How does it work?
How does it work? Studying history at the University of Augsburg
Are you interested in historic eras, events, and human experiences? Are you curious, critical, and open to new ideas? Are you attracted to complexity, ambiguity, and contradiction? Do you like to read, a lot? Then you are in the right place!
Historians are experts in change and transformation. They understand the past and make it comprehensible for the present. By doing so, they play their part in envisioning a future informed from historic knowledge.
Studying History at the University of Augsburg opens up new worlds. It takes you from antiquity to the Middle Ages and from the early modern period to the most recent past. In your degree programme you will traverse the history of Europe from south to north, from east to west and its interconnectedness with other regions across the world. Also you will enjoy the opportunity to delve deeply into Global Environmental History, European Regional History, Transatlantic History, Cultural History, or History Didactics.
At the University of Augsburg you can earn internationally recognized academic degrees (Bachelor of Arts; Master of Arts; doctorate; state examination for teaching in public schools). Additional certificate programs allow you to further broaden your spectrum.
Internship and practice-based courses allow you to see what professional life is like and to forge meaningful connections. Augsburg's History department enjoys close ties to research facilities and historical-cultural institutions in the region and beyond.
What does the degree programme look like?
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Studying history grants you a great deal of freedom: in addition to the foundational training, you can choose your own specialisation. The framework of your specific study plan depends on the study regulations (Studiengangsordnung) of your respective degree programme and varies according to B.A., M.A. or teacher training. Each programme builds on a predetermined structure consisting of modules.
Each module represents a particular field of research and consists of interconnected courses. These can be lectures, seminars, tutorials, excursions, or internships. Lectures and tutorials are open to students in all semesters. Seminars are aimed at specific target groups, depending on how advanced students are in their studies.
Each semester, we offer a great variety of courses with their different topics and focal points – some provide a broad historic overview, others go into greater depth and practise important skills and basic knowledge. In the end, you will have a study plan that is right for you. The module handbook (Modulhandbuch) for your degree programme provides an overview of all the courses offered in a semester.
Hear what former history students have to say:
Mirko from Knowledge2Go shares his insights (in German)
What can I do with a degree in History?
Historians work in many professional fields – in libraries and archives, in museums, at memorial sites and documentation centres, in cultural institutions and administrations, in journalism and publishing houses, in foundations and NGOs, in company strategy and HR departments, in management consultancies and in the digital industry. And, of course, in research and at universities.
Historians are experts in the past and the changes that affect societies. They are trained to clearly formulate ideas, gives presentations, write concisely; all to share knowledge. They have a broad general education, can quickly grasp complex contexts, and are experts at analysis. As a historian, you are aware of the often multiple perspectives on the same issue and can bring them together in a coherent way. Based on and embedded in their knowledge of the past, historians reflect on current affairs, contextualizing them in a broader context. Overall, historians are the heroes of complexity.
During your studies, there are many opportunities to choose career paths. The networking of Augsburg's History department with historical-cultural institutions and research facilities creates the best conditions for this. The certificate courses "Practice Area Memorial Sites", "Museum and Exhibition Studies" and "Judaic Studies" offer additional, career-orientated qualifications.
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The Degree Programmes in History
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You can study History as a major, but also in combination with other subjects. Interdisciplinarity is key to how we practise History at the University of Augsburg.
Bachelor Degrees:
- Historical Sciences
- Didactic Sciences
- Art and Cultural History
- Interdisciplinary European Studies
- North American Studies
- Teaching Degree for Elementary Schools
- Teaching Degree for "Mittelschulen"
- Teaching Degree for "Realschulen"
- Teaching Degree for "Gymnasien"
And if I am interested in studying abroad?
... then you will receive all the support you need! Studying abroad changes your life – it opens up new horizons, brings out unrecognised talents, grants you insights into other cultures of knowledge and science, promotes language skills, challenges you in completely new ways, and creates life-long friendships.
The University of Augsburg has a worldwide network of
partner universities.
A particularly close connection exists between the Department of History and Emory University, Atlanta (USA), and its exchange programme for advanced students:
https://www.uni-augsburg.de/de/fakultaet/philhist/professuren/geschichte/
Find general information about the opportunities at the University of Augsburg:
https://www.uni-augsburg.de/de/studium/ausland/
If you are interested in the European Union's Erasmus programme go here:
https://www.uni-augsburg.de/de/studium/ausland/
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More information
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Counselling and service
Are you interested in studying History at the University of Augsburg? Do you need support during your studies?
The student advisors in the Department of History are there to help and advise you.
- You can also find comprehensive information on studying here.
- For support with problems relating to learning, self-organisation, time management, exam nerves or other psychological challenges: https://www.uni-augsburg.de/de/studium/organisation-beratung/beratung
Offers for highschool students
Could History be something for me? At the University of Augsburg, there are a wide range of offers that help you find the degree program that is right for you: https://www.uni-augsburg.de/de/studium/orientierung/
You are also welcome to contact the student advisors in the History department!
- Dr. Andreas Hartmann (Ancient History)
- Prof. Dr. Thomas Krüger (Medieval History)
- apl. Prof. Dr. Regina Dauser (Early Modern History)
- Prof. Dr. Stefan Lindl (European Regional History)
- Prof. Dr. Jana Osterkamp (Entangled History of Germany and Eastern Europe)
- Priv.-Doz. Dr. Stefan Paulus (Modern and Contemporary History)
- Dr. Michael Wobring (History Didactics)
FAQ – Questions and answers about studying history
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The degree programme is divided into individual units (modules). Each module has different requirements (workload), which are weighed with credit points (ECTS).
