Our four-semester Master's programme in World Music builds on the Bachelor's programme in World Music and serves to deepen and focus on selected aspects. In addition to graduates of the Bachelor's programme, the Master's programme is also aimed at practising artists in the field of sound and music with other degrees or equivalent artistic research experience. Students can also be admitted as artistic collectives (each member studies independently). In such cases, admission is regulated by an individually tailored admission procedure.

The aim of the Master's programme is to provide artistically autonomous music and sound creators with in-depth training in trans-traditional and interdisciplinary artistic work and research. Students are empowered to collaborate creatively and performatively in their projects with a fundamentally global orientation and a broad spectrum of different cultures, musical forms and disciplines, to conduct artistic research and to successfully realise these projects.

Our range of courses in the field of music is very diverse. Let yourself be inspired.

Diverse learning paths with four focal points:

Collaborative work and peer-to-peer learning form the core of this master's programme. At the same time, students have the opportunity to hone their profile and focus on one of four areas of specialisation:

• Creative artistic work
• Performative artistic work
• Artistic research
• Management and mediation of trans-traditional sound and music projects

In addition to artistic seminars and theoretical and practical modules in the respective area of specialisation, the programme focuses on independent artistic work, which is critically and supportively supervised by experienced lecturers. The close integration of course content with the students' artistic and professional projects and research interests is expressly encouraged and creates space for sustainable, practical and innovative work.

Career prospects for professional musicians:

Artistic career

Graduates of the Master's programme in World Music have a wide range of artistic career opportunities. These include positions as orchestra musicians or ensemble members, soloists or chamber musicians, theatre and session musicians, or touring artists. In addition to pure performance practice, there are also opportunities in the fields of media and music technology as well as sound design, including careers in music production. In Berlin, artists have access to various financial support options, e.g. government grants, cultural foundations and EU funding programmes.

Education and teaching

Graduates can pursue careers in various educational and academic fields. Possible career fields include working as a music teacher or instrumental instructor, or as a university lecturer in musicology or ethnomusicology. There are also numerous research positions at various institutes. In Germany, there is a continuous demand for music teachers, as both public and private music schools advertise various teaching positions throughout the year. 

Cultural management

Graduates can also work in cultural management, for example as cultural managers, event organisers, music festival directors or music agents. There are also opportunities as event managers, who are responsible for planning and executing various artistic events. The field offers seasonal performance opportunities and extremely flexible career paths, including positions as coordinators for music or art festivals. Alternatively, graduates can work as artist agents, organising and managing performances for musicians and ensembles.

Your modules:

In the Master's programme in World Music, you will further develop your artistic profile in a trans-traditional and globally oriented study environment. The programme combines artistic practice, collaborative work and artistic research, offering you plenty of scope for individual specialisation.

In the ensemble modules, you will work on joint projects and performative formats throughout all four semesters. The Sound Labs open up experimental approaches to sound, technology and interdisciplinary working methods. The Artistic Major forms the core of the programme and continuously accompanies your independent artistic work.

Elective subjects allow you to structure your studies flexibly and deepen additional skills in a targeted manner. The Music Management module imparts practical knowledge on the organisation, communication and implementation of music and sound projects. Your degree is completed with an artistic portfolio and a Master's thesis or Master's project that brings together your artistic development.