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Sprechwissenschaft und Phonetik/ Speech Science and Phonetics (Master of Arts)

Program: Sprechwissenschaft und Phonetik/ Speech Science and Phonetics
Degree: Master of Arts (M.A.)
Program length: 2 years / 4 semesters (120 ECTS points)
Start: winter semester

The Master program Sprechwissenschaft und Phonetik / Speech Science and Phonetics is interdisciplinary and is divided into the specializations of "Speech Science" and "Phonetics."

The subject area of Phonetics deals with human communication, primarily on the physiological, acoustic, perceptual and linguistic level. Research subjects are the individual sounds of speech, as well as accents, intonation or the complex neuronal control processes underlying the generation of speech.

As a theory of verbal communication, Speech Science touches on all fields of orality, both elocutionary and linguistic, as well as those of dysphonia and speech disorders and the physiological processes of voice production and vocalization. The research subject of Speech Science is the specific spoken communication with each other of socialized subjects, incorporating socio-cultural and role-based aspects.

Major topics

Phonetics specialization with the application focal points:

  • Forensics
  • Linguistics
  • Clinical Phonetics
  • Language Technology 

Speech Science specialization:
The program is interdisciplinary and touches on all fields of orality:

  • Elocution
  • The Art of Speech
  • Dysphonia and Speech Disorders
  • Physiological Processes of Voice Production and Vocalization

Objectives

  1. Phonetics specialization

The program prepares students for the professional fields of speech science / variation linguistics / foreign language instruction, among others. Here, the phonetician primarily performs teaching or consulting work.

Selective pronunciation training at an advanced level for native German speakers (i.e. actors, singers, professional speakers), but also non-native speakers of German, requires detailed knowledge of the specific conditions and problems of a given native tongue background and selectively founded concepts for their resolution. It is particularly of note here that only a small number of universities have phonetic institutes, though specialized phonetic knowledge is in demand at all relevant research institutions.

  1. Speech Science specialization

The Speech Science program prepares students both for teaching and consulting work, as well as for work in the area of communication development and PR. 

There is also the possibility of working as a speaker. Teaching work can extend to the fields of communication/elocution, frequently in adult education in this case, to speech training as part of artistic courses and pronunciation training in the field of German as a foreign language.

  • Admission requirements

    Required university degree

    Certification of a degree from a discipline-relevant Bachelor program in the field of Linguistics or certification of a comparable domestic or foreign qualifying university degree.

    Linguistic Bachelor programs with a high proportion of relevant linguistic subject modules and instructional courses (at least 30 CP; of those, 20 CP should comprise topics of verbal communication) are considered relevant.

    The examination board can make admission contingent on additional academic performances and/or examination performances of 6 CP at maximum being produced. These can consist of the completion of additional subject-specific modules from the offering of the "Language and Communication" Bachelor program, in the scope of up to 6 CP. In this case, the program can be extended accordingly.

    Certifications of program-specific knowledge and skills to be submitted prior to admission German Skills:
    DSH 3

    Other language Skills:

    two foreign languages. The following must be certified:

    • English skills at Level B 2 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages and
    • skills in one other foreign language, namely either skills in one additional foreign language at Level B1 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages or Latin skills within the scope of the Latinum.

     Additionally:

    • Bachelor thesis with relevant subject matter in linguistics or communications studies
    • Basic knowledge of the technique of aural phonetic analysis (IPA alphabet). The certification is made by means of courses comprising at least 4 CP from the field of aural phonetic analysis technology (articulation and transcription of language).
    • Suitability for a speech and listening-intensive program, certified by a specialized, phonatric voice and hearing report.
    Admission Mode

    Eligibility assessment process (only available in German)

    ATTENTION! The selection process must be applied for separately!

  • Who can answer questions?

    Technical questions about your application

    Uni-assist

    Content-related questions about the program

    Contact for Phonetics:

    Dr. Gea de Jong
    Pilgrimstein 16
    Room+2/017 (217)
    35037 Marburg
    Tel.: 06421/28-24603,
    Email: gea.dejong@staff.uni-marburg.de

    Office hours: Wed 5:00 PM – 6:00 PM (Central European Time)

    Contact for Speech Science specialization:

    Eva Maria Gauß
    Deutschhausstr. 3
    Room: DG/B225
    35037 Marburg
    Tel.: 06421/28-23030,
    Email:

    General student advisement

    Dr. Barbara Leupold
    Department of German Studies and History of the Arts
    Deutschhausstraße 3
    Room -1/2240 (= B -124), Basement
    35032 Marburg
    Tel.: +49 6421/28 24521
    Email: leupold@staff.uni-marburg.de

    Office hours

    Formal questions about your application

    In case of formal questions about the application, please contact Master's Coordination with your application number (if available) at .

  • Application & Deadline

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