English taught Master's courses


General information

Trier University offers several master's courses taught entirely in English.

Departmental information on program, admission requirements, study plans etc.

Applied Statistics (Master of Science)

The master's programme in Applied Statistics at Trier University focusses on modern applied methods of statistics. Due to the Economic and Social Statistics Department’s main research priorities, a special emphasis is on computational survey statistics. Thereby, the programme mainly caters to the ever evolving demands in the fields of institutional and official statistics. Consequently, Trier University was the first German university to offer the EU certificate European Master in Official Statistics (EMOS). Through its structure, the master's programme ensures that students are not only trained in statistics, but also get insights into subject matters like economics, social sciences, etc., creating a multidisciplinary environment. Graduates are thus able to fine-tune their profile to their desired future work. This ability is further enhanced by a collaboration with the University of Bamberg and Freie Universität Berlin that ensures a broad spectrum of lectures from which students may choose. An international double master’s degree with the University of Pisa as well as studying abroad using ERASMUS funding are possible. Double master’s degrees in combination with Business Mathematics, Data Science, Economics, and Economic Sociology provide further possibilities for students to shape their individual study profile.

"A hallmark of the Master of Science in Applied Statistics, is the close relationship between teachers and students. Everyone is encouraged to reach their potential. Despite of the fact that the programme is organised by just one chair, its cooperation with Berlin and Bamberg makes it possible to explore a variety of subjects. One very special aspect of the programme is the existence of a high performance computing cluster which allows students to gather experience with computationally intensive projects and simulations."

Nassim Badaoui (Germany)

Data Science (Master of Science)

Data science is becoming a key concept/competency for large private businesses, public institutions, and research. While it is not easy to define data science in a few words, data science deals with the methods and tools needed to analyse (large amounts of) data and draw actionable conclusions from the results gained in the process. These methods and tools (big data analysis, data modelling, machine learning, and simulation methods) are located at the intersection of three subjects: informatics, mathematics, and statistics. Consequently, this new master's programme at Trier University is jointly taught by lecturers from the fields of informatics, mathematics, and statistics (where other data science programmes typically only cover one or two of these fields). This ensures that graduates will have a broad knowledge of the discipline and will be able to approach actual problems from different angles. They will also be trained to be life-long learners, able to rapidly adapt to changing demands in their working environments.

In the first semester of this multidisciplinary programme, propaedeutics courses make sure that students coming from different study backgrounds will be able to successfully follow the programme. State-of-the-art e-learning concepts (e.g. flipped classrooms, electronic tutorials, etc.) engage students and offer additional flexibility regarding learning periods. A small research project is a compulsory part of the programme. During this project, students will apply their acquired knowledge to real world problems and learn to approach these problems with scientific methods. The project also serves to strengthen the students' soft skills.

A broad choice of courses (including other subjects like economics, environmental sciences, etc.) enables students to tailor their course of study to their specific needs and targeted working environments.

Students will be able to earn a double master's degree in combination with informatics, business informatics, applied mathematics, business mathematics, or applied statistics.

The M.Sc. Data Science also serves as a solid foundation for future Ph.D. students in the related fields.

Economics (Master of Science)

About 150 students are currently enrolled in the M.Sc. Economics programme, the largest English-language master's programme at the Trier University. The programme was recently ranked by the renowned CHE (Centre for Higher Education) as being one of three top Economics master's programmes in Germany. During the first semester of studies, the students take courses in Advanced Microeconomics, Macroeconomics, and Econometrics that provide a solid foundation for the following two semesters of  field courses. By their respective choice of field courses, students can either specialize in Political Economy, Labor Markets, Finance, Social Security and Health Systems, or Empirical Analysis. Most courses have a strong focus on international and in particular European topics. Depending on the chosen specialization, students are also required to take courses from related departments, such as statistics, political science, business administration, or sociology, thus making the master's programme truly interdisciplinary. In the fourth semester, the students write their master thesis. Students who are interested in broadening their knowledge about the European Union not only theoretically, but also practically, have many opportunities to achieve this goal by either doing an internship in Germany itself or in nearby Luxembourg, France, or Belgium during the semester breaks or by participating in one of the two double master's programmes that are offered. By studying one year in Trier and one year at either the University of Warsaw in Poland or the University of Bergamo in Italy, students can earn two master degrees in just two years.

