1) Applicants must have completed an undergraduate's degree (totaling or being equal to 180 ECTS) in one of the following areas:

• North American Studies
• English Studies
• American Studies
• History
• Geography
• Philosophy
• Political Science
• Law
• Sociology
• Theology
• Economics
• Translation
• Intercultural Communication

2) Applicants must have

(a) excellent English skills on C1 level of the CEFR AND

(b) skills in a modern European language on B1 level of the CEFR.

C1 level in English must be proven upon immatriculation. B1 level in another modern European language must be proven by the time the master thesis is started, i.e. it can be reached while completing the North American Studies program.

Please note that German DOES NOT count as the second modern European language if the student's native language is German.

To verify the students’ fulfilment of the language requirements is the responsibility of the examination office [Prüfungsamt] of the Faculty of Humanities [Philosophische Fakultät]. The English Seminar I DOES NOT provide legally binding information on what language certificates are accepted by the examination office.

3) All applicants who completed a first academic degree course within Germany must apply via KLIPS 2.0. More information on the application process can be found here.

All applicants who completed a first academic degree course outside of Germany must apply via uni assist. More information for international applicants can be found here. Moreover, the Division of International Affairs provides useful information and services for international applicants.

It is a single-major program. Students can begin their major EITHER during the winter semester OR the summer semester.

The standard period of study is four semesters over the course of which students acquire 120 credit points [Leistungspunkte; LP]. These credit points are awarded upon completing entire modules, NOT upon completing individual courses.

The major consists of four advanced modules [Aufbaumodule], one specialization module [Schwerpunktmodul], and one module pertaining to the master thesis. With the exception of the master thesis module [Masterarbeitsmodul], these modules consist each of different courses, and an exam:

• In AMs 1 and 2, students write a term paper as their module exam.
• In AM 3, students complete an oral exam; in AM 4, students undergo a combination exam [Kombinatorische Prüfung] for which they prepare a written handout and present it during an oral exam.
• In SM 1, students write a report on their internship.
• Please keep in mind that the exams of AMs 1, 2, 3 and 4 factor into students’ overall grade; the exam of SM 1 does not.

For more information, see the short module overview.

Suggested Study Plan

In order to successfully complete a course, students have to complete and hand in specific course requirements that are determined by the lecturer (for instance, essays, oral presentations, portfolios, study questions, etc.). The deadline for the course requirement is set by the lecturer. The specific course requirements are usually announced in the first class of the semester.

Please note that attendance is mandatory in all seminars taught in the English department. A rate of absence higher than 20% will result in dismissal from class. For details and further information see here.

Advanced module 1 LITERARY and CULTURAL STUDIES: Written exam in the form of a term paper consisting of 20 to 25 pages (60,000 to 70,000 characters, including blank spaces and footnotes). The module exam factors 25% into the overall grade. The term paper has to be written in conjunction with one of the module courses.

• The exam date, i.e. the deadline for submitting the term paper at the Department of English I is March 15 in the winter semester or September 15 in the summer semester. (Please note that there might be different exam dates and de-/registration deadlines at the Department of English I and the Institute of History.) Students must register for the exam via KLIPS. Exam registration starts 12 weeks prior to the exam date mentioned in KLIPS and ends 6 weeks prior to this exam date. Exam de-registration ends two weeks prior to the exam date.
• Further information on the module exam in AM 1 can be found below under 'Exams in Advanced Module 1' or here (German version). 

For more detailed information on exams with JProf. Rauscher, see her website on Exams.

Contact Verena Wurth (verena.wurth[at]uni-koeln.de) in case you have further questions about the exam in general. Please contact your examiner to discuss your specific topic.

Advanced module 2 HISTORY and SOCIETY: Written exam in the form of a term paper consisting of 20 to 25 pages (60,000 to 70,000 characters, including blank spaces and footnotes). The module exam factors 25% into the overall grade. The term paper has to be written in conjunction with one of the module’s courses.

• Students must register for the exam via KLIPS. Exam registration starts 12 weeks prior to the exam date mentioned in KLIPS and ends 6 weeks prior to this exam date. Exam de-registration ends two weeks prior to the exam date. (Please note that there might be different exam dates and de-/registration deadlines at the Department of English I and the Institute of History.)

