Deadline for applications: 31 March 2023

The Master’s programme in International Media Studies, which is offered in conjunction with the University of Bonn and the Deutsche Welle broadcasting station, integrates issues relating to media and development cooperation, on the one hand, with media management and communications science, on the other. Above and beyond this, the programme includes journalism and practical media-based projects.

Curriculum International Media Studies (M.A.)

The Master’s Program trains students – personally and professionally – to be competent media experts. Students will acquire the theoretical knowledge and practical skills that are essential for a career in the media sector. They will be able to meet specific occupational requirements with expertise and communicative independence. The Master’s Program prepares our Alumni for the challenges of leadership positions in the international media field.

In the first and second semester information on the interrelations between media, politics and society as well as comprehension of media development politics and knowledge of journalism, media economics and management are being delivered to the students. The acquisition of key competencies like communication and presentation skills as well as intercultural know-how is a further component of the first year of study.

In the third semester the block courses on empiricism, media planning and user research form the pillars of the study plan. They are being supplemented by interdisciplinary courses in project management as well as leadership. Further, in the area “Media”, study projects in media or communication science are required. The development of the Master’s Thesis shall be carried our in the fourth semester, concluding with a Master’s Thesis Colloquium.

You will find the Module Handbook, an overview of the Credit Points of each module and other relevant information for download in the Deutsche Welle FAQ section.

Tuition Fees, Financing and Scholarships

The tuition fees for the postgraduate, four-semester Master’s Program will cost 6,000 EUR. Students can either pay the total sum before admission or pay a monthly rate of 250 EUR. Additionally, students have to pay a semester fee (currently of 265,40 EUR) to the University of Applied Sciences Bonn-Rhein-Sieg. This fee includes administrative costs, studentship fee as well as a ticket for use of public transport in the area’s traffic network.

There are different ways of financing your studies:

Full Scholarship

We are granting full scholarship to up to 10 applicants each year. Prospective students from developing countries can apply for the full scholarship. The scholarship is 750 EUR per month covering costs for living and accommodation. The tuition fee and the flight will be also reimbursed. A committee will decide which applicants are to receive a scholarship after the application deadline has expired.

Partial Scholarship

If you don’t meet the requirements for the full scholarship, you may apply for a partial scholarship. This will cover the costs of the tuition fees of 6,000 EUR. The expenses for travelling, accommodation and living will have to be paid by yourself.

Self-Paying

In addition to the above mentioned scholarships there is the possibilty to finance your living costs (approx. 800 EUR per month) and the tuition fees of 250 EUR per month over the course of all four semesters (6,000 EUR in total).

Reference and further information:

Development-Related Postgraduate Courses (EPOS)

NEW!
Master Scholarship Programme for students from the Ukraine as well as students from countries of the DAC list fleeing the war in Ukraine

The Scholarship programme for students fleeing the war in Ukraine is a subprogramme of the programme “Development Related Postgraduate Courses”. It is funded by the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development and managed by the German Academic Exchange service. Its goal is to provide Master scholarships to students who are nationals of the Ukraine or originate from a country of the DAC list and whose studies are interrupted because of the war in Ukraine. Scholarship holders are given the opportunity to take a Master’s degree at a state or state-recognised German university to obtain a university qualification in Germany.

Call for Applications 2023 can be found here [pdf-file] (Application Closing Date: between 15.01.2023 and 30.03.2023, depending on course)

The EPOS programme offers individual scholarships to participants from developing countries so that they may study development-related postgraduate courses at selected universities in Germany.

Background

Highly qualified local specialists who are interconnected with international partners play an important role in the development of their countries. They are pivotal for a better future with less poverty, more education, and better health for all.

However, many universities in developing countries are underfunded and overcrowded, and also the availability of top-level university lecturers and practice-oriented training programmes is often limited. It is against this backdrop that the DAAD created “development-related postgraduate courses” (EPOS), which are closely linked to practical experience. The programme supports rigorously selected graduates from developing countries with scholarships to study for an internationally competitive degree in Germany. These postgraduate courses have been going through discerning selection processes and have to reapply to the multi-institutional selection committee on a regular basis.

Programme objectives

Professionals and managerial staff from developing countries and emerging economies (list of eligible countries [pdf-file]) gain further qualifications on postgraduate courses to become future decision-makers and partners for Germany. This is the case for degree courses in all areas of expertise important for development and for solving global problems. It is expected that the graduates will be involved in international networks, working on solutions to national, regional, and global challenges. In this way, they will initiate and support development processes in the medium and long term.

In addition, capacity development in terms of supporting personnel and organisational development in partner countries will have sustainable development effects. For the participants of the programme, the postgraduate courses offer the necessary skills and qualifications to continually increase their performance and development capacity in their working environment. Graduates will act as disseminators passing on their experience and their newly acquired skills to others.

At the same time, the postgraduate courses contribute to the further internationalisation of higher education institutions in Germany. In addition, participants from partner countries will promote the transfer of knowledge from South to North by sharing their specific regional know-how with students, teachers and researchers, thus strengthening their competences in respect of the developing countries.

Funded projects/measures

The master’s and PhD courses which are currently funded by the DAAD can be found in the EPOS Brochure [pdf-file].

Results

The EPOS programme successfully supports specialists and managerial staff from developing countries. Since the programme was launched in 1987, more than 7,000 scholarships have been awarded, with about 50 per cent currently going to women. Well over 90 per cent of students complete their studies successfully and earn the academic degree they have worked for.
The results of a survey published in 2013 show that over 70 per cent of the graduates immediately return to their home countries or home regions after completing their studies. Some stay for doctorates or work in international organisations like the World Bank, GIZ, or Terre des Femmes. More than three quarters of the DAAD scholarship recipients stated that there even is a thematic link between their EPOS studies and their employment. In other words, the vast majority of EPOS alumni work in a professional environment where they can directly apply their acquired knowledge to issues of development cooperation while acting as disseminators at the same time.

In order to achieve the objectives of the programme more efficiently, the DAAD regularly evaluates the effect of its funding programmes. A comprehensive results-oriented monitoring system launched in 2014 helps to further improve the quality and transparency of our work.

Source / Official Website HERE.