Theater and Media Studies
Theater and Media Studies (B.A.)
In the course of study, students engage with a variety of different arts and media: from theater, dance, and performance art to film, television, photography, the acoustic and digital media, and performances in culture, politics, and everyday life. They are enabled to scientifically analyze and reflect on the relationships and interactions between the various forms and techniques of theater and media.
- Degree
- Bachelor of Arts (B.A.)
- Duration of studies in semester
- 6
- Start of degree program
- Winter semester
- Study location
- Erlangen
- Number of students
- 250-600
- Subject group
- Language and Cultural Studies
- Special ways to study
- 2-subject Bachelor, Part-time degree program
- Teaching language
- completely in German
- Admission Requirements
- No Admissions Restrictions
What is the degree program about?
Are you interested in how films work? What effect the movements and voices of the stage characters have on the audience? Would you like to learn how to design a stage set? Then a degree in theater and media studies might be right for you. But beware. The studies in Erlangen are primarily scientific. You won’t get any artistic-practical training as an actor, director or cameraman/woman. Instead, you will gain basic knowledge about the history, theory and aesthetics of theater and media. You will learn to classify very different theater and media phenomena historically, to compare them with each other and to reflect on them critically. This enables you to see more and further than the practical specialists – and that, in turn, can be used everywhere.
Here in Erlangen, we take great care to link theory with practice: Technical exercises and practical projects are an integral part of the curriculum, and lecturers from the practical world of theater and media give you insights into very different areas and ways of working. An extensive technical infrastructure is also available for this purpose, including a professionally equipped stage space („experimental theater“), audio and video studios, and editing suites.
In addition, there are numerous opportunities for independent creative implementation of the knowledge and experience gained during the course of study: Many students and graduates work with initiatives such as the performance festival ARENA…der jungen Künste, the campus media funklust, the short film platform [ki’ta:so] or the culture magazine re’flex. Those who wish can also become creatively active at the institute with their own project and present it to the public there.
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Basic Modules
- Introduction (5 ECTS)
- Basic Module Media Studies (5 ECTS)
- Basic Module Theater Studies (5 ECTS)
- Thematic Module Media Studies (5 ECTS)
- Thematic Module Theater Studies (5 ECTS)
- Practice (5 ECTS)
Advanced modules
- History of Theater (5 ECTS)
- History of Media (5 ECTS)
- History of Theater and Media (5 ECTS)
- Practice (5 ECTS)
Advanced modules
- Research Perspectives (5 ECTS)
- Research (7.5 ECTS)
- Practice (7.5 ECTS)
Bachelor thesis (only in first subject)
- Bachelor thesis (10 ECTS)
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It is advantageous to
- enjoy reading scientific texts
- be open to media of all forms and generations (this means, for example: Interest not only in current cinema productions, but also in black-and-white or silent films)
- be willing to engage in unfamiliar lines of thought and sometimes strange argumentation
- develop a comparatively high potential for frustration with regard to the many different and sometimes mutually contradictory definitions, ideas and descriptions of theater and media that one will encounter during one’s studies
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The professionally equipped spatial and technical as well as personnel resources of the Institute for Theater and Media Studies 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 flexibly usable 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 flexibly usable audio and video equipment and fully digital editing suites. 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 theater and performance festival ARENA…der jungen Künste, the FAU campus media funklust, the short film platform [ki’ta:so] or the culture magazine re’flex.
The Erlangen-Nuremberg metropolitan region is characterized by a great variety of cultural institutions with supraregional appeal: Theater and opera, museums and exhibition venues for contemporary art, a diverse musical life and a long tradition of international festivals. The ITM cooperates with the most important institutions and actors of cultural life as well as guest artists – among them the Nuremberg State Theater, the Tafelhalle Nuremberg, the Erlangen Theater, the Erlangen Cultural Office (Figure Theater Festival, Comic Salon, Poetry Festival), the New Museum Nuremberg and the Erlangen Art Palace.
Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)
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The study of Theater and Media Studies provides individual career preparation for those who want to be creative and/or critically reflective in theater, film, television, radio, digital media, press, and other cultural institutions. Also possible are activities in the fields of
- editing, journalism
- arts, cultural management
- Artistic direction (directing, dramaturgy)
- Media production (video / audio)
- Adult education
- Press, public relations
- Editing
- Marketing/Advertising
- Cultural education work
- Continuation of studies at university (e.g. in the master’s programs in media studies or theater research mediation at FAU)
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Degree program combinations
- Art History
- Book Studies
- Business and Economics
- Chinese Studies
- Cultural History of Christianity
- Education
- English and American Studies
- French Roman Studies
- German studies
- Greek Philology
- Hispanic Studies
- History
- Indo-European and Indo-Iranian Studies
- Japanese Studies
- Latin Philology
- Medieval Latin and Neo-Latin
- Oriental Studies
- Philosophy
- Political Science
- Scandinavian Studies (BA)
- Sociology
Das Lehrangebot dieser Kombination ist so aufeinander abgestimmt, dass die Fächer in der Regel überschneidungsfrei miteinander kombiniert werden können.
Limited degree program combinations
- Archaeological Sciences
- Computational Linguistics
- Digital Humanities and Social Sciences
- Geography: Cultural Geography
- Islamic Religious Studies
- Italian Romance Studies
Diese Kombination kann nur nach einer diesbezüglichen Studienberatung studiert werden. Die Überschneidungsfreiheit kann jedoch nicht garantiert werden. Die Studierenden tragen selbst die Verantwortung für die Studierbarkeit der Kombination und die Einhaltung der Fristen des § 10. Der Nachweis einer Studienberatung ist bei der Immatrikulation vorzulegen.
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- Admission requirements (first semester)
- No Admissions Restrictions
- Application deadline winter semester
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30.09.
Language skills
- German language skills for international applicants
- DSH 2 or equivalent
- General language skills
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Students pursuing a Bachelor of Arts degree must demonstrate proficiency in two foreign languages, including English, by the end of the 4th semester. Further information can be found here.
- Details and notes
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The application deadline for the winter semester for international applicants is July 15th.
In addition to the general qualification for university entrance (Abitur), there are other access options for studying at FAU.
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.