Paths to the Master's Degree: Preparation and Application

Choice of Degree Program

The first step before a possible application is to decide for which degree program(s) an application should be submitted. If you have questions about courses offered and making decisions, please contact the Central Student Advisory Service.  If you already have questions about the student housing, you are welcome to contact the Studentenwerk Potsdam to the address provided. In addition, we have a lot of information for you about the Study Location and the University of Potsdam so you can get to know your future Alma Maters even better.

Admission Requirements

The next step is to check whether you meet the requirements for the respective master's degree program. A distinction must be made between general, technical and linguistic access requirements. Please note that it can sometimes take a  year or more to aquire missing skills.

General Prerequisites

The following general admission requirements for master's degrees is enumerated in the general admission and admission regulations: A bachelor's degree from a German university or an equivalent first professional qualification (Diplom, Magister or Staatsexamen) is a basic requirement for the master's program. If you obtained your first vocational qualification abroad, uni-assist e.V. can assess this qualification. For degree programs for which the application is made via uni-assist e.V., the examination of the foreign degree is integrated into the examination of the application.

Subject-specific requirements

The subject-specific entrance and admission regulations list the criteria that your degree must meet. A bachelor's degree cannot be regarded as "general master's maturity" for every degree program. For master's programs, specific subject-specific admission requirements are laid  down for admission to the program. The examination of the admission requirements is the responsibility of the respective examination board.

Language requirements

German language skills
For German-language master's programs, the application must include evidence of German language skills at the level of C1 (CEFR) either demonstrated by submitting the Deutsche Sprachprüfung für den Hochschulzugang on the level DSH 2 or an equivalent. You can also provide other certificates to demonstrate your language competence. You can find out here which certificates are accepted. If you are required to prove language competence at the level of DSH-1 for some degree programs, you will find out here which certificates are acceptable. English-language master's degree programs sometimes require no, or very limited, German skills. Please always inform yourself about the application requirements for the master's degree programs with regard to the language certificates in the current courses offered (PDF).

English language skills
You must provide proof of a certain level of your language competence in English for the majority of master's programs at the University of Potsdam. The respective subject-specific access and admission regulations govern proficiency level requirements. If the subject-specific access and admission regulations stipulate that English language skills are required which correspond at least to the level B2 or C1 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR),  then this requirement is satisfied by the submission of certificates or attestations specified in the general admission and admission regulations. The subject-specific access and admission regulations can, however, specify additional certificates.

Further language skills
The subject-specific access and admission regulations govern, in addition to the required knowledge of English, any other language skills which must be documented for the application.

Application

Winter semester 2024/2025: April 2 - August 15, 2024
Summer semester 2025: November 1, 2024 - February 15, 2025

Please note the exceptions in the case of master's degree programs offering further education as well as master's programs that are offered in cooperation with other institutions!

As soon as you have all the required documents at your disposal, you should use the time to submit your application early! In the case of master's programs with no admission requirements, it is worthwhile to apply early, because a decision can be made directly after verifying your entrance requirements.

Be sure to allow enough time for your application! The later you submit your application, the less time there may be left for submitting documents later or correcting information.  If you decide to send application documents to uni-assist  via post the  incoming post stamp is decisive for the validity of your documents.

Please note: Your application will not be deemed to have been submitted in due form and time until the required documents have been received online or by post before the closing date for applications. The incoming post stamp or upload time stamp applies here!

Admission

Admission to an NC-free master's program takes place after the Examination Board of the program has determined that you meet the admission requirements. Since applications for NC-free master's programs can be examined before the application deadline, it is possible that you will receive an admission letter from the Examination Board of the respective discipline.

The sooner you submit your application, the sooner there is a chance that you will be admitted!

For courses of studies for which the application is made via uni-assist e.V., the following applies: Depending on the processing time at uni-assist e.V, admissions are possible approximately two to four weeks after sending the application documents by post. The current processing time at uni-assist e.V. is here.

The notifications are sent directly from the department. If you would like information about the processing status of your application and would like to receive admission and rejection notifications, please get in touch with the relevant department contact (PDF).