Professional Writing

The essential admission requirement for the Master's degree course in Professional Writing is a first professionally qualifying university degree (Bachelor's degree, state examination, diploma or equivalent). Admission to the course also requires applicants to have a professional aptitude for the course, which must be proven by submitting specific documents demonstrating an existing, advanced relationship to writing. 

1. Proof of proficiency in two modern foreign languages at language level B1 (according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages). Proficiency in Ancient languages (Greek/Latin) will also be accepted. 

2. International applicants as well as Germans with a foreign higher education entrance qualification must provide proof of the German Language Test for University Entrance (DSH-2) or an equivalent (for details see Proof of German language proficiency below). 

Your CV should have a tabular form, containing key information on your school record and academic career.

Please upload a motivational letter in which you discuss your reasons for taking up this study programme on two pages. This document will be evaluated against the same criteria as your text sample (see below). 

A central component of your online application is a text sample of five pages. This can be an excerpt from one or more longer texts or several short texts. In addition, the content and formal approach must be presented and explained on one page.

The texts are examined according to

• Structure and organization,
• Use of language (expression, style, grammar, spelling),
• creativity and originality,
• design and layout.

Please upload at the online application system your university entrance certificate/school leaving certificate. Usually, this means the school graduation diploma (German "Abitur"), i.e. the diploma that makes you eligible for studies at an University or other institution for higher education. Be mindful of the fact that here, we do not need any University diploma but a High School diploma! 

All previous University degrees (Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science, etc.) if available before the application deadline - if not, please make a note of the anticipated date of issue of your degree certificate. Please upload your University degree or the most actual, detailed transcript of records/ mark sheet of all semesters available to you, should you not hold your degree certificate at the time of application. The main document is the degree/ transcript based on which you apply for the master programme.

Detailed transcript of records/ mark sheet of your first, subject-specific University degree, with which you apply for the master's programme. This transcript MUST contain an overall cumulative grade point average or average mark.

For German taught master's programmes, i.e. programmes with (predominantly) German as language of instruction, a sufficient German language proficiency proof is mandatory. Please see the information on the language requirements for the master's programme of your interest on the corresponding website.

The Friedrich Schiller University Jena accepts the following certificates as German language proficiency proof exclusively:

• the Goethe-Zertifikat C2 (GDS),
• the Deutsche Sprachdiplom der Kultusministerkonferenz (DSD II),
• the TestDaF, minimum TDN 4 in all four parts of the examination,
• Deutsche Sprachprüfung für den Hochschulzugang (DSH), min. level 2 (= DSH-2),
• Certificate telc Deutsch C1 Hochschule (min. level "befriedigend"),
• a German language examination in the framework of an assessment test at a preparatory college.

Please note: If you do not have the required mandatory German language proficiency proof at the time of applying, you may only apply if you can provide a certificate attesting your German language skills at least at level B2 (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages) as well as a confirmation that you have either registered for the DSH examination, the TestDaF or an equivalent examination or that you have sat it and are going to receive the results before the end of the current semester.

There is also the possibility to apply for the (chargeable) "German Language Course Preparing for the German Language Examination (DSH)" at the Friedrich Schiller University Jena. Please note: Prerequisites for the application for the preparatory course are language skills at least at the certificate level B1 / GER (e.g. Goethe-Zertifikat B1, TestDaF at least 4x3 and/or 800 teaching units from a recognized language school). For detailed information on the application and further information, please visit the website of the International Office or contact the International Office directly via Mail.

Shortly before taking the DSH-2-Examination or after successfully passing it, you are welcome to apply for a German taught master's programme!

The following applicants are exempted from providing proof of their German language skills:

• Applicants, who have obtained a German taught bachelor's degree within one of the following countries: Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and Liechtenstein. This applies only to degrees that were awarded by a university in the relevant country (no satellite campuses or international branch campuses in other countries, no correspondence course degrees, no joint- or double-degrees with institutions in other countries);
• Holders of a German, Austrian or Swiss (from school where the language of instruction is German) university entrance qualification.

Every mandatory application document from foreign/external countries must also be available in either English OR German translation. Such a translation has to be conducted by officially acknowledged/ sworn translators or translation offices.

External/foreign degree certificates/ transcripts of records must contain information on the grading system (= description of the maximum grade possible and the minimum passing grade) used at the respective University. 

Applicants with degrees from India, Vietnam or China must submit the original APS-certificate issued by the German Embassy.

Applicants from the following countries must submit a certificate of their university entrance examination/college entrance examination:

• Iran (College entrance examination certificate or certificate of pre-university course/year)
• Republic of Korea/South Korea: SAT (Scholastic Ability Test)
• People's Republic of China: College entrance examination certificate ("Gaokao")