Master in Cross-Border Studies

Master in Cross-Border Studies is one of 4 English-taught Languages & Linguistics programmes at master’s level in the register, offered by 2 institutions. 4 of them list an annual fee for students from outside the EU, EEA and Switzerland; this programme lists EUR 1,453 a year. 4 are at a public university, where EU, EEA and Swiss students pay no tuition within the standard duration plus two semesters.

The Master's in Cross-Border Studies at the University of Klagenfurt is a linguistics and cultural studies programme that puts languages and borders at the centre. You choose an East or South-East European language (Bosnian, Croatian, Montenegrin, Serbian, Russian or Slovenian) and add a second language from German, English or Italian. The programme is taught in German and English, with Slavonic languages also used, and there is a German-language track and an English-language track. You can take it without German skills.

What you study

The core is language, literature and culture. You take compulsory subjects in the linguistic worlds of Eastern and South-Eastern Europe (26 ECTS) and in German, English or Italian (17 ECTS), plus an introduction to cross-border studies (8 ECTS). Around this core you build a specialisation from the guided electives: Business Administration and Entrepreneurship, Applied Cultural Science, Women's and Gender Studies, Peace and Education Studies in Global-local Contexts, Geography and History, Media and Communication Studies, or Media and Convergence Management. You can take one 30 ECTS specialisation or combine an 18 ECTS specialisation with 12 ECTS of supplementary qualifications such as Digitalisation, Sustainable Development or Interdisciplinary Multilingualism. Open electives (12 ECTS) let you go deeper or try something new. The master's thesis and colloquium carry 20 ECTS, and a final board examination (1 ECTS) completes the 120 ECTS.

How the programme is organised

Four semesters, full time, with teaching in small groups and plenty of exchange rather than lectures from the pulpit. The curriculum includes 6 ECTS of compulsory work experience, and the department has links with cross-border institutions to help you find a placement. You can spend around a third of your time abroad, with a study abroad block of 30 ECTS (18+12) built into the structure. The university has about 250 partner universities and scholarships, and Klagenfurt sits close to the Slovenian and Italian borders, 85 km from Ljubljana and 160 km from Udine.

Who it suits

You should have a relevant bachelor's degree. If your first degree is in a non-philological subject such as Business Administration, Education or Media and Communication Studies, you need introductory courses in literature and linguistics worth 6 ECTS and language skills depending on your focus language: A2 in a Slavonic language, B2 in German, B2 in English or A2 in Italian. If you start without basic Slavonic, you can pick it up in the first two semesters through additional courses, and those credits count as open electives. The programme suits people who want to work across cultures and languages, not just study them. You need German or English at B2. Non-native German speakers must show at least A2 German at application and reach B2; English-track applicants must prove English at the required level when they apply.

Admission, language and next steps

There is no special admission procedure. You enrol within the admission periods, and non-EU/EEA citizens must have their full application in by 30 June for winter semester or 30 November for summer semester. Applications go directly to the University of Klagenfurt, not through a central portal. As a public university, EU/EEA and Swiss students pay no tuition within the standard duration plus two semesters; other students pay a fee per semester. Check the programme page for the exact dates and the curriculum, which is legally binding in its German version.

Cross-Border Studies teaches networked thinking and reflective skills in dealing with (concepts of) language and culture as well as their social prerequisites and dimensions. The programme consists of a philological (practical language, literature and linguistics) core and provides the following combination: Slavic studies content (language, literature and culture of a Slavic language: Bosnian/Croatian/Montenegrin/Serbian or Russian or Slovenian) is combined with the content of another philology of your choice (language, literature and culture: German or English or Italian or from the interdisciplinary focus on multilingualism). This philological core is linked to an interdisciplinary approach; students can choose a focus from the following (subject) areas: applied cultural studies, business administration and entrepreneurship, digitalisation, diversity education and peace studies, women's and gender studies, geography, history, media and communication studies, sustainable development.

There is no central application portal in Austria: you apply to the institution, here University of Klagenfurt. A public university sets the admission requirements and dates for this level, so read them on the programme page. Entrance examination, as the register states it: No. Entry requirements and language tests are set by the institution, so start from the official programme page. Our guides cover tuition fees, the student residence permit and housing.