Intercultural Theology

Application & Financing

Requirements

The programme is open to all who hold a Bachelor's degree in theology, cultural or social anthropology, philology, politics, development studies, or related subjects. Applicants are expected to demonstrate an academic interest in theology or religious studies, which is clearly expressed in the letter of motivation. Given the international diversity of higher education, there are no mandatory requirements on previous courses; each application will be reviewed individually.

Admission

Application for the programme is possible if you have finished your B.A. studies, including 6 semesters of study. Your final result has to be a minimum of 180 CP. It is possible to apply even before finishing your B.A. studies, but at the time of application, you should have reached at least 150 CP. Please send proof of your studies and, if available, a preliminary transcript of records. The completed certificates have to be handed in as soon as they are available, at the latest November 15, after arrival in Göttingen.

Application Period

The application period for the M.A. program in Intercultural Theology for the winter semester 2025-26 begins on October 1, 2024, and closes on December 31, 2024, for both EU/EEA and non-EU/EEA students. Early application enables students to apply for scholarships before the deadline (usually December 31); therefore, we recommend that applicants requiring a scholarship submit their applications as soon as possible. The visa process may take up to eight months, and in some cases, even longer for certain countries. If you are from a country with lengthy visa proceedings (such as Nigeria or Ghana) or require an APS certificate (from China, Vietnam, or India), we recommend applying in October.

Application materials

All application materials have to be completed in English.

The following documents are required:

  1. Application form (Download Application form 2025)
  2. Bachelor's degree certificate or equivalent diploma (certified copy and authorized translation in English). Apostille is desirable.
  3. Bachelor's degree transcript of records (certified copy and authorized translation in English). Apostille is desirable.
  4. Confirmation that you have written a B.A. thesis with the topic indicated (title page of your Thesis + ca. 10-page extract or a 10-page academic writing)
  5. Curriculum vitae - Your curriculum vitae should be presented in a tabular format and include details such as family status, denomination or religion, and a comprehensive listing of your educational and professional history. Additionally, it should highlight your interests, skills (including computing and acquired skills), languages, research projects, papers presented, and information about any completed Bachelor or Master thesis, including their titles.
  6. Photo (passport type)
  7. Letter of motivation (max. 1000 words) (Please, follow the provided manual: https://www.uni-goettingen.de/de/648936.html)
  8. A scan of your passport
  9. Language Test Certificate (80 TOEFL / 6.0 IELTS) (For more information regarding language requirements see below)
  10. Additional documents in support of your application (optional)
• Letters of recommendation
• Awards
• List of your publications with some samples of your writing (if in English)
• List of your social/political/ecumenical/religious volunteering or charity work


IMPORTANT!
A digital copy of your application should be sent to the email intercultural-theology@uni-goettingen.de with the title “application_ICT_2025_SURNAME”.
All the PDF documents should be placed in the order listed above and attached as separate *.pdf files with a title composed as follows:

SURNAME_Application form

SURNAME_Bachelor degree

SURNAME_Bachelor transcript, etc.

All additional documents should be sent as one united *.pdf titled SURNAME_ Additional_documents.
Each application, therefore, must have at least 9 separate documents attached.


  • If you do not yet have your B.A. certificate, you can send your current transcript of records officially stamped by your university.
  • If you did not write a B.A. thesis and have no writing sample in English, please attach a short statement explaining your situation.
  • If you already have an M.A. degree, please also attach your M.A. certificate and M.A. transcript.
  • If you do not yet have TOEFL / IELTS Language certificate, it can be sent later. In this case, instead of language certificate, please upload a statement explaining why there is a delay with the language certificate and indicate the test date that you have booked. If TOEFL / IELTS Language certificate are not available in your country/region, please send comparable local certificate.

    • Applications that are not uploaded in full (including all mandatory documents with the required details of an overall grade or preliminary overall average grade), in due form or by the deadline will be excluded from further proceedings. After sending us the required documents, you will receive a confirmation via email when we have checked if application is complete and forwarded to the admission committee.


    Language Requirements

    Since all classes are held in English, applicants who do not speak English as a native language have to submit proof of proficiency in English. Of the many available formats, we accept the TOEFL and the IELTS (Academic). Applicants have to meet the minimum score of 80 TOEFL iBT, resp. 6.0 IELTS.

    For more information regarding these tests, please visit the respective websites for the TOEFL or the IELTS

    Test scores will be forwarded by the test centres directly to the Georg-August-Universität. Please make sure that your test scores arrive at the university in time to be reviewed with your application.

    Please note:
    Applicants taking the TOEFL must indicate both the institution code of Georg-August-Universität AND the department code of the Faculty of Theology. Scores without the department code cannot be processed.

    • Institution code: 4468
    • Department code: 21
      • Applicants who prefer to take the IELTS must ensure that the scores are sent at the above address of Georg-August-Universität.


    Fees and Expenses


    Scholarships

    The University of Göttingen DOES NOT provide scholarships for students. Applicants can apply for financial support to the external scholarship foundations such as Bread for the World, DAAD, etc. For scholarship opportunities, visit the DAAD website https://www2.daad.de/deutschland/stipendium/datenbank/en/21148-scholarship-database/.

    Studying in Göttingen

    Please also visit the Office of Student Affairs website for more information about studying in Göttingen and the services for international students. Have a look at the Starter Kit http://studium.newsletter.uni-goettingen.de/starter-kit/.