Course of Studies

The Semester Scheme at LMU Munich

At Ludwig-Maximilians-Universtät München, all degree programs are structured in semesters, splitting the year in two halves. The winter term starts in October and lasts until the end of March, the summer term lasts from April through September. Within these semesters, the lecture period covers 15 lecture weeks in the winter term (generally starting in mid-October and ending in the first half of February), and 14 lecture weeks in the summer (usually starting in the second half of April and ending late in July, but depending on the date of the Easter holidays). Generally, all courses are scheduled within the lecture period, the lecture-free periods in between are devoted to self-study, writing of term papers, internships, and research activities and projects.

As most other programs, the Master degree program Digital Cultural Heritage only admits new students in the winter term. The program lasts four semesters.

Curriculum and Course Election Rules

The Master’s program Digital Cultural Heritage comprises a range of mandatory and elective modules with lectures, seminars, and exercise courses in the first three semesters. Internships have to be completed within the lecture-free periods. The fourth semester should be devoted to the Final Module, which comprises the Master’s Thesis, a Master’s Colloquium as the only course in this semester, and a Disputation, a defense of the Master’s Thesis.

The curriculum includes 8 mandatory modules, which have to be completed successfully, two in each of the first three semesters, plus a mandatory internship (ideally completed in the lecture-free periods before or after the second semester), and the Final Module.

Apart from the mandatory modules, the program offers a wide range of elective modules. All elective modules are offered with 6 ECTS credit points, so they are equivalent and can be combined in various ways. In this way, you can design this part of the curriculum in a way that best suits your needs and preferences. It is recommended to choose three elective modules in the first, one in the second, and three in the third semester, but you can also plan your workload differently.

However, you have to comply with certain course election rules.

In the first semester, you have to choose one out of three Introductory Modules, either Computer Science Fundamentals for Digital Cultural Heritage (WP 1), or Introduction to the Study of Cultures (WP 2), or Programming Project (WP 3). These modules are designed to suit the needs of students with different backgrounds. If you are not sure, which one to choose, please contact your program coordinator for advice.

From the remaining 75 elective modules, you have to select five in order to complete your Master’s degree. The modules offered cover different topics and fields. From Methods and Applications in Digital Cultural Heritage I-III, Advanced Methods and Applications in Digital Cultural Heritage I-III, Practice in Cultural Heritage I-III, Topics in Digital Cultural Heritage, and the elective Internship II, you may choose without any further restrictions.

In addition to these modules, you have the opportunity to take Master-level courses beyond Digital Cultural Heritage. Please bear in mind that you need to have a certain amount of previous knowledge in the respective discipline in order to complete these courses successfully. These modules are offered by partner programs within LMU Munich.

Computer Science modules

(modules WP 6-12, WP 34-37, and WP 59-60)

These modules usually require Bachelor-level skills and knowledge in Computer Science. Please inform yourself about potential requirements before enrolling in these modules. You may choose up to three Computer Science modules. In this section of the curriculum, courses are regularly offered in English, but there may also be courses offered exclusively in German.

Topics in the Study of Cultures modules

(modules WP 13-29, WP 38-55, WP 61-76)

These modules embrace various courses in a number of humanities and study of cultures disciplines. They usually require previous knowledge in the respective discipline. Also, as the respective study programs are taught in German, most courses require at least a good understanding of German. Few disciplines also offer courses in English. Please contact your program coordinator in advance, if you are interested in taking courses in one of these disciplines and understand how to enroll. This section of the curriculum contains courses in the following disciplines:

• Near Eastern Archaeology
• Prehistorical and Early Historical Archaeology
• Archaeology of the Roman Provinces
• Late Antique and Byzantine Art History
• Classical Archaeology
• Social and Cultural Anthropology
• European Ethnology and Cultural Analysis
• Egyptology and Coptology
• Ancient Near Eastern Studies
• Near and Middle Eastern Studies
• Indian and Tibetan Studies
• Chinese Studies
• Japanese Studies

The following course election rules apply to these modules:

• You may choose one module from modules WP 13 to WP 29.
• You may choose one module from modules WP 38-WP 43 and modules WP 45-WP 55.
• You may choose one module from modules WP 44 and WP 61-WP 76.

