Theatre – Research – Transfer
Theatre – Research – Transfer (M.A.)
The research-oriented Master’s degree program in Theater – Research – Transfer offers a qualification that is both academically sound and professionally oriented for those interested in artistic practices and transfer processes in cultural institutions. The students will work as a future generation of theoretically versed practitioners in responsible, formative positions in the field of artistic practice, in the areas of dramaturgy, theater pedagogy, curating, public relations and cultural management. At the same time, the program opens up the possibility of further academic qualification, for example in the context of a doctoral degree in theater studies.
- Degree
- Master of Arts (M.A.)
- Duration of studies in semester
- 4
- Start of degree program
- Winter semester
- Study location
- Erlangen
- Number of students
- 1-50
- Subject group
- Language and Cultural Studies
- Special ways to study
- Part-time degree program
- Teaching language
- completely in German
- Admission Requirements
- Qualification assessment
What is the degree program about?
The triad of theater – research – transfer takes into account recent developments in the arts, sciences and communication. In all of these areas, fundamental social, political, technical, and aesthetic transformations are occurring that challenge established practices as well as the role and self-image of the stakeholders and institutions involved. We meet this challenge by making the content and forms of teaching more flexible and dynamic. The goal of the degree program is not the application of already established knowledge to new areas, but the training of the ability to react flexibly to the cultural challenges of the present and their ever-changing demands.
The starting point for this is theater, characterized by a broad concept of theatricality, which does not limit questions about forms of staging, physical techniques and perceptual processes to the arts, but explicitly includes political and social communication. This results in a variety of references to other humanities subjects (such as philosophy, sociology, literature and art studies), to the positions of performance, body and gender theory, as well as to theories of globalization and interculturality. Special attention is given to the relationship between theatrical practices and digitalization.
The field of research is also currently affected by profound upheavals that affect the self-image of the university as well as its relationship to artistic-creative practice. We understand the latter as “artistic research”, not as an object of disciplinary knowledge, but as an independent method of knowledge generation. This is accompanied by an expansion of concepts and methods, which can only be grasped in an explorative and experimental way and should be developed in an exchange between scientists, practitioners and students.
In the area of transfer, we dedicate ourselves both to already established dramaturgical and pedagogical professional fields (cultural education, repertoire and program design, public relations) and to experimental forms that go hand in hand with the revaluation and dissolution of boundaries in curating. Practice-related questions and content are developed in close exchange with cultural institutions; the students are involved in the work fields and processes of specific professional practice within the framework of internships.
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The first semester is dedicated to the central fields of theater studies (theory, historiography, performance analysis) and fundamental questions of transfer in practice. In the second semester, these topics are deepened and tested in the context of an artistic project conducted in collaboration with guest artists. The third semester is characterized by two obligatory external internships, which are flanked by accompanying courses. In the fourth semester, the degree program concludes with a Master’s thesis and an oral examination.
1st Subject semester
- Module 1: Theory and historiography of theater (10 ECTS credits)
- Module 2: Performance analysis (5 ECTS credits)
- Module 3: Comparative analysis (5 ECTS credits)
- Module 4: Basic module Practices of transfer (7,5 ECTS credits)
2nd Subject semester
- Module 5: Aesthetics of theater (5 ECTS credits)
- Module 6: Theater and other Arts (5 ECTS credits)
- Module 7: Compulsory elective module (10 ECTS credits)
- Module 8: Advanced module Practices of transfer (7,5 ECTS credits)
- Module 9: Artistic project work (5 ECTS credits)
3rd Subject semester
- Module 10: Compulsory elective module (15 ECTS)
- Module 11: Research questions (15 ECTS)
4th Subject semester
- Module 12: Examination module (30 ECTS)
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The Institute for Theater and Media Studies has professionally equipped rooms, technical resources and personnel resources that can be used for experimental forms of teaching and learning as well as for independent practice by the students. For scenic project work, the Experimental Theater provides a flexible theater space with state-of-the-art lighting technology, an audio system with multi-channel and surround options, and various video projection options, as well as media studios with audio and video equipment and fully digital editing suites that can be used in any number of ways. The GamesLab is a facility for researching digital games.
In addition, there are a number of student initiatives at FAU in which students can gain experience in cultural work and festival organization while studying, such as the ARENA theater and performance festival, the FAU campus media funklust, and the student culture magazine re>flex.
The Erlangen-Nuremberg metropolitan region is characterized by a great variety of cultural institutions that attract visitors from the region and beyond: Theater and opera, museums and exhibition venues for contemporary art, a diverse music scene, and a long tradition of international festivals. As part of the Master’s degree program, we cooperate with the most important institutions and stakeholders in cultural life as well as visiting artists, including the Nuremberg State Theater, the Tafelhalle Nuremberg, the Erlangen Theater, the Erlangen Cultural Office (Figure Theater Festival, Comic Salon, Poetry Festival), the Neues Museum in Nuremberg and the Kunstpalais art gallery in Erlangen. -
This degree program prepares you primarily for artistic and design-related curatorial tasks in theater and other cultural institutions, for example in the areas of dramaturgy, theater pedagogy, public relations, festival and program design and cultural management, etc. At the same time, the program opens up the possibility of further academic qualification, for example in the context of a doctoral degree in theater studies.
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Here is further information on some student projects developed within the context of the Master’s degree program Theater – Research – Transfer. The page is kept continually up to date.
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- Admission requirements (first semester)
- Qualification assessment
- Application deadline winter semester
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15.07.
- Content-related admission requirements
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Admission requires a degree in theater studies (B.A.) or theater and media studies (B.A.) or in a related Bachelor’s degree program that includes a theater studies or theater-related component of at least 35 ECTS credits; if necessary, applicants are invited to attend a selection interview.
Language skills
- German language skills for international applicants
- DSH 2 or equivalent
- General language skills
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If applicants have not completed a degree or their final school leaving examination qualifying for university entrance in German, they must prove that they are proficient in German, at least to level DSH2. Proficiency in English at the European reference level B2 is an advantage.
- Details and notes
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Prospective students can apply after acquiring 140 ECTS credits in their undergraduate degree (conditional admission).
Together with their application documents, applicants must submit an independently written project outline (between 7,000 and 12,000 characters in length, including spaces). This allows us to gain an impression of our applicants’ interests from an early stage; it is not an artistic entrance examination. The current assignment can be found on the degree program website.
Applications should be submitted exclusively via the online portal campo. There is no need to send application documents by post.
Do you need help or more information?
Our Student Advice and Career Service (IBZ) is the central point of contact for all questions about studying and starting a degree programme. Our Student Service Centres and subject advisors support you in planning your studies.