Call for applications, deadline 15 August 2021: New Online Master's degree in World Heritage Studies (MA)

The master's programme in World Heritage Studies (WHS) at BTU Cottbus-Senftenberg, Germany now opens its doors towards a full online study experience.

The World Heritage Studies programme began in 1999 and its graduates from more than two decades have established a strong alumni network of professionals in the World Heritage field. Starting from October 2021, the programme offers a new study option: World Heritage Studies (Online), aimed at offering a master's degree in World Heritage to applicants who due to visa, money, work or family issues may not be able or willing to come to Cottbus/Germany for full-time studies on campus.

The course invites students to exchange knowledge on global issues in World Heritage from the convenience of their desks at home or from their office. World Heritage Studies Online modules are taught primarily asynchronously to allow students to study more independently, on their own schedule, and within different time zones. Occasional 'live' sessions, aimed at stimulating exchanges and discussions, are also integrated within the course syllabus.

Students must complete 120 ECTS (credits according to the European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System) to successfully complete the Master's programme. As the entire programme, including examinations and the master thesis research, is conducted online, students are not required to be present in Germany at any point during the programme. The regular study period is two years but students with full-time employment or with family care tasks can apply for part-time study. Graduates are conferred a Master of Arts in World Heritage Studies.

The WHS Online curriculum includes:

• 3 mandatory modules totalling 18 ECTS (Introduction/Coaching, World Heritage Studies - Body of Knowledge, and World Heritage in Germany);
• 8 compulsory-elective modules totalling 48 ECTS; comprising a variety of different courses to select from including Heritage Management, Heritage Legislation, Fundraising and Financing for Heritage, Marketing, PR and Media, Heritage Impact Assessment, Cultural Landscapes or Tourism, to just name a few. 
• 2 Study Projects totalling 24 ECTS, which are designed to implement the theoretical content of the programme to specific case studies, either selected by the lecturer or brought in from the local experience and context of the student. 
• the Master's Thesis totalling 30 ECTS, on a topic agreed upon between the student and the selected supervisor. 

World Heritage Studies (Online) will now accept admissions for its first year of operations starting from October 2021 and applications are open until 15 August 2021. The programme is tuition-free. Merely a registration fee is required every term for administrative handling of the candidate’s files. The development of the new study option WHS Online has been made possible with funding from the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF). The executive funding agency is the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), in the funding line "International Programmes Digital (IP Digital)" (2021 - 2022).

To apply, students require a Master entrance qualification (e.g. Bachelor, Diploma) in a study area relevant to the World Heritage Studies curriculum (Humanities, Social Sciences, Architecture, Archaeology, Art History, Conservation, Environmental Sciences, Geography, Cultural Management, Tourism or similar) as well as proof of English language proficiency. A board of examiners reviews each application for eligibility, striving to promote excellence, academic integrity, and cultural and professional diversity.

For further information on the World Heritage Studies (Online) programme as well as the application process, please consult https://www.b-tu.de/en/worldheritage-ma/whs-online