Overall, you may enroll in maximum three modules from this section of the curriculum.

Internships

Within the course of studies, you have to complete at least one mandatory internship (Internship I, P 5). However, you may also complete a second optional internship (Internship II, WP 78). The same regulations apply to both internships.

The internship needs to correspond to at least 4 weeks of full-time employment (c. 160 working hours) and should be completed within the lecture-free periods of the year. You have to find internship opportunities by yourself, but staff at the institute might suggest suitable options. You can complete the internship in a company, a public or non-governmental institution or by participating in a research project, either within Germany or abroad. However, the institution or project should deal with cultural heritage and be engaged with topics and investigations that are relevant to the master’s degree. In order to make sure, if a certain institution or project fulfills these requirements, please contact your program coordinator before starting the internship.

If you want to complete an internship abroad you might apply to the corresponding line of the ERASMUS+ program (see below ERASMUS+ Traineeships).

Upon completion of an internship, you need to submit to your program coordinator a signed certificate from the institution or project director that confirms your successful completion of the internship and states explicitly where and when you have completed it. Moreover, you have to submit a report about your internship of about 7,500 - 12,000 characters. In this report, please include the following information and considerations:

• Where did you complete the internship, and what activities and tasks did you perform? What were your responsibilities?
• Report on the most important concepts and experiences you acquired during the internship.
• Reflect on situations where you could apply your knowledge and skills in Digital Cultural Heritage and your academic background during the internship or felt the need to enhance them further.
• Reflect how practical experiences and/or learnings in a professional field influence your self-image as future professional in the field of cultural heritage and which conclusions you draw for the continuation of your studies and a possible future career.

Recognition and Crediting of Examinations

Generally, you will register for examinations within the degree program via LSF. But, under certain conditions, it is possible for examinations completed outside of the degree program to be recognized and credited for this program. Recognition can only be granted in cases where the achievements are equivalent to those of the Master's degree program Digital Cultural Heritage in terms of content, scope and requirements. The examination and decision lie with the program coordinator.

For all recognitions, you should therefore contact the degree program coordinator as early as possible - ideally before the coursework is completed. The most common cases and procedures are described below.

Academic achievements and examinations from a year or semester abroad

If you complete one or more semesters abroad during the course of your studies, the coursework you have completed there can generally be recognized. Here, the principle of “equivalence” of academic achievements applies. For the recognition of credits, please contact your program coordinator with the graded transcripts from the host university. Recognition must take place in the semester that begins after your return from your stay abroad.

• ERASMUS+: If you are completing a stay abroad as part of the ERASMUS+ program, please coordinate your Learning Agreement with both your program coordinator and the Erasmus office of the Faculty for the Study of Cultures [Link: before the start of your stay. The same applies to any changes that arise during your stay. This is the only way to ensure that the work you have completed fits in with your course of study and can actually be recognized after your return!
• Other exchange programs: In all other cases, too, it is best to coordinate your choice of courses your program coordinator if you wish to have credits recognized afterwards.

LMU internal recognitions

In exceptional cases (!) you may also have credits earned in other disciplines at LMU recognized. This is only possible after prior consultation with your program coordinator! You should therefore clarify at the beginning of the semester, before completing a course or taking an examination, whether it can be recognized for your degree program.

If you receive approval, care for having a graded certificate issued for the course you attended by the instructor. Contact your program coordinator for recognition with the certificate. Recognition must take place in the course of the following semester (i.e. in the semester following the one in which you completed the course). Recognition at a later date is not possible!

Please also note the information provided by the Examinations Office and, in all cases, the deadlines for the recognition of credits, which expire at the end of each semester (in the winter semester: March 31; in the summer semester: September 30).

Examination Office (PAGS)

In the following cases, recognition is not possible:

• missed deadline for registering for examinations,
• attending parallel courses and submitting the better grade as a certificate,
• taking courses in a module that has already been completed and receiving credit for other modules.

Excess credits that are achieved in these or other ways and are not included in the Master's Transcript of Records can generally be certified as additional examination credits on a separate sheet of paper for the certificate.

Advice and Support

The University has advice and support services for various aspects of studying and various life situations of students. You will find the most important ones listed below.

Training opportunities and study skills

Advice and support services for various life situations