For admittance to the master’s program applicants need to fulfill the following admission requirements:

• You must hold a first university degree (e.g. a bachelor’s degree) comprising of at least 180 credit points (ECTS). 60 ECTS must have been earned in courses that are relevant to the content of the Master's program from the fields of Classical Studies and/or Digital Humanities. From those 60 ECTS at least 25 must derive from language skills in one or more of the following languages: Akkadian, Ancient Egyptian, Coptic, Hittite, Sumerian.

• Applicants who did not complete a university degree at an institution where coursework was conducted in English must demonstrate English language skills at C1 level of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) or an equivalent.
  More information on English language requirements.

More information on admission criteria can be found in the Admissions Regulations for the master's program Digital Studies of Ancient Texts (in German).

Please note that only the German versions of these documents are legally binding. This translation is intended for the convenience of the non-German-reading public and is for informational purposes only.

Students do not pay any tuition fees, the university only charges semester fees and contributions each semester.
More information on the semester fees and contributions.

Digital Studies of Ancient Texts (DISTANT) is an interdisciplinary master's program that is taught in English. It is offered by the Institutes of Ancient Near Eastern Studies and Egyptology, as well as the Junior Professorship Computer Philology & Data Science of the Languages of the Ancient World at the Department of History and Cultural Studies of Freie Universität Berlin.

What sets DISTANT apart is its unique integration of linguistic-philological topics from Ancient Studies with questions and methods of the Digital Humanities. This innovative approach offers students a comprehensive and sought-after skill set that is relevant to a variety of professional contexts.

DISTANT provides students with versatile and up-to-date skills in the analysis and evaluation of languages and texts from the Ancient Near East and Egypt, as well as in their digital processing. The program builds upon your prior knowledge of Ancient Near Eastern or Egyptian written sources, languages, and writing systems, and offers domain-specific courses that apply methods from philology, cultural studies, history, linguistics, and literature to the textual sources.

In addition to these domain-specific courses, you'll take specialized modules that teach you how to work with computational methods and how to use or develop innovative digital tools. These modules will help you unlock new research potentials and allow you to stay up to date with the latest advancements in this exciting and rapidly-evolving field of research.

The Department of Ancient Studies (WE 3 Altertumswissenschaften) at Freie Universität is a center for a diverse community of researchers and students engaged in the study of ancient civilizations. They address the complexities of their field through a joint BA program and eight specialized MA programs, fostering a multidisciplinary approach. Located on the lush, green campus in Berlin-Dahlem, the department benefits from a dynamic academic environment and a wealth of scholarly resources.

Rooted in a rich academic tradition that dates back to the mid-19th century, the study of ancient cultures in Berlin is bolstered by a remarkable array of institutions dedicated to the research and promotion of the ancient cultures of West Asia and Egypt, including the Freie Universität, Humboldt-Universität, Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities, German Archaeological Institute, Ägyptisches Museum und Papyrussammlung, Vorderasiatisches Museum, and others. The close proximity to these renowned institutions enhances the educational experience, providing students with exceptional access to artifacts, texts, and expertise.

DISTANT is a two-year master's program. It is divided into three areas (Introductory, Specialization, and Complementary Area). Each of these areas is composed of several modules which, in turn, comprise several (usually two) courses. You can choose between a profile in Ancient Near Eastern Studies or Egyptology. The fourth term is reserved for your master’s thesis and a module in which you present your ongoing research.

The Introductory Area familiarizes students with programming skills and computational methods as applied to the study of ancient languages. In the Specialization Area, they deepen their knowledge of the ANE languages or Egyptian-Coptic and broaden their spectrum of philological domain knowledge in Ancient Near Eastern Studies or Egyptology. The Complementary Area provides the opportunity to attend courses from other Ancient Studies programs or programs in unrelated fields, for internships, (modern) language courses.

Following successful completion of the program, the candidate will be awarded with the degree Master of Arts (M. A.) in Digital Studies of Ancient Texts.

For more information on the program structure, see the program’s website.

The master's program builds the necessary skills for conducting research and making meaningful contributions to ongoing studies in the field of computational approaches to ancient languages. Successful completion of the program prepares graduates for further research and study, including the pursuit of a PhD and positions as researchers in scholarly projects.

Additionally, the programming skills developed during the program open pathways in industries focused on language, text, or general data analysis, as well as in product development or customer support at the interface between text data and computer science. Possible career fields include libraries, museums, archives, media companies, cultural institutions, publishing houses, and data journalism.