All courses will be conducted in English and/or Spanish. While some lecturers decide on the course language beforehand, it is also common to agree collectively on it.
Term papers and the Master's thesis can be submitted in German, English or Spanish.
Winter semester: Application is possible between 13 May and 2 September 2024.
Summer semester: Application period starts in December 2024
Anthropology of the Americas is a unique Master's degree programme in Germany. The international programme is dedicated to the study of the past and present of indigenous societies of Latin America and their global entanglements. It combines the methodical skills and theoretical knowledge of the cultural and social studies with profound regional expertise of Latin America. The Master's programme aims at the consolidation of academic and interdisciplinary knowledge. Students learn various competences which allow them to take up occupations in many different areas, inside and outside of academy.
We offer a particularly wide range of courses, covering the social changes from the beginnings of complex societies to colonial history and cultural and social issues of the present. Students can specialise in two key areas:
Additionally, students can learn an Amerindian language (Aztec/Náhuatl, Yucatec Maya, Kaqchikel Maya, Quechua). Courses on the history and presence of indigenous societies in Middle- and South America are offered on a regular basis. Moreover, partnerships with universities in Europe and Latin America offer opportunities to study abroad for one or two semesters.
The programme involves a total of 120 ECTS composed of three compulsory modules (in total 25 ECTS) and a wide range of topics and perspectives in the elective module section (65 ECTS). The Master's thesis counts for 30 ECTS.
Each module (10 ECTS) is divided in one lecture and one seminar or two seminars. The Master's programme includes an internship, which can be undertaken within an archaeological project, an exhibition project, an ethnographic museum or within a non-governmental organisation in Germany or abroad.
Students usually start in the first and second semesters with two compulsory modules (20 ECTS) and later develop their own regional and methodological specialisation within a broad offer of modules on archaeological, ethnohistorical, epigraphic, linguistic or anthropological research and or museum studies (in sum 60 ECTS). The second to fourth semesters are used to acquire professional experience in research projects (museum, archaeology, anthropology, development with 5 ECTS). In the last part of the MA programme (mainly during the fourth semester), students develop their research-based MA theses and present their results in a lecture (5 ECTS) before finalisation.
PDF DownloadA career-oriented internship is required in the MA Anthropology of the Americas. We offer two variations: Internship A and B. Both begin with a one-semester series of lectures consisting of former student guest speakers who are now working in various professions.
Internship A
Students choose an organisation outside of the university based on their particular interests. Many of our students choose museums and development organisations, while some choose to work with archaeological research projects in Latin America. Students are expected to search for internship positions independently. However, tips and support during the search for a suitable internship provider are offered by the student council by means of personal accounts of their experiences.
Internship B
In the Bonn Archaeological and Ethnographic Collection of the Americas (BASA), we offer regular internships for students. The goal is to introduce students to the professional work in museums or university collections, which includes work with material culture (visual inspection, organisation, description, classification), the preparation, planning and realisation of exhibitions, press and public relations regarding exhibition openings.
We also offer a library internship that provides an introduction to the tasks and type of work expected in a library (research, acquisition, signatures, user support, etc.)
It is also possible to do an internship in the department's online journal (Notas de Antropología) or in the department's blog (Amerigrafías).
Approx. 330 EUR, includes a semester ticket for regional trains and buses all over Germany
700-1,200 EUR/month: accommodation in (shared) flat: 300-500 EUR food: 150-300 EUR other expenses (study material, household products, trips, etc.): 200-400 EUR
For applicants from outside of Germany, a certified translation of the required credentials must be provided in either English or German along with the originals (also in PDF format).
Admission to the MA programme in Anthropology of the Americas requires a Bachelor's degree in a socio- or cultural-anthropological subject, or an archaeological or historically oriented subject that pertains to Latin American studies or Spanish studies. Applicants from other degree programmes must have obtained regional knowledge of the Americas (24 credits) achieved through separate studies or participation in events with an average grade of at least 2.3 (in the German grading system) in their previous studies.
See below for language requirements.
English skills of at least B2 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) are required of all applicants. Proficiency must be proven on the application by means of a school certificate (of at least five school years) or a certificate from appropriate consecutive language courses at universities or language and culture institutes.
For the MA programme in Anthropology of the Americas, additional proficiency in the Spanish language of at least three school years or from appropriate consecutive language courses at universities or language and culture institutes at the A2 level of the CEFR (or at the level of our Bachelor's module “Language Practical Propaedeutic 2”) is advised.
Winter semester: Application is possible between 13 May and 2 September 2024.
Summer semester: Application period starts in December 2024
Online application: https://masterapplication.uni-bonn.de/movein/hosted/online/move/movein/portal/studyportal.php
All required credentials, such as the higher education entrance qualification and BA diploma (or equivalent) must be uploaded to the applicant’s profile in PDF format.
Many students have part-time employment or student jobs, such as working at a café or bar, in a store, or as student assistant at the university or in one of the many ministries and non-governmental organisations in Bonn. It is usually not difficult to find part-time employment that usually pays between 12 and 15 EUR per hour.
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