Journalism

Our world is getting more complex by the day, and the media is undergoing change at an ever-faster pace. We train journalists who can explain complex relationships in simple terms and are able to do this using different media formats, in text or on a cross-media basis.

The journalism programme provides fundamental knowledge on the media and application-oriented skills for the preparation, planning and implementation of media projects.

The journalism programme offers a selection of four fields of concentration:

• Media management
• Politics
• Society and public

The programme combines theory and practice. Modules on media theory and media history are fixed elements, as are modules on journalistic production in which the students can obtain basic skills in, for example, producing journalistic texts or television reports. Trainee editorial teams and projects are a focus of the course and feature as of the second term. The students can apply the basic knowledge they have obtained to specific practical questions and produce media reports together. Over the course of the programme, this increasingly takes place in our Newsroom which organises the integration of work across different media (print, television, radio, online).

The fields of concentration and optional modules for seminars on media production and for trainee editorial teams and projects allow the students to set their own specialisation areas within the programme in terms of both content and media.

The fourth term is a mandatory term abroad which can take the form of either a work placement at a foreign company or study at a foreign university.

The students also complete a twelve-week work placement in Germany.

A higher education entrance qualification is a general prerequisite for admittance to the programme of study. International applicants must provide proof of educational qualifications that permit study in Germany (school-leaving certificate, certificate of university attendance).

The DAAD database on admission requirements allows international students to check whether they meet the requirements for the degree programme of their choice in Germany.

The language of instruction is German. Foreign applicants must prove they have adequate knowledge of German. Evidence of the necessary German language skills can be provided in the form of:

• Goethe Certificate C2
• DSD II
• DSH II
• TestDaF (minimun 16 total points & minimun level3 in the examination modules)
• TELC Deutsch C1 Hochschule
• ÖSD C2
• evidence of having passed the entrance examination at a preparatory college

Applicants who are unable to fulfil the specified admission requirements may contact a preparatory college (‘Studienkolleg’). These specifically prepare foreign applicants for a course of study in Germany. Magdeburg-Stendal University of Applied Sciences does not have its own preparatory college. The state-run preparatory college responsible for our institution is located at Anhalt University of Applied Sciences in Köthen.

An overview of all preparatory colleges in Germany can be found here.

In Magdeburg you can find a private preparatory college: Europäisches Studienkolleg der Wirtschaft (ESKW)

Additionally, the aptitude for the study programme has to be proven either by:

• passing an online test or
• providing proof of specialized vocational training (e.g. media designer, management assistant in audio visual media, media and information services specialist, or office clerk specializing in media) or
• providing proof of a six-week journalism internship or relevant freelance work experience

Information about the online test

Duration: 60 minutes

Contents: basic knowledge in the areas of German (with a focus on: text comprehension, spelling and punctuation), politics/society (with a focus on: basics of the German political system) and journalistic competence (with a focus on: basics of the media system in the Federal Republic of Germany, journalistic text forms).

If at least 50 % of the total possible points are achieved, the test is considered to have been passed.

For applicants whose native language is not German, the Board of
Examiners may, upon request, conduct decisions on individual cases.