Contact Silke Hackenesch (silke.hackenesch[at]uni-koeln.de) in case you have further questions about the exam in general. 

Advanced module 3 POSTCOLONIAL STUDIES: Oral exam lasting 45 minutes. The module exam factors 25% into the overall grade.

• Students must register for the exam via KLIPS. Exam registration starts 12 weeks prior to the exam date mentioned in KLIPS and ends 6 weeks prior to this exam date in KLIPS. Exam de-registration ends two weeks prior to the exam date mentioned in KLIPS.
• Please note that there might be different exam dates and de-/registration deadlines at the Department of English I and the Institute of History.
• Please note that the KLIPS examination date for oral exams is only a virtual stand-in that we need for technical purposes. It determines the registration and de-registration deadlines, but it does not determine the actual date of your oral exam, which is determined by your instructor.
• Exam topics must be arranged with your examiner.

If you want to take the oral exam in AM 3 with JProf. Judith Rauscher, you must choose two exam topics. Your two topics can be based on courses you have taken (ideally with JProf. Rauscher) or your own research interests. Students compile a list of 10 primary sources per topic, as well as thesis statements. Make sure to discuss your chosen topics and primary materials with JProf. Rauscher in her office hours as early as possible during the semester in which you want to take the exam, so you have enough time to produce the list of thesis statements. Please submit your list of primary sources roughly three weeks before your chosen exam period and the list of thesis statements roughly one week before your actual exam date - not the virtual one on KLIPS. Please register for the actual exam date via the scheduler, where JProf. Rauscher has selected the dates.

For more detailed information on the exam in AM 3, see NAS AM 3 Info Sheet Oral Exam (PDF).

For more detailed information on exams with JProf. Rauscher, see her website on Exams.

Advanced module 4 RESEARCH: Combination exam in form of an oral and written component. The module exam factors 25% into the overall grade. The exam is held in conjunction with the final one of the module’s colloquia.

• KLIPS information: Students must register for the exam via KLIPS. Exam registration starts 12 weeks prior to the exam date mentioned in KLIPS and ends 6 weeks prior to this exam date in KLIPS. Exam de-registration ends two weeks prior to the exam date.
• Please note that the KLIPS examination date for oral exams is only a virtual stand-in that we need for technical purposes. It determines the registration and de-registration deadlines, but it does not determine the actual date of your oral exam, which is determined by your instructor.
• Please note that there might be different exam dates and de-/registration deadlines at the Department of English I and the Institute of History. If you want to take the exam with the Institute of History, see here.

If you want to take the exam in AM 4 with JProf. Judith Rauscher, that is, focusing on literary and cultural studies, students have to attend at least one colloquium (KO/OS) taught by JProf. Rauscher in order to do the exam with her. Please note that this exam does not take place in the colloquia. For your exam with JProf. Rauscher, please choose one topic that the exam will focus on, commonly the prospective topic of your final thesis (M.A. thesis). Make sure to discuss your chosen topic and primary materials with JProf. Rauscher in her office hours as early as possible during the semester in which you want to take the exam. Students preparing the combinatory exam must also create an exposé (10 pages) to be handed in 10 days before the actual oral exam date - not the virtual one on KLIPS. Please register for the actual oral exam date via the scheduler, where JProf. Rauscher has selected the dates. The exam itself consists of a 10 minute academic presentation about your topic, followed by a 20 minute discussion about your presentation with JProf. Rauscher and the second examiner.

Please note that all exams must be taken in conjunction with a specific course from the respective module. This is possible for three semesters, the semester in which the class was taken counts as the first semester. If the course was taken more than three semesters ago, students cannot be examined about its topic anymore.

Specialization module 1 INTERNSHIP: Written exam in form of an internship report consisting of 10 to 15 pages (40,000 to 45,000 characters, including blank spaces and footnotes).

• The internship itself has to be at least six weeks long. The module exam does not factor into students’ overall grade.
• The exam date, i.e. the deadline for the report submission at the Department of English I is March 15 in the winter semester or September 15 in the summer semester. Students must register for the exam via KLIPS. Exam registration starts 12 weeks prior to the exam date mentioned in KLIPS and ends 6 weeks prior to this exam date in KLIPS. Exam de-registration ends two weeks prior to the exam date. Please note that exam dates and de-/registration deadlines can differ at the Institute of History.

