Concept & Contents

Interdisciplinary Polish Studies

The Master Interdisciplinary Polish Studies is a joint programme offered by the Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg and the Friedrich Schiller University Jena. It is conceived as a two-year Master's program and combines the acquisition of regionally specific competencies with the disciplinary studies in the second Master's subject (MLU Halle) or in the chosen area of concentration (FSU Jena).

We impart knowledge in cultural studies and regional studies and provide insights into Polish-related research perspectives of various disciplines. Furthermore, learning Polish is a constitutive part of the study program. You can start or continue your language studies at different levels according to your individual requirements.

The study programme consists of a mixture of compulsory and optional courses, which both enable you to develop your personal focus and promote the interdisciplinary, problem-oriented exchange of ideas. A study semester in Poland serves to deepen language and country knowledge. An internship in a social, cultural or scientific institution or in a business enterprise offers a first professional orientation.

At the beginning of your studies you decide to enrol at one of the two universities, but you can also take courses at the other institution. Students from both locations attend a number of joint courses and are in regular contact with the lecturers in Halle and Jena.

The programme is closely linked to the Aleksander-Brückner Centre for Polish Studies, founded in 2012, which is dedicated to the interdisciplinary study of historical and contemporary formations of Polish statehood, society, language and culture.

Aims of the programme & career perspectives

The Master Interdisciplinary Polish Studies aims at opening up the neighbouring country of Poland in its European contexts in terms of regional studies and to learn the Polish language at the highest possible level. In the course of the programme, you should become acquainted with interdisciplinary issues and, in addition, acquire specialist knowledge in a particular discipline.

Depending on your respective qualification profile and your personal interests, the programme will open up different fields of work for you: You can become involved in transnational cooperation and intercultural dialogue and become active in language and cultural mediation. You can also specialise in museum and memorial site work. International organisations, state institutions, foundations, trade associations and companies are also fields of application for your expertise. In publishing and the media you have the opportunity to further qualify as an editor or journalist. It is also conceivable to work as a translator or interpreter.

Furthermore, you have the opportunity to pursue an academic career within the framework of a doctorate or to work in science management.

Partner institutions

The Universities of Halle and Jena maintain university partnerships with the Adam Mickiewicz University Poznań and the Jagiellonian University of Kraków, respectively. In addition, there are numerous institutional and personal contacts with university and non-university research institutions in Poland as well as several Erasmus cooperations.

You can use these networks to make your stay in Poland a successful one and also receive financial support.