“The University of Trier offers challenging courses that makes for an enriching educational experience. Moreover, the friendly and kind-hearted professors help cultivate a welcoming environment for international students such as myself."

Nam Ngoc Le (Vietnam)

English Literatures and Media (Master of Arts)

The MA in English Literatures and Media (ELM) is a two-year degree course offering students the opportunity to study a combinationof print literature and other media formats from the English-speaking world. Alongside traditional literary formats (narrative fiction, drama, poetry), students take courses including cinematic, television and new media texts as well as adaptation studies. While the main focus of the ELM MA is on the study and analysis of English literatures and media, course components also include creative work such as writing short fiction and film scripts. ELM students also have the option of completing a short film project as part of their exploration of seminar themes; this is facilitated by a short course in filmmaking at the university’s media department.

The focus of ELM is transcultural and transnational: students study a variety of global English literatures and media covering British, North American, Postcolonial and Diaspora literatures and media in English. ELM students have a range of set and elective options; elective options include older traditional literary genres (from early modern English literature/Shakespeare onwards) through to contemporary literature and media. Course options also include transhistorical thematic topics as well as a special focus on the wide range of literature and media genres that emerged from early postmodernism onwards. In their third semester ELM students also take one linguistics seminar with a focus on language and media or on contemporary global varieties of English.

Environmental Sciences (Master of Science)

The master's programme in integrated Environmental Sciences (ES) is designed for students in environmental, life and geo-sciences who intend to specialize in different fields of environmental assessment, monitoring and management issues.  The programme offers three alternative fields of specialization from the second semester onwards where students can choose among a wide range of topics. Within their specialization in different research areas students have the opportunity to develop individually modulated fields of competence and qualification.

Environmental Monitoring and Pollution Assessment (ES 1) aims to deal with the exposure of environmental systems to climate change, chemical environmental analysis, impact of toxic substances, and the disturbance of feedback processes or assessment of cause-and-effect chains.

Environmental Remote Sensing and Modelling (ES 2) uses remote sensing systems for assessing and monitoring the environment, by focusing on both, the atmosphere/climate system and terrestrial ecosystems, as well as the integration of process models and spatial data analysis (GIS).

In Environmental Conservation and Restoration Management (ES 3) the emphasis is on management strategies for nature conservation as well as dumpsite reclamation and remediation.

« I am currently in my last semester of the Master of Environmental Sciences at Trier University. It is definitely a nice place to study especially as an international student. I was sharing courses with people from all around the world as well as locals. I found the study program really interesting as it offered me the possibility to get to know and understand a wide range of different topics and it also helped me to develop my personal skills through different research projects and presentations…”

Sébastien Falourd (France)

European and East Asian Governance (Master of Arts)

This master’s programme in political science covers two major world regions, the European Union and East Asia. Students learn to analyze how these regions adapt to often disruptive and transformative economic and political changes. The European integration experience, EU decision-making and key EU policies are analyzed and compared with East Asian – mainly Chinese – approaches to key policy fields such as economic and security policy.

This master’s programme introduces students to a variety of theoretical perspectives, mainly from political science, and equips them with strong analytical skills. These skills are applied to deal with real-life problems through decision-making simulations and policy-oriented case studies. Our master programme's strong focus on practical policy issues, its field trips to European institutions and an internship, prepare you for a career in regional or national governments in Europe or East Asia, in EU institutions or EU related organizations, in interest groups, in private companies or non-profit organizations dealing with topics of European and East Asian governance and policies.

