Profile Choices in your Degree
On this website, you will find more detailed information on whether and how to determine a specialization in your degree programm.
Important Information
If a specialization (profiles/focuses/subject areas/first and second language) is offered in your field of study (in some cases the examination regulations stipulate this), there are three different procedures for determining it:
a. Required action for you as a student: free choice of profile via BASIS (independently at the start of studies):
Provided there is genuine freedom of choice after enrollment, you as a student must choose your profile/focus/subject area via BASIS.
b. No need for action on your part as a student: in the course of admission.
If there are admission requirements for the profiles/focuses/subject areas offered, your profile/focus/subject area is already fixed at the time of enrollment and is booked by the Examination Office. Only if you have been admitted for several profiles/foci/subjects you will be asked to make a choice via your program management.
c. Option for action at the end of your studies: Profile recognition application
If you are enrolled in one of the Master's programs Transcultural Studies/Cultural Anthropology, Political Science, or Sociology, you have the opportunity to have a profile noted on your Master's certificate upon your graduation. To do so, you need to submit an application to the Examination Office.
Important: The terminology used here to denote the specialization is 'profile'. However, in some degree programs of the faculty, a different term is used. Please note that the procedures described here also apply to specializations, subject areas and supplementary areas as well as the choice of first and second language.
Required Action: Free Choice of Profile via BASIS
In some degree programs, students can or must choose a specialization by selecting a profile. You will receive an email from your program management at the beginning of the semester inviting you to make that choice.
You must make this profile selection independently via BASIS during the profile selection phase (the date for the summer semester 2026 is to be determined) for the following degree programs.
Important: Students of the Bachelor's core subject German Studies, Comparative Literature, and Cultural Studies make their profile choice in the second semester. You will find instructions on how to proceed in this case further down below.
Summer Term
Bachelor |
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Germanistik, Vergleichende Literatur- und Kulturwissenschaft (from 2nd semester onwards mandatory via BASIS) |
Winter Term
Bachelor |
| Zwei-Fach Archäologien (mandatory via BASIS) |
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Kernfach Asienwissenschaften (mandatