society

German is the primary language of instruction for the Culture and Society programme, but some courses are also conducted in English.

This programme sharpens your international profile, benefiting from Viadrina’s strategic position at the interface of Eastern and Western Europe, and thus providing a distinctive pan-European perspective. At Viadrina, nearly every second student is from abroad. This fosters an international community made of multilingualism, diverse perspectives and dynamic interaction.

We offer extensive study abroad opportunities at over 250 partner universities worldwide. As a result, the Culture and Society programme will give you insights into different academic cultures, enhance your language skills and prepare you to navigate international contexts in a confident manner. During your studies, you will establish a valuable international personal and professional network.

We are committed to being a university defined by short distances and direct interactions. Our excellent study and learning conditions ensure that, as a student, you remain in personal contact with our researchers. Teaching and research are conducted in an open atmosphere within small learning communities. From the programme-specific student advisory service to the Career Center, a wide range of advisory services is available to support you with any questions and challenges you may encounter during your studies.

The Culture and Society degree programme equips you with the specialist skills needed to understand the cultural fabric of our societies. It introduces you to independent academic research while providing practical training and foreign language proficiency.

As a graduate, you will possess in-depth expertise in your major, complemented by the foundational knowledge acquired in your minor. This dual focus prepares you for both a professional career and further academic pursuit, such as a Master’s degree. Depending on your specific major-minor combination, your degree will enable you to progress to postgraduate programmes in history, literature, social sciences, linguistics or media studies.

Thanks to the overarching cultural studies framework of your specialisations, you will develop the ability to think across disciplines – allowing you to familiarise yourself quickly with new topics and analyse them from multiple perspectives with a solution-oriented mindset.

Through cooperative teaching and learning methods and a strong practical orientation, you will develop skills that extend beyond professional qualifications and are crucial for shaping a successful future. You will learn how to introduce future-relevant topics into our society in a well-founded, ethical, and responsible manner.

The Culture and Society programme prepares you for a diverse range of professional fields nationally and internationally, including:

• Cultural institutions and projects, museum curation and exhibition management
• Educational institutions, including lifelong learning, cultural and civic education
• European and international organisations
• Foundations and NGOs
• Public relations, media and journalism
• Politics and public administration
• Research and academia
• Tourism

Applicants require a university entrance qualification, i.e., a general or subject-restricted higher education entrance qualification, entrance qualification for universities of applied sciences, or a comparable school-leaving or educational qualification from Germany.

Applicants who did not obtain their university entrance qualification in Germany need equivalent foreign qualifications that allow to study at a university in Germany.
You must also provide proof of German language proficiency by successfully passing the German language test for admission to higher education for foreign students (DSH) or an equivalent test.

Admission to this study course is unrestricted. A place in the program is available to anyone who meets the requirements for the degree program and enrolls within the deadlines.

Application for the 1st subject semester is possible in each semester.

The enrollment is done online in viaCampus. The required documents have to be uploaded to the system.

For educational foreigners, the access requirements are reviewed by the uni-assist e.V.

• Please note the special deadlines!
• Here you will find step-by-step instructions.
• Once the access requirements have been approved, your documents will be forwarded to us.
• You will receive your login details for our viaCampus portal and information on the next steps from the Admissions Office.

Application for higher subject semester is possible in each semester in viaCampus.

• For enrolment in higher subject semesters, the following requirement for classification confirmation must also be fulfilled.
• Questions regarding classification confirmation and study planning can be clarified with the Study course related advisory service.

For further information on enrolment, please visit our page "Application and enrolment".

Whether you want to complete one of our study programmes and graduate with an academic degree from the European University Viadrina or whether you are planning a one- or two-semester stay abroad as part of our exchange programmes with us at the Viadrina - we warmly welcome you.

For important information to make enrolment, arrival and settling in easier, follow the link to our page:

Admissions Office: Advice on the application and enrolment process
Central Student Advisory Service: further advice on starting your studies (housing, financing, arriving)
Viadrina International Affairs: specific information and advice for prospective students from abroad

The degree is structured around a major-minor model, allowing you to tailor your studies to your individual interests while gaining the specialist expertise necessary for a professional career or further academic pursuit.

At the start of your programme, you will choose a disciplinary focus (major) in which to specialise and acquire in-depth knowledge. To complement this, you will select a supplementary subject (minor) to gain a strong foundational understanding of an additional field. These flexible combination options allow you to design a degree programme that best aligns with your personal goals and aspirations.

The Culture and Society programme blends your chosen major and minor with a suite of core modules shared by all students. Designed to foster a collaborative learning environment, these modules include:

• The ‘Research-based Learning’ Introductory Module helps you integrate into the academic community and master the essentials of scientific practice. It offers valuable opportunities for orientation and networking, allowing you to explore the foundations of cultural studies alongside your peers while tackling a collaborative ‘scientific challenge’.
• The Language and Practice Module provides the opportunity to master at least one modern foreign language and complete a domestic or international internship. Should you choose the minor in Multilingualism and Internationality or Applied Cultural Studies, you can further refine your linguistic expertise and intercultural competence while gaining additional professional experience. All courses at Viadrina Language Centre are offered free of charge.
• In the Research Module, you will learn to conduct independent research. Working on a collaborative project, you and your peers will investigate a socially relevant topic. You will also participate in a colloquium, where you will receive support throughout the process of researching and writing your Bachelor’s thesis and discuss your progress with fellow students and lecturers.

In the final phase of your studies, you will complete a Bachelor’s thesis on a topic of your choice, followed by an oral examination (final colloquium).