Exam: Term Paper in North American Literature and Culture [4569N.MFA01]

Find the German version here.

Handing in Written Exams 

Written exams must be handed in in digital form (PDF), either by uploading them to ILIAS or via email to the examiner or the email address provided by them (consult the website of the respective departments). Please use your university student email account (S-Mail) when sending the exam. 

All written exams must include the statement of original authorship by the Department of English I (see below). If the statement is missing, the exam will not count as completed. 

All documents (e.g. term papers, reports, portfolios, reading lists, written components of combined exams) submitted for exams must contain the following information: 

1. Matriculation Number
2. Last Name, First Name
3. S-Mail Email Address
4. Course of study (“M.A. North American Studies”)
5. Examiner
6. Title of the document
7. Title of the class the exam is being taken in
8. Semester the class was taught (e.g. Summer semester 2025)
9. Module (e.g.  Advanced Module 1: Literary and Cultural Studies, 4569NMFA01)
10. Examination date in KLIPS

Plagiarism and Use of AI 

Examiners will declare individually in what capacity programs based in ‘Artificial Intelligence’ (AI) may be used for academic achievements and written exams. The use of these technologies must be discussed with the examiner. Portions of text and results created by using AI must be marked as such and the process of creation must be documented in an appendix. This pertains to both academic achievements and written exams. If these steps are not taken, the use of AI is counted as an attempt at deception. Please also consult the ES I’s info sheet “Avoiding and Consequences of Plagiarism”. 

Cases of suspected plagiarism and cases of suspicion that a student did not produce the work by themselves will be submitted to the Board of Examiners (‘Prüfungsausschuss’). Plagiarism or the use of AI without prior disclosure for academic achievements will lead to being deregistered from the affected class. In cases of suspicion that an academic achievement or written exam was not entirely produced by the student, students may be asked to clarify in a conversation with the examiner, to clear them of suspicion.

Statement of Original Authorship and Use of “Artificial Intelligence” in Academic Achievements and Written Exams 

All written exams not produced under direct supervision must contain the statement of original authorship by the Department of English I. If this is not included, the exam will not count as completed. 

Eigenständigkeitserklärung 

Ich versichere, dass ich das vorliegende Dokument selbstständig verfasst und keine als die angegebenen Quellen benutzt habe. Alle Stellen, die dem Wortlaut oder dem Sinn nach anderen Werken entnommen sind, habe ich in jedem Fall unter Angabe der Quelle deutlich als Entlehnung gekennzeichnet. Bei der Nutzung von Programmen, die auf 'künstlicher Intelligenz' basieren, habe ich die Vorgaben meiner*es Prüfer*in eingehalten und diese zuvor abgesprochen. Die daraus resultierenden Textteile habe ich deutlich gekennzeichnet und die jeweiligen Arbeitsschritte in einem Anhang dokumentiert. 

Das Merkblatt "Vermeidung und Ahndung von Plagiaten" des Englischen Seminars I habe ich zur Kenntnis genommen und verstanden. 

Köln, _________________ Unterschrift: ______________________________

The overall grade is composed of the cumulative grade of the module exams (2/3), and the grade of the master thesis (1/3). The exams of AMs 1, 2, 3 and 4 are of equal weight.

Students have to register for module exams in KLIPS. Students have to be registered for exams in KLIPS in order to receive grades; for legal reasons, belated registrations for exams are not possible. In addition to that, students need to contact their lecturers in a timely manner in order to arrange exam topics and dates. In case of students failing a module exam, they can repeat it as often as needed.
 

Exam registration at the Department of English I*

* Please note that registration rules and deadline can differ if you register your exam with an examiner at the Institute of North American History or at the U of Bonn.

