Chinese Studies Leipzig University

Courses are taught in English and partly in Chinese. Students write their Master's theses in English.

The English-language Master's programme in Chinese Studies offers a comprehensive programme of postgraduate instruction for students with a BA in Chinese Studies as well as graduates from the humanities and social sciences with appropriate language skills in Modern Chinese. Focusing on religions and literature as well as economic and social history, teaching and research in Leipzig, the programme places an equal focus on China’s traditions and to their ruptures and continuities in the present day. We seek to provide our students with a historically grounded view of China, which will prepare them for either further graduate work in a PhD programme or for any occupation requiring a reflective understanding of China’s past and present. Leipzig Chinese Studies alums today work in business, government, academia, cultural enterprises, and NGOs.

Winter semester:
If your first university degree was obtained at a foreign institution, apply via uni-assist: 31 May for the following winter semester (https://www.uni-assist.de/en/).

If your first university degree was obtained at a German institution, apply via AlmaWeb: 15 September for the following winter semester (https://almaweb.uni-leipzig.de).

Aptitude test: 15 June for the following winter semester

Summer semester

If your first university degree was obtained at a foreign institution, apply via uni-assist: 31 December for the following summer semester (https://www.uni-assist.de/en/).

If your first university degree was obtained at a German institution, apply via AlmaWeb: 15 March for the following summer semester (https://almaweb.uni-leipzig.de).

Aptitude test: 15 January for the following summer semester

First year: Intensive Coursework

In the first year, students receive advanced training in modern and literary Chinese language as well as basic instruction in written Japanese as an important language of scholarship in Chinese Studies. In addition, students take a total of four modules on relevant topics in the areas of our faculty’s expertise. Each module consists of a seminar and a tutorial, and it includes a wide array of readings in English and Chinese. Up to two modules in the Chinese Studies MA programme may be replaced with modules from other MA programmes at Leipzig University; this may be advisable if your thesis research requires disciplinary knowledge and skills not offered in the Chinese Studies MA programme itself. In the past, students have “imported” such modules from Economics, Anthropology, Political Science, Religious Studies, South & Central Asian Studies, Sociology, History, and Linguistics.

Second year: Research and Master's Thesis

The third semester is largely given over to preparatory research for your MA thesis (including the possibility of a semester abroad) and the fourth semester to the writing of the thesis (minimum 80 pages). Students will participate in the graduate colloquium and receive individual guidance from our faculty.

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No tuition fees

279.90 EUR per semester (currently)

Approx. 750 EUR per month
Housing: The costs for renting a room are between 150 and 400 EUR per month.
Food: About 250 EUR per month
Health insurance: Student tariffs approx. 90 EUR per month
Transportation: The semester contribution includes a special semester ticket for students which is valid for the whole mobility network of the “Mitteldeutscher Verkehrsbund”.

Certificate of a first undergraduate (Bachelor’s) degree in Chinese Studies or in the humanities or social sciences accompanied by a proof of appropriate language skills in Modern Chinese (or proof that this degree can be achieved by the beginning of the Master’s programme). Knowledge of Literary Chinese is required.

1. Spoken and written Mandarin at upper level/gaoji, grade 5 of the new HSK exam (Hanyu Shuiping Kaoshi of 2010), TOCFL (Test of Chinese as a Foreign Language) Band B Level 3, or equivalent certification
2. English language competence at least at level B2 according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) or an equivalent, internationally recognised test certificate (e.g., TOEFL, IELTS)

Winter semester:
If your first university degree was obtained at a foreign institution, apply via uni-assist: 31 May for the following winter semester (https://www.uni-assist.de/en/).

If your first university degree was obtained at a German institution, apply via AlmaWeb: 15 September for the following winter semester (https://almaweb.uni-leipzig.de).

Aptitude test: 15 June for the following winter semester

Summer semester

If your first university degree was obtained at a foreign institution, apply via uni-assist: 31 December for the following summer semester (https://www.uni-assist.de/en/).

If your first university degree was obtained at a German institution, apply via AlmaWeb: 15 March for the following summer semester (https://almaweb.uni-leipzig.de).

Aptitude test: 15 January for the following summer semester

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Students of Leipzig University can apply for a room in one of the dormitories of the "Studentenwerk Leipzig": https://www.studentenwerk-leipzig.de/en/housing/our-student-halls-residence

Students have access to the services of the university's Career Service Centre.