Social Sciences (Global Studies Programme)

You need to submit the following documents through the online application system:

1. Curriculum Vitae (CV): Your CV should provide a summary of your past experiences, academic and non-academic. Next to your studies, your international experience, internships and volunteer work are important and will be considered by the selection committee. If some of your past internships, projects, activities etc. have a specific connection to GSP components, they can be highlighted in your motivation letter, and/or you can submit additional certificates thereof. Please only include additional certificates if they are specifically relevant to the Global Studies Programme and its components. Your CV should contain the following pieces of information: first name, last name, date of birth, place of birth, address of current residence, current email address.
2. Motivation letter: Essay (600 words). The motivation letter should elaborate on your study intentions as well as your professional intentions, and it should very clearly convey your motivation for the program. Rather than elaborating only on your personal biography or making abstract statements, the university recommends you focusing on clear and specific reasons for your application, for example by highlighting the links between your academic background as well as your non-academic experiences and the GSP curriculum. You can also include work experience, internships, volunteering, independent projects, etc. Please refer to the guiding questions provided by the university for your essay.
3. Research proposal: You need to submit a proposal for a hypothetical research project (length approximately 800 words, excluding references). Please note that whether you stick to the length requirement is one of the aspects taken into consideration while evaluating your proposal. You should come up with a research question and elaborate how you would investigate it. There are no topic guidelines as the university encourages you to focus on issues that you personally find relevant. Note that a proper research proposal contains a list of references, as well as a hypothesis or research questions. Please note that this research proposal is fictional. You are not required to pursue it as part of your degree. It merely helps the university to assess your scientific and research skills. Please do not submit (extracts of) old term papers, essays, or theses. If you want to re-use any of your old ideas, you can instead develop a research proposal based on your old work. Elements that you could incorporate into your proposal:
   - Within which wider discipline is your research question located
   - How does your research question contribute to ongoing discussions within the discipline?
   - Which previous research does your question relate to or build on?
   - What research methods would you choose to investigate your question?
   - What do you expect the results to look like?
   At the end of the research proposal, please include a statement confirming that you composed the proposal yourself (similar to the motivation letter). Also, please include a word count (excluding blank spaces) at the end of the document. Please refer to the guiding questions provided by the university.
4. Certified Bachelor's Diploma & Transcript of Records (with translation if applicable): Your Bachelor's diploma should include the diploma certificate, the diploma supplement and a complete transcript of records. Your documents must be translated to English (or German). French and Spanish-language diplomas and transcript of records do not need to be translated. When you enrol at the university of Freiburg (Immatrikulation), the original, or an officially certified copy of the document must be presented. If your documents were translated, you need to present the officially certified translation as well as the officially certified or original document.
5. Proof of English language proficiency (see language requirements): If you have the nationality of an English-speaking country, you do not need to provide further proof. Note: If your country has other official languages besides English, you might be asked to provide additional documents for formal admission. If you have a degree from an English-speaking university/study programme (English as medium of instruction), you will need to provide proof through your diploma supplement, your Transcript of Records or a certified letter by the examination office of your undergraduate program (a statement by a professor is not sufficient!).
6. Further certificates relevant to the program.
7. APS certificate (only necessary for applications from China, Vietnam and Mongolia).

In addition, you need to submit:

1. Two letters of recommendation. Please use the recommendation letter form only (pdf-file).