LMU offers a wide range of subjects with more than 300 degree programs. The bachelor's and master's degrees have replaced the traditional German university Diplom and Magister degrees as laid out in the Bologna reform. However, there are still a few special features in the German education system, for example the State Examination (Staatsexamen).
A bachelor's degree program is a so-called undergraduate degree program, so no previous university degree is required to be admitted. This degree program usually takes three years — or six semesters — to complete, and is divided into modules. These modules consist of courses linked by theme which build knowledge from one course to the next.
During your studies, you will receive a certain number of ECTS or credit transfer points for each successfully completed module and all the work related to that course. In total, a bachelor's degree program at LMU is made up of 180 ECTS points. In single-subject bachelor's degree programs, you acquire all the ECTS points required for graduation in the same subject. In two-subject bachelor's programs, the points are divided between a major and a minor subject.
In order to start an undergraduate degree program, you will always need a LMU Degree Program Finder such as Abitur (German higher education entrance qualification). International applicants must also provide proof of very good German language skills.
Further possible admission requirements can be found in the LMU Degree Program Finder regarding each individual degree program.
Further information can also be found in the Information Sheet for the Bachelor's Degree Program (PDF, 175 KB) (in German).
A degree program that ends with a State Examination (Staatsexamen: state-conferred degree for students of Law, Medicine, Veterinary Medicine, Pharmacy and Teacher Education programs) is also an undergraduate degree program, and so no previous university degree is required to be admitted. In contrast to a bachelor's degree, the state determines the course content and examination requirements by law or regulation. This is why State Examination degree programs are often structured in the same way throughout Bavaria and/or Germany.
In order to obtain the degree, you must successfully pass a State Examination. This is usually divided into several sections and consists of oral and written examinations and performance assessments. Most of the State Examination degree programs also include practical training periods in combination with university lectures. For example, the Referendariat (the second phase of professional training for the First State Examination) which involves a placement as a legal clerk or teacher. State Examination degree programs generally take between seven and ten semesters to complete.
The modular teacher education programs are a special type of program ending with a State Examination. As with the bachelor's degree, students complete a defined number of modules and receive ECTS points for successfully completed work. Depending on the type of program, students have to earn between 213 and 273 ETCS points and pass the State Examinations in order to obtain a degree.
In order to take up undergraduate studies in a State Examination degree program, you will always need a university entrance qualification such as Abitur (German higher education entrance qualification). International applicants must also provide proof of very good German language skills.
Further possible admission requirements can be found in the LMU Degree Program Finder (in German) regarding each individual degree program.
You can add a master's degree to your first undergraduate degree (e.g. bachelor's degree or State Examination) if you want to expand or specialize your knowledge. A master's degree program at LMU usually takes two years and is made up of 120 ECTS points.
In addition to an undergraduate degree, further qualification requirements may be necessary, which are detailed in the examination regulations for each master's degree.
There are consecutive master's degree programs that build on knowledge from undergraduate studies in the same subject. In other master's degree programs, the requirements can be met with different academic degrees, because they require certain fundamentals that are not restricted to a single subject area. Weiterbildende Master (career-integrated master's degree programs) also require relevant professional experience. Students in these programs are usually required to pay additional tuition fees.
Further information can be found in the information sheet for the Master's Degree Program (PDF, 133 KB) (in German).
You can find information on individual degree programs in the LMU Degree Program Finder.
In addition to master's degree programs, there are other forms of further study such as postgraduate degree programs. These also require an academic degree as a prerequisite. If, for example, you have passed the first law examination (State Examination), you can continue your postgraduate studies in Law for two semesters (LL.M.Eur.pgrad).
Certificate programs are one or two semesters in length and can be chosen in addition to a primary degree program that a student is already registered in.
LMU offers a variety of academic degrees in Theology:
Catholic Theology is a modular single-subject Magister degree program made up of 300 ECTS points. Postgraduate degree programs in Theology either finish with the licentiate degree in Theology (Lic. theol.) or Canon Law (Lic. iur. can.).
At the Faculty of Protestant Theology you can graduate with two Magister degree programs: either a church degree (Magister theologiae) or an academic degree (Magister Artium).
Orthodox Theology is studied within the framework of a Diplom (diploma) degree program.
Building on these undergraduate degree programs, students can continue with doctoral studies in all theological subjects.
You will find information on admission requirements and details of each, individual degree program in our LMU Degree Program Finder (in German).
After a master's, State Examination, Diplom or Magister qualification, a student can continue with a doctorate. A key admission requirement is usually above-average performance in the previous course of study. The requirements for admission onto a doctoral program and the work to be completed in the course of the doctorate are laid out by each faculty's doctoral regulations.
The core focus of a doctoral program is the independent preparation of an in-depth scientific research paper (dissertation), which must be published. At the end of a doctoral program, which generally takes about three years, candidates take a comprehensive final examination, the Rigorosum (viva), or present and defend their doctoral thesis (Disputation).
LMU offers a wide range of doctoral programs, which are organized differently depending on the relevant department. At the Faculty of Business Administration, for example, the postgraduate Master of Business Research (MBR) is an integral part of a doctoral program. By contrast, in many subjects candidates complete a so-called individual doctorate, during which they are guided by their doctoral supervisor.