You can find a detailed explanation of these terms here: https://www.uni-augsburg.de/de/studium/organisation-beratung/beginn-verlauf/stundenplan/
Lectures... are usually held in a (large) lecture theatre. A topic is presented comprehensively and in broad strokes. Lectures introduce research controversies and discuss current interpretations. Lectures provide you with the necessary knowledge that helps you throughout your entire degree and prepares you for the final examinations. This also applies to the teacher training programme, as lectures present topics that are relevant according to the teacher training examination regulations.
Basic courses... are overview courses that introduce the core problems of an epoch. You will learn about the most important events, protagonists, structures, topics and key concepts, deal with the most important research controversies and thus gain the tools you need for your studies and final examinations.
Proseminars... are courses in the basic and advanced modules at the beginning of the degree programme that deal with a specific topic of the respective period. In proseminars, students work intensively in small groups – source interpretation, analysing research literature and discussing theses. Proseminars also familiarise students with the basics of academic work in the subject of history ("propaedeutics"), such as source studies, bibliography, reading academic texts, independent writing of term papers and correct citation practices.
Practice-based courses (Übungen)... work on a specific topic in a similar way to proseminars, focusing on an introduction to historical theories, methods and approaches as well as source analysis. In practice-based courses you will – quite literally – "practise", i.e. in the group and individually you will learn how to use the tools of historians and apply them independently. You will also acquire knowledge of historical auxiliary sciences, for example when you work with coins, seals or inscriptions and learn how to interpret and categorise them historically.
Advanced seminars... belong to the specialisation modules and are therefore only taken in advanced studies. They focus on one topic and deal with it in depth. They reflect critically on research, analyse historical problems theoretically and methodically and work intensively with sources.
Excursions... are events that do not take place at the university, but at other thematically interesting locations. This can be in the neighbourhood, elsewhere in Germany or abroad. Excursions are organised around a theme that is explored by visiting historically significant sites.
Tutorials... help students to learn the basic techniques of studying history. They support the development of propaedeutics. Tutors are available, for example, to help with the preparation of bibliographies at the beginning of the degree programme.
... in the University Library (UB)! Different resources are available for research depending on the era, research question, and topic. The first port of call for library research is the Augsburg University Library catalog (OPAC). In addition, you can consult relevant specialist bibliographies, databases and source collections.
The UB offers introductions to library use. Participation is highly recommended, as is a look at its informative website:
https://www.uni-augsburg.de/de/organisation/bibliothek/kurse-beratung/
History is located under signature number 50 in the Humanities Branch Library. In addition, some lecturers provide you with helpful literature for the course you are attending in semester reserves. These are usually introductory works that can support initial research. The semester reserves can be found in front of the tunnel passage to the Central Library on level 3 of the Humanities Branch Library.
For general information about the UB, please use the following link: https://www.uni-augsburg.de/de/organisation/bibliothek/
Das Geschichtsstudium ist ein Lese- und Schreibstudium. Pro- und Hauptseminare haben deshalb immer Hausarbeiten als abschließende Prüfungsleistungen. Im Propädeutikum wird auch in das Schreiben von Hausarbeiten eingeführt. Die für die jeweilige historische Teildisziplin gültigen Leitfäden zu Zitation und Bibliografieren finden Sie auf den Homepages der Professuren und Lehrstühle.
For the multiple bachelor's degree with History as a major, the master's degree in Historical Sciences and the advanced teaching qualification (teaching at high school), a solid knowledge of Latin (formally the "small Latinum", Kleines Latinum) is mandatory.
You can take courses in Latin in the department: https://www.uni-augsburg.de/de/studium/orientierung/latein/
In the module handbooks, all courses are assigned to the individual modules. Course registration always takes place via the Digicampus portal. Spot are allocated randomly. If you have not received one, you can ask the lecturer whether there is still vacancy.
Exam registration takes place via the STUDIS portal. All deadlines and other modalities can also be found here.
Combined modules consist of several classes. As a rule, only one examination can be completed here. Information on combined modules can always be found in the respective module handbooks.
There are binding deadlines for registering for the written term paper (admission thesis), and there is also a regulated process. You can find the information on the relevant page of the examination office.
You can register your Bachelor's and Master's theses at any time, but must follow certain procedures. Further information and forms can be found here.
The University of Augsburg offers comprehensive advice and support for personal crises that arise from the challenges of studying and university life.
Contact persons and useful tips can be found at: https://www.uni-augsburg.de/de/studium/organisation-beratung/beratung/
The History Student Council (Fachschaft Geschichte) is a voluntary association of history students from different degree programmes and semesters who want to get involved in university life. It helps to answer students' questions and problems at any point during their studies (not just at the start of their studies) and can also mediate between students and lecturers. Various events are also organized for students – from Christmas parties and pub crawls to excursions and study trips to lecture series.
So erreichen Sie uns
Campus der Universität, Gebäude D1-D5
Post- und Besucheranschrift
Universität Augsburg
Philologisch-Historische Fakultät
Universitätsstraße 10
86159 Augsburg
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