- Degree
- Master of Arts
- Course location
- Heidelberg
- Teaching language
- • English
- Languages
- All modules can be completed in English.
- Full-time / part-time
- • full-time
• part-time (study alongside work)
- Programme duration
- 4 semesters
- Beginning
- Winter and summer semester
- Additional information on beginning, duration and mode of study
- Lectures and seminars usually start in the third week of October in the winter semester and in the third week of April in the summer semester.
If you require a visa to study in Germany, please enquire with your respective German embassy or consulate about the duration of the visa application process. Please also start preparing your application early to allow sufficient time to submit your university and visa applications, as well as to finalise your travel arrangements and prepare for arrival in Germany. If you arrive late, you may not be able to attend courses in the first semester. Please contact us well in advance of the start of the lecture period, and inform us of your arrival date in Heidelberg and whether you need help with programme registration.
- Application deadline
- Winter semester: 1 April to 30 September
Summer semester: 1 October to 31 March
- Tuition fees per semester in EUR
- Varied
- Additional information on tuition fees
- Students from EU and EEA countries only pay the semester contribution.
The tuition fee for international students from non-EU/EEA countries is 1,500 EUR per semester plus the semester contribution. The tuition fee ordinance is currently under review for elimination by the federal state.
https://www.uni-heidelberg.de/en/study/management-studies/tuition-fees/ (https://www.uni-heidelberg.de/en/study/management-studies/tuition-fees/)
- Combined Master's degree / PhD programme
- No
- Joint degree / double degree programme
- No
- Description/content
- This two-year degree programme is one of three Master's programmes offered by the South Asia Institute of Heidelberg University, Germany. The classes are taught in English, fostering a dynamic learning environment in small groups comprising students from all over the world, who bring a range of perspectives to the interdisciplinary discussions.
Offering a research-oriented approach, the curriculum features a broad range of classes that engage with historical, social, and current political and economic developments and events as well as the geography and environment across South Asia: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.
The objective of the programme is to acquaint students with interdisciplinary paradigms prevalent in the humanities and social sciences, thereby cultivating their capacity for independent work and self-reflexivity. Students tailor their studies by selecting a study focus, and they can further customise their learning path with additional courses, including language acquisition.
Students can choose from the following study focuses:
• Political Science
• History
• Anthropology
• Art History and Visual Culture
• Development Economics
• Geography
The governments of Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka also sponsor guest professorships, which complement and enrich the curriculum by bringing diverse perspectives and current insights from the region. Additionally, open talks by professors, writers, and social and cultural activists are organised throughout the year, offering students valuable opportunities for direct engagement with diverse viewpoints and current debates.
For students wishing to learn a South Asian language or further their existing knowledge, the programme offers regular instruction in ten languages: Bengali, Dari, Hindi, Classical Tibetan, Nepali, Pali, Sanskrit, Sinhala, Tamil, and Urdu. The languages are part of in-house minor programmes, which can be flexibly combined with the major.