How to apply for a master’s degree program at the university of Salzburg?

A. Basic rules
For the MA program in Philosophy, there is a qualitative selection process administered by the Department of Philosophy. At most 20 students are admitted to the program each year. If you pass the qualitative selection process, you can then formally apply to the University.

  • The MA program in English is taught exclusively at the Faculty of Social Sciences. Students interested in studying philosophy in connection with theology (and, more broadly, within the continental tradition) are advised to first gain a German language certificate (level C1) and then apply at the Theological Faculty.
  • After having been accepted by the Department, the formal admission process is administered by the admission office of the University called “Studienabteilung”. This process may take up to two months. We therefore advise you to start the formal admission process as soon as possible.
  • While one can formally apply online using electronic copies of all the relevant documents, you will need to present hard copies of your documents to the Studienabteilung after arriving in Salzburg. Only then will you receive your student-number and ID-card and be able to complete the enrolment process.
  • The admission procedure is essentially the same for EU and non-EU students, with two exceptions mentioned in step 2 and step 5 below.

B. The application process step by step  
Step 1: Qualitative selection process
For the qualitative selection process, you must provide a scan of the following documents to Ms Kathrin Hommel (kathrin.hommel(at)sbg.ac.at):

  • A curriculum vitae (CV), listing your postal and email addresses, your educational history, your language skills, and any relevant academic accomplishments.
  • A complete list of the courses you have taken at the bachelor’s degree level, including the titles of courses, the grades obtained in those courses, and, if it might be unclear, information on the grading system.  An official transcript will have to be submitted before admission is formally granted.
  • A personal statement (ca. 500 words) explaining (i) your general interest in studying philosophy, (ii) the specific areas of philosophy that most interest you, and (iii) your expectations related to studying philosophy at the University of Salzburg.
  • A writing example, e.g. an essay written for a seminar in the Bachelor program (up to 8000 words).

Confirmation of authorship
The writing example must contain the following statement of authorship:
“I hereby declare that this essay is entirely my own work and that any additional sources of information have been duly cited. I understand that failure to declare any sources of information or help for the writing sample may have the consequence that I am required to withdraw from the MA program.”

  • All documents should be assembled in a single PDF file with a title in the following format:  LastNameFirstNameApplication.pdf.
    Please assemble the components in the following order:  1) CV, 2) courses and grades (or transcript), 3) scan of C1 certificate, 4) personal statement, 5) writing sample.

Step 2: Formal admission process
For the formal admission procedure, you must submit the following documents in electronic form to the Studienabteilung (studium(at)sbg.ac.at) at least two months before the beginning of the term:
1. A completed and signed application form, you can download here.
2. A copy of the page of your passport with your picture on it. (The copy need not be certified by an authority).
3. The graduation certificate of your BA degree. (If your certificate is not in English, you are also required to provide a certified English or German translation.)
4. A copy of the complete list of courses that you have taken in your BA-program.

Note: You will need to certify your documents. In order to do so, we recommend the simplified procedure called “Haager Apostille”. You can find information about this procedure here:
 https://www.hcch.net/en/instruments/conventions/authorities1/?cid=41  
Should you prefer to directly send hardcopies to the Studienabteilung, here is the relevant address:
University of Salzburg
Studienabteilung
Kapitelgasse 4
A-5061 Salzburg
Austria

Step 3: Confirmation by the university and further inquiries
After sending your documents, you should receive a confirmatory email from the Studienabteilung. This email will also inform you about any problems with your documents. If your application is complete, and successful, you will receive, both via email and via the post, the official certificate that allows you to enter the program.
After receiving the confirmation that your application is complete, you will normally receive the admission certificate, or you will be informed about the reasons why it has been declined.

In case that you do not get the confirmation letter or the certificate in time, you should contact the Studienabteilung either by email or by phone:
Email: studium(at)sbg.ac.at             Phone: +43-662-8044-2251/2252
Note: You should also contact the Studienabteilung immediately, if, for whatever reason, your application is delayed, you cannot provide your documents in time.

Step 4: Get more information from the Office of International Relations  
The Office for International Relations is a service facility of the University of Salzburg that supports international students with information and organisational help, e.g. about student housing, scholarships, social and cultural activities etc. Check out their website at http://www.uni-salzburg.at/international

Step 5: Enrolling in the Philosophy MA  
In order to enrol in the Philosophy MA, you should proceed as follows:
1. Online preregistration (starts at the beginning of July) – please follow link.
There you will need to do the following:

  • upload your personal and statistical data
  • choose your study program
  • upload a passport picture of yourself for the student ID-card
  • book a date for personal registration at the Admissions Office in Salzburg, Kapitelgasse 4.

2. When you arrive to your pre-booked appointment at the Admissions Office, you should bring along the following documents:

  • passport
  • the official letter of admission
  • all the documents you submitted to the Studienabteilung in original form.

3. Pay the student union fee (€ 19,20) once your student account has been set up

4. For non-EU students only: pay in addition a student fee of € 726 (per semester).

5. After receiving your student ID and paying the fees, your admission process is completed. You can now use your student-ID for accessing PLUS-online. There you find the complete catalogue of courses offered at the University. You will then be able to select the courses you would like to attend.