Language Studies

You have multiple options through our supplementary track. You can focus either on language classes or on interdisciplinary classes. You decide individually which to prioritise. There are two conditions: 1) you must get 20 credits overall from both Language Studies and Interdisciplinary Studies, and 2) at least nine, and at most fifteen, of those credits must stem from language classes. In Language Studies, you can choose between six modules that range from 9 to 15 credits:

• 3 classes with 3 credits each (9 credits altogether)
• 2 classes with 5 credits each (10 credits altogether, we strongly recommend this option)
• 1 class with 5 credits and 2 classes with 3 each (11 credits altogether)
• 4 classes with 3 credits each (12 credits altogether)
• 5 classes with 3 credits each (15 credits altogether)
• 3 classes with 5 credits each (15 credits altogether)

How does this work in practice? Here are the basic six steps:

1. At the start of your studies, you will choose one or more languages of your choice offered by the Language CentreExternal link.
2. In order to define your initial language level, you will then take an online assessment test supervised by our Language Centre (if you have previous knowledge).
3. Afterwards you may select two to five language classes during your studies (see above).
   You may choose basic classes, which provide general language skills, or you may select a variety of specialised courses, which focus on grammar, reading, writing, conversation, or provide language skills in specific fields of work, such as politics, law, economics, history and literature.
   A detailed list of all language classes is available in the online course catalogue of our Language Centre.External link
   Register here for German courses (DaF). For all other courses you register via Friedolin.
4. Each language class ends with an exam and a certificate.
5. Once you have acquired your certificates and the necessary number of credits to finalise your selected module, contact our Language Coordinator who will confirm that you successfully passed the Language Studies track.

In order to make sure that your language education remains free of charge, we issue you vouchers that must be renewed and sent to the language center every time you start a new course. Courses that are not covered by any voucher are not free; you will be asked to pay a fee! Please find more detailed instructions on the voucher itself, and do not hesitate to get in touch with the language coordinator.

In case you have not received your registration documents from the university by the time of course enrolment:
a) For German courses: It does not matter if you do not have an immatriculation number yet. During course registration simply type in "new student" and hand in the number later, when you receive it.
b) For other language courses: Please, write an email to sprachenzentrum@uni-jena.de, indicating that you are an IOCM student, the course you want to enrol in, and that you have not received your registration documents yet.

Language certificates you have done elsewhere might be recognised. For further information check the language centre's homepage.

For those of you with no knowledge of German (lower than A2 level) we recommend taking German as your foreign language. While you do not need German for our Master programme, having German language proficiency will allow you to communicate with the rest of the university community and wider German society – you will also gain a better appreciation of our cultural and political systems. During the semester abroad, you can study at one of our German partner universities, take further language classes and practice your language. Please consult with our Language Coordinator if you would prefer to take a language other than German.

For all other students we recommend strengthening a language you already learned at school or at university. The two years of our Master programme are just too short to develop a new language from scratch. Consider learning an entirely new language only if you are willing to take more classes than required. Most foreign language courses at the beginner's level (A-level) are being taught in German, anyway. So, as a non-German speaker you will have to join starting from the B-level or higher.

In order to maximise the effectiveness of your language studies, we recommend selecting for your semester abroad a country where your language is spoken. If you also do your internship in the same country, you will develop your language skills even faster. Please consider that we might not have a partnership in the country where your language is spoken. And if you learn a language from scratch your language proficiency by the third semester will not be sufficient to take substantive classes in that language.

Finally, you are allowed to take a limited number of language classes during your semester abroad or at our partner universities in ErfurtExternal link, HalleExternal link and LeipzigExternal link. If there are free spaces available, you may also attend language classes in other disciplines of our university (such as Arabic Studies), which are more intense in terms of classes per week and requirements. Please consult our Language Coordinator if you face any obstacle, for those courses are generally reserved for students studying in the respective institutes.