"The courses of the MEEAG offer an excellent, in-depth look at politics and economics in Europe and East Asia, complemented by many extracurricular activities. The helpful mentorship programme offered by the professors perfectly support the students to navigate through the master's programme and beyond. Furthermore, the international diversity of the classes provides many perspectives on diverse topics."

Martin Catarata

Geoinformatics (Master of Science)

Trier University’s MSc program in Geoinformatics focuses on the application of geospatial technologies, remote sensing methods and visualization technologies. The Master’s programme in Geoinformatics is designed for students who have obtained a Bachelor’s degree in geoinformatics or a related field. The programme is aimed at providing and facilitating the development of advanced methodological and computational skills. With the skills received from the programme, students will have the knowledge to obtain jobs in the public and private sector, consultant agencies, insurance companies and more. The successful alumni will be qualified to continue their education in national or international PhD programmes. The Master's degree also entitles them to follow a scientific career in universities and research institutions.

120 ETCS Points are required  to complete a master's degree in Geoinformatics; this corresponds to 16 to 18 graduate course units. These consist of ten mandatory core courses and six to eight electives. The elective courses give students the flexibility to take courses that will best suite their objectives and strengthen areas that they would like to focus on (e.g remote sensing methods, survey statistics, or data base technologies). The final requirement for a master’s degree in Geoinformatics is the successful completion and defense of a master's thesis.

The program is designed so that full-time students can complete the program in four semesters.

International Economics and Public Policy (Master of Arts)

The master's programme International Economics and Public Policy  is an interdisciplinary programme jointly run by the Political Science and Economics Departments of Trier University.
The programme combines application and research oriented courses. Students are trained to get an in-depth understanding of current topics and research in comparative and international political economy by using qualitative and quantitative advanced social science research methods. Students can choose among a wide range of topics related to e.g. problems of international economics, governance of the European Union or current developments in Asia. Taking this interdependence seriously, the programme tries to look for effective and legitimate ways of governance and economic development in the 21st century. The master's programme IEPP is designed for students in Political Science, Social Sciences, and Economics, who are interested in an interdisciplinary analysis of the interplay between politics and economics in an international context.

“What I like most about Trier University is its multicultural aspect. We have the opportunity every day to discover new cultures and to get in touch with students from all over the world. My master's degree in Economics (Master of Arts in Economics) is research-oriented, and this gives me the opportunity to go deeper into each topic and to develop my analytical skills. I also enjoy living in Trier; The city has a strategic location, a rich history, and a cozy atmosphere."

Yesmine Arousse (Tunesia)

"The reason for me to choose the IEEP master's was, that it offers a very good mix of economic and political courses, while it still remains possible to specialize in topics you are interested in most: there are courses e.g. on East Asian Politics or Environmental Economics. Furthermore, for me it was a great advantage that the master's offers many (and mainly) courses in English, whereby one is able to improve their English - and also to get to know students from all around the world."

Nils Pöstges (Germany)

Natural Language Processing (Master of Science)

Automation is bringing about profound changes in all areas of social and professional life, including science. A core technology that is driving this revolution is Artificial Intelligence and specifically Natural Language Processing (NLP). The degree program NLP enables students to accompany and shape these changes. It is interdisciplinary and deals with digitally-mediated language in its entire breadth: from written texts to audiovisual and social media.

With NLP, the Computerlingustik & Digital Humanities department offers a modern Master's degree program that provides a specialization in Artificial Intelligence, specifically Machine Learning and Semantic Technologies, methods for the analysis, management and generation of text and media. It is interdisciplinary, by combining studies in linguistics with artificial intelligence and offers a wide range of elective modules like Digital Humanities and Digital Libraries. In addition to central theoretical foundations courses on mathematics, computer science, the program imparts problem-solving and practical competence. The students' ability to reflect on the use of such methods is also promoted.