Master's Program English and American Studies

General Information

In the master’s program English and American Studies, you build on and further refine your advanced proficiency in English while significantly deepening your academic expertise in key areas of the discipline. You engage intensively with English linguistics as well as British, American, and other Anglophone literature, culture, media, politics, and history, approaching these fields at a higher level of theoretical and methodological sophistication. The program places strong emphasis on independent academic work, critical analysis, and research-oriented study, enabling you to develop and apply scholarly approaches to complex cultural and linguistic phenomena. You also strengthen your ability to participate in academic discourse and to communicate your ideas effectively in both written and spoken form. In addition, you acquire and expand transferable skills such as analytical thinking, research competence, and intercultural awareness, preparing you for a broad range of academic pathways as well as professional careers in fields such as education, media, cultural institutions, and international contexts.

For further general information about the program, please click here (forthcoming). You can find the curriculum here .

Course Registration

You must register via LFU:Onlinewithin the desgignated registration period:

• Winter term: September 1 to 21
• Summer term: February 1 to 21

Please note:

• When singning up, please make sure that you have completed any required prerequisites courses. You can find information on prerequisites in the curriculum as well as on LFU:Online (in the same place where you access the course details and register).
• Course acceptance is not on a first-come, first-served basis. Places are allocated only after the registration period has ended, at which point lecturers determine acceptance.

Mentoring Program

The Departments of English and American Studies offer buddy and mentoring programs for students. For further information about the programs as well as how to participate, click here. 

Transition from Old to New Curriculum

This information is only relevant for students who started the MA English and American Studies before winter semester 2026/27.

You will automatically be transferred to the new curricum. To support you during this transition, we have prepared this course selection guide to help you identify and choose the courses you still need to complete.

Exam Registration and Dates for Lectures (VO)

Click below on a lecture title to view the exam dates and registration procedure for the current semester.

Master's Thesis

In the master’s program English and American Studies, you are required to write a master’s thesis worth 22.5 ECTS credits. The master’s thesis is an independent academic work that demonstrates your ability to address a scholarly topic autonomously and in a methodologically and academically sound manner. The topic of your thesis must be chosen from the field of English and American Studies, and the thesis must be written in English. A signed declaration confirming compliance with the principles of good academic practice must be submitted together with the thesis (but as a separate document).

In the module “Conception of the Master’s Thesis” (5 ECTS credits), you agree on the topic, the scope, and the form of the master’s thesis on the basis of a brief synopsis (exposé). This module is not a taught course. Instead, you work individually with your supervisor(s). The prerequisite for this module is Compulsory Module 1 (“Research, Methodology, and Creative Writing”).

For information regarding length, citation style, formatting, submission deadlines, etc., contact your thesis supervisor and follow their instructions precisely.

If Univ.-Prof. Christian Quendler is your supervisor, you can find more information here.

Master's Thesis Defense

The master’s program is completed with the “Master’s Thesis Defence” (2.5 ECTS credits), a 60-minute oral examination (defensio) of your MA thesis before a committee of three members. At least one committee member must be habilitated, and all examiners must be faculty members of the Departments of American Studies and/or English. Your thesis supervisor typically serves as Examiner 1 (“Prüfer:in 1”).

The defense begins with a presentation of approximately 20 minutes, in which you summarize the key aspects of your master’s thesis. This is followed by questions from all three committee members. The examiners may request your thesis in advance in order to familiarize themselves with your work.

Please note:
You may register for the defense only once you have successfully completed all other compulsory and elective modules and a positive grade for your master’s thesis has been submitted. The defense can take place no earlier than three weeks after registration. This processing time is required by the Examination Office (“Prüfungsreferat”) to check formal requirements, obtain the necessary signatures, and prepare and distribute the examination record form.