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Liberal Arts & Sciences (B.A./B.Sc.)

Liberal Arts & Sciences at JLU: Study in our interdisciplinary Bachelor's programme with an orientation year and individual subject tracks on future topics such as sustainability.

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Overview

At JLU, the Bachelor's in Liberal Arts & Sciences invites you to engage with the most pressing issues of our time through a uniquely interdisciplinary lens. An orientation year gives you a broad overview before you decide on a humanities or natural sciences specialisation. This allows you to tailor your studies to your interests, with your own specialisations and continuous practical relevance.

 

Applying for admission

 

Start of studies

Winter semester


Mode of admission

No admission restriction

Duration of studies

6 semester


Workload

180 credit points (CP)

Degree

Bachelor of Arts / Science (B.A./B.Sc.)


Language of instruction

German

Composition of the Study Programme

What can I expect from this programme?

The Bachelor's degree programme in Liberal Arts & Sciences offers you an interdisciplinary education that begins with an orientation year. In this year you will acquire fundamental scientific and interdisciplinary skills and gain a broad overview of central questions of knowledge and science. You can already complete the orientation year with a micro degree.

In the further course of your studies, you will choose a specialisation in the humanities or natural sciences in the form of an interdisciplinary subject track on future topics. This allows you to tailor your degree programme to your personal interests, specialist areas and career goals. The competences acquired in the specialist track are then incorporated into the Bachelor's thesis.

An internship and practice-oriented research modules enable you to establish a continuous link to professional practice throughout your degree programme.

 

What sets this degree programme apart from others?

  • A degree programme that combines elements of the humanities, culture, social sciences, technology and natural sciences
  • Creative freedom and the opportunity to set individual specialisations
  • Individual contact persons who will support you
  • A micro-degree after the first year of study
  • Study specialisations in the form of specialist tracks from the third semester onwards

How is the programme structured?

The degree programme comprises 6 semesters (Bachelor's degree) and has a scope of 180 CP. An individual study plan in the sense of a part-time study programme can be coordinated with the JLU College of Liberal Arts & Sciences.

The core curriculum in the first two semesters provides an interdisciplinary basis for academic work, but also allows you to try out subjects according to your individual interests. By subsequently choosing an interdisciplinary specialisation track on future topics, you can profile your further studies according to your individual and subject-specific inclinations and career aspirations. The degree programme also includes various practical components that you can help to shape during the course of your studies: Three residencies (practice-based research modules) and a compulsory internship. The skills acquired in the chosen specialisation and the practical modules are then incorporated into the Bachelor's thesis.

The degree programme also includes an "Extracurricular Competencies" module, which serves to acquire key interdisciplinary skills.

 

1. Orientation year with Micro Degree

You start flexibly with an orientation year, which you can complete with a micro degree. This first year prepares you for the degree programme and you get to know the subject tracks.

You will study the following modules in the orientation year:

1st semester

2nd semester

Discover

Interpret

Scientific argumentation

Applied knowledge production

Institutions of knowledge production

Portfolio

Since the program launched in the winter semester of 2023/24, students have been actively involved in shaping its future development. The first degree programme that grows with you!

2. Subject Tracks

In the course of the orientation, you decide on one of these tracks and thus also on a humanities/cultural/social science focus in the Bachelor of Arts or a technical/scientific focus in the Bachelor of Science. We can offer you the following options:

  • Ethics in Context (B.A.)
  • Global Sustainability: Social and Cultural Practices of Transformation (B.A.)
  • Formations of Knowledge (B.A.) 
  • Perspectives of the Arts (B.A.)
  • Sustainable Development and Digital Transformation (B.Sc.)

You will be supported in your studies by the JLU College of Liberal Arts & Sciences! Your future qualification: Understand the major challenges from the perspective of at least two subjects, reflect on them and be able to develop ideas for solutions with others.

3. Final Degree

After successful completion of all modules of the Liberal Arts & Sciences degree programme, the academic degree "Bachelor of Arts" or "Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.)" is awarded from the 3rd semester onwards, depending on the specialisation. The chosen specialisation is noted in the degree (e.g. "Liberal Arts & Sciences with a focus on Sustainable Development and Digital Transformation").

After successful completion of the first two semesters (orientation year), a JLU certificate for a Micro Degree Liberal Arts & Sciences will be issued upon application.

The practical components and the interdisciplinary orientation of the specialist tracks will equip you well for a career in NGOs, government organisations and future-oriented companies.

Career Options

Which options for further study does JLU offer?

Depending on the chosen subject track, you can then study a Master's programme at JLU, e.g. in the field of history and cultural studies or natural sciences. Following a Master's degree programme, a doctorate is possible with the appropriate aptitude.

What career paths can I pursue after graduation?

Graduates are particularly well qualified for work in nationally and internationally active areas, such as political institutions, NGOs, commercial enterprises and cultural industries. Alternatively, your specialised training in the specialist track also gives you the opportunity to start your Master's degree with a scientific and subject-specific focus.

Application and Enrolment

Requirements

A valid university entrance qualification (German: HZB) is required for admission to the program.

  • From Germany: General university entrance qualification (= Abitur or equivalent), vocational university entrance qualification, master craftsman’s certificate, university entrance qualification for professionally qualified individuals.
  • From abroad: You can find out whether the university entrance qualification from your home country qualifies you for direct admission to a degree program in Germany on the information portal for the recognition of foreign educational qualifications (anabin).

Proof of an internship (pre-internship) is not required for admission.

Applicants with a foreign university entrance qualification should also note the required proof of German language proficiency.

Application deadline

Winter semester 2026/27

Opening of application period

1 June 2026

Application deadline

  • for applicants with a German university entrance qualification: 1 September 2026
  • for applicants with a foreign university entrance qualification: 15 August 2026

International applicants can find further information on the International Office website.

👉 Apply now More about the application process

Further Information

Where can I find official documents about the programme?

Examination and study regulations

Special Regulations (with module descriptions and module plans)
General Regulations for Bachelor's and Master's programmes

Please note that only the German version of the regulation is official and legally binding. The English version is for informative purposes only.

 

Courses offered in the course catalogue

Electronical course catalogue (in German)

 

Study programme flyer

B.A. Liberal Arts & Sciences (PDF in German)

Is this course right for me?

Are you still not entirely sure whether the course of study is the right one for you? We support you with a wide range of information, events and advisory services around your study orientation and choice. For example, experience real university atmosphere at our Hoch­schul­informations­tagen (HIT) and the Open Campus Day!

Study orientation

How do I have a successful start at JLU?

To help you get off to a good start with your studies, we warmly invite you to attend our orientation events. Here you will learn
everything you need to know about starting your studies:

  • creating a course schedule,
  • examination regulations and registration deadlines,
  • campus areas and leisure activities,
  • and much more.

At the same time, you will have the opportunity to get to know your future fellow students.

Start of studies

Contact

Subject Advisor

Sarah Homberger

College of Liberal Arts & Sciences
Ludwigstrasse 23
35390 Giessen

Phone: +49 641 99 12162
Email: sarah.homberger@clas.uni-giessen.de

Consultation hours

Central Study Advisor

Beate Pitzler

Central Student Advisory Service
Erwin-Stein-Gebäude, 1st floor
Goethestrasse 58
35390 Giessen

Advisory services and contact information

International Office

Assistance for incoming, outgoing and Erasmus+ students

International Office
Goethestrasse 58
35390 Giessen

Contact persons and office hours