Low Cost / Free online Masters programs from Germany

[sarahmac]

[quote pid='362652' dateline='1648599120']

This is very helpful. Thank you for sharing it with us. 

How can you tell if the course is NC or non-NC? I've looked everywhere on the program information for the Brandenburg World Heritage Studies program and I don't see those terms used in any of the information about the program (I also downloaded the PDF version to do searches for those terms and no luck finding them). 

I am seriously considering the UMPI BA in History program and hope to transfer credits from my prior degree (Bachelor of Science from a traditional Canadian university) but I will decline UMPI's offers for PLA.

Wait! I think I may have found this information ...I kept digging :-)

It says this in their FAQ:

Q. What is the GPA or numerous clausus ("NC") required for admission to this program?

A:  There is no fixed GPA or NC required for admission to this study programme. All applications are assessed individually to ensure that applicants meet the academic requirements necessary to succeed in the study programme. This assessment looks not only at the degree and the grades, but at the entire application (incl. letter of motivation, CV, letters of reference, etc.).

I also checked the Anabin database and my prior university/degree and UMPI are both H+.  Yay! At least those things won't be obstacles when the time comes to apply. 

If there is no NC, then you just have to be qualified. The NC is an admissions cap - if there is no NC, they can admit as many qualified students who wish to attend. The purpose of a university is not to exclude people. So the barrier in your case is simply to demonstrate you meet these requirements.

Since UMPI is H+, the history degree will tick the "prior related degree" box. YourPace has a minimum of a 3.0 by design, so you will also de facto have sufficient grades.

Generally, the CV and letters are used to help people qualify who otherwise would not. Like maybe their bachelor was in a science, but they spent the last five years working in a museum, and they have a great personal interest in the subject. These aspects of the application help to fill in "gaps".

The only thing I can see them being worried about, in terms of whether you specifically are qualified, is that UMPI has no thesis option for the history degree. A bachelor thesis is required in Germany (you even put the title of your thesis on your CV next to your GPA!), and this is a research-oriented masters. So they are expecting you to know how to do research.

Not having this experience won't exclude you, but you should highlight any research experience etc. you do have in your CV, and mention your research interests in your motivation letter. This is the "gap" you should aim to address.

Do you plan to finish at UMPI in time for the application deadline this coming August? Or will you apply next year?

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As an aside, this is how I would address the research gap: ask whether you are able to take "POS 493: Political Science Capstone Seminar" as an extra class. It is from the politics concentration, rather than the history one. It is only 1 credit. It is a seminar rather than a full thesis or even a capstone, but it is better than nothing and gives you something to write about in your motivation letter. To the extent that it is possible, pick a topic relating to history and politics. Heck, if you're doing this specifically to qualify for that masters, go ham and pick a topic related to conservation and politics.