• Exam registration on KLIPS: Exam registration starts 12 weeks prior to the exam date mentioned in KLIPS and ends 6 weeks prior to this exam date in KLIPS. Practical information regarding exam registration on KLIPS can be found here.
• Exam de-registration: Exam de-registration ends 2 weeks prior to the exam date mentioned in KLIPS. If students de-register from their exam, they must inform their examiner. Practical information regarding exam de-registration on KLIPS can be found here.
• Exam cancellation: If students are unable to take an exam and need to cancel the exam during the 2 week period before the exam after the de-registration period has ended, they have to inform their examiner, at the latest, by the day of the exam. Furthermore, students have to hand in this form and, in case of illness, a doctor’s certificate no later than one week after the scheduled exam date.

Grades are registered in KLIPS by the examiners and activated at the earliest by the date of the exam registered in KLIPS. This means that grades for term papers will not appear on students’ transcripts prior to March 15, the exam date in the winter semester or prior to September 15, the exam date in the summer semester. Individual proofs of exam grades cannot be issued. Students are advised to consider this in the planning of their studies.

Further information on the module exam in AM 1 can be found here.

Further information on exams with JProf. Rauscher can be found here.

The Universities of Bonn and Cologne have an established cooperation, which gives NAS-students the opportunity to exchange the Postcolonial Studies module (AM 3) in toto with a module from the University of Bonn. The Bonn modules offered are either North American Politics or Economics. The Bonn module must be fully completed in order for it to be recognized for AM 3 in the NAS Master's program in Cologne. Individual classes at the University of Bonn cannot be recognized for AM 3.

If students wish to do the exchange with Bonn, they do not have to register as “kleine Zweithörer” at Bonn University. INSTEAD, they should directly contact the lecturers of the classes they wish to take at the University of Bonn. They then participate in the courses, pass the module exam in Bonn, and receive a certificate that they then need to submit to the University of Cologne, so that AM 3 can be marked as completed in the Transcript of Records in Cologne.

• To find out what classes are offered to NAS Students at the University of Bonn, see here.
• Contact Person for the Politics Module: Holger Janusch (hjanusch(at)uni-bonn.de)
• Contact Person for the Economics Module: Sine Kontbay Busun (skontbay(at)uni-bonn.de)

For the registration of the master's thesis, students must show proof of one modern foreign language - other than English - at B1 level of the CEFR. The University of Cologne offers several options for language courses and certificates.

German Courses

The Department German as a Foreign Language offers free German language courses up to B1 level to NAS-students. When registering for the courses, students only have to state their study program as 'North American Studies' to avoid fees.

Other Language Courses

Students at the University of Cologne can take part in one language course (English, French, Italian and Spanish) in cooperation with the language school Berlitz.

Moreover, it is possible for master's students to take part in the language courses that are part of the extracurricular offers [Extracurriculare Angebote] by the Faculty of Arts and Humanities. Check out KLIPS to access the list of languages that are offered and register for the courses offered.

Please note that general studies courses [Kurse des Studium Integrale] are not open for master's students.

Certificates

Students at the University of Cologne can receive language certificates free of charge for English and Spanish via the Sprachlabor of the Faculty of Arts and Humanities. More information on dates and registration can be found here.

The master thesis is worth 30 credit points. It is proof that students are able to academically treat and critically engage with a topic relevant to the study program within a fixed timeframe.

• The thesis has to be completed within 26 weeks and has to be 60 pages long.

The examinations office of the Faculty of Arts and Humanities is responsible for the administrative handling of master theses. Students need to register their thesis there after consultation with the lecturer supervising their thesis. More information on how to register the master thesis here. (Information available only in German)

For this registration, students must also show proof of proficiency in one modern foreign language - other than English - at B1 level. See above for more information on language courses at the University of Cologne.

If you plan on writing your master thesis with JProf. Dr. Rauscher, you can find more information here.

An overview of the program can be found here.

The program flyer (in German) can be found here.

The module handbook (in German) can be found here.

The module handbook (in English) can be found here.

Information on services for enrolled international MA students by the International Office, for instance on funding options, can be found here.

The website of the Historical Institute can be found here.

Subscribe to the NAS Newsletter to stay updated.

You can also join the ILIAS-Group of the NAS Students' Union to get in touch and exchange information with your peers.

For questions and requests, please contact Verena Wurth (verena.wurth[at]uni-koeln.de).

For matters concerning the Institute of North American History, please contact Silke Hackenesch (silke.hackenesch[at]uni-koeln.de).