International Students

Our programs in American Studies are of great interest to international students because they look at the United States from an interdisciplinary and global context, discussing the country's culture, literature, history, politics, and society. See the study programs page for more detailed information.

Generally, international students can apply to our BA or our MA program in American Studies. While the MA is taught completely in English, the BA requires knowledge of the German language because you have to pick courses in your minor that might be taught in German (there is an exception to this rule in the BA International Track, however--please see below for more information on that). For more information on applying to our programs, please see:

• the BA American Studies application page
• the MA American Studies Application page
• as well as our frequently asked questions

Alternatively, if you plan on coming to Leipzig as an exchange student (e.g. as part of an Erasmus program), you can participate in individual modules or courses that we offer in our BA, MA, and teacher-training programs. All of our classes are generally open to exchange students, but sometimes, space might be limited or not available anymore if a course is in particularly great demand. As a general rule, you can participate in individual courses, so you do not have to attend an entire module (but can do so as well if you want). Unlike other students, you do not enroll in these courses via TOOL, but instead you should simply contact the course's instructor via email.

Accordingly, to learn more about places available in individual courses, please contact the instructor and describe your situation briefly (i.e., exchange student, international guest student, participating in an international degree program, etc.; and what kind of credit you are seeking). Please also make sure to consult with the instructor about credit-earning options and the corresponding requirements early on (see below). Generally, we will do our very best to include you in our courses. 

For more information on our classes, please see:

• the course catalog for the current/upcoming semester's course listing
• the faculty page for information on how to contact individual instructors

Credits (ECTS) for Exchange Students

You can earn ECTS Credits for every course taken and completed at American Studies Leipzig, with the amount of credits being dependent on your program level (Bachelor or Master) and the extent of work completed in class. The basic requirements for earning any credit in a course are regular attendance (≥ 80% of total course hours) and active participation. For courses taken at the Bachelor level (Master level in parentheses), you have two earning options to chose from:

Reduced: Earn 2 (3) ECTS Credits by fulfilling the basic requirements outlined above and—depending on the individual course design—successfully completing a number of additional academic tasks the instructor of the course might assign specifically for this earning option.

Full: Earn 4 (5) ECTS-Credits by fulfilling the basic requirements outlined above, as well as successfully completing all assigned academic tasks(*) and passing the final exam.

If the credit transfer procedure of your home institution or exchange program should require it, you can individually obtain a Course Certificate from the instructor after successful completion of a course, documenting your participation and the amount of ECTS-Credits earned.

(* Bachelor-level courses only: This can include, but might not be limited to, multiple graded assignments over the course of the semester (PVLs), the passing of which being required to qualify for the final exam.)

Services for International Students

If you have general questions about studying in Leipzig, we recommend the following services and student organizations:

• The International Center is Leipzig University's central service for international students who seek information regarding various aspects of their study and life in Leipzig. For all official questions about studying in Leipzig and especially all matters related to applying to one of our programs, please contact the International Center.
• The Leipzig University International Students facebook group
• For specific questions about studying American Studies, feel free to contact us. We recommend a look at our frequently asked questions first, but if you cannot find answers there, please feel free to get in touch with us.

BA International Track

International mobility has become an essential component in today's higher education and professional development landscape. American Studies Leipzig has thus launched the BA International Track (BAIT), a three-year BA program in American Studies for international students who do not yet speak German. For more information about the content of the program, please see our Study Programs page.

BAIT is a way for international students who do not yet have the sufficient German-language skills to study in our BA American Studies program. This is possible for only a limited number of students every winter term. The selection and application process is handled entirely by the central administration of Leipzig University, which is why American Studies Leipzig, as an individual institute, cannot assist you with these matters. Hence, if you have questions about applying to the BAIT program, please contact the university's International Center.

• For general questions on how to apply to BAIT, please see our FAQs.
• If you have questions regarding the application process, visa requirements, and funding options beyond the FAQs, please contact the International Center.

Studying as a BAIT Student

For the most part, studying at American Studies Leipzig as a BA International Track student is very similar to our regular BA program. For a few of the differences, we have the following suggestions and recommendations for you:

• As an entering (first-year) BAIT student, please make sure to carefully read the “Welcome Entering Students” news item on the ASL homepage that will be published sometime in September of every year. As will be stated there as well, please make sure to enroll for your modules on time and to take part in the ASL Orientation Day activities to get an overview of the program and the opportunity to ask any questions you may have.
• The BAIT program can be fully studied without German-language skills, but not having a certain level of German will entail a few restrictions:
  • All BA American Studies classes in your ‘core modules’ (Kernfach) are taught entirely in English, so no German skills are needed here at all. Of the 180 credit points you need to complete a BA degree, this covers 90 credits.
  • The remaining credits will come from your minor/elective area (Wahlbereich/Wahlfach), which amounts to 60 credits, and from the professional-skills area (Schlüsselqualifikationsmodule), which make up 30 credits. For both of these areas, you generally take modules from institutes and programs other than American Studies. Currently, many of these are offered in German only, even though Leipzig University has committed to offering more courses in English in the future.
  • One option for the minor and professional-skills modules is to gradually learn German in order to be able to choose from the whole selection of classes offered.
  • Other options include, for your minor/elective area:
    • You can attend additional American Studies modules, all of which are taught in English, beyond the ones you need to fill up your core modules. These modules can then be counted towards your minor/elective area.
    • The modules of the Institute for British Studies (Institut für Anglistik) are generally all offered in English as well.
    • In addition, there are single modules here and there offered in English (or in languages other than German) throughout the university. You can look for these either via TOOL (which you will use to sign up for modules) or (which would be our recommendation) in the course catalog on Almaweb. The language of instruction for individual courses is mentioned on Almaweb, and if you find classes in English, you could then also further research the module on the website of the institute that offers it. For questions about modules offered in English at Leipzig University, you can also contact the International Center.
  • For your professional skills area:
    • 10 of the 30 credits you need in this area are covered by a mandatory American Studies module, iTASK, which is of course taught in English.
    • For the remaining credits, you can again look through the modules listed on Almaweb to find English-language ones. For instance, the Creative Writing modules offered by American Studies Leipzig (worth 5 credits each) are taught entirely in English, but they are also usually in very high demand.
    • You can also receive 10 credits for doing an internship or studying abroad.
    • Alternatively, you can also take certain language courses and have them count towards your professional skills modules. For details on how to do that, please see our FAQs (and note that, generally, this is not possible for any English-language courses of any kind). As a BAIT student, you can do this for German-language courses as well. And while regular BA students can have a maximum of 10 credits of language courses counted towards their professional skills modules, as a BAIT student, you can do this for up to 20 credits. We adjusted this in order to make it easier for you to finish this particular part of your studies.
• The rest of the BAIT program works just like our regular BA in American Studies. If you have further questions about the program itself, then:
  • For general study-advising questions, feel free to contact any study advisor.
  • For matters related to American studies that are specifically about you as a (potential) BAIT student, please contact the study advisor responsible for international students and studying abroad.
  • For questions about how to apply to the BAIT program and matters related to that, please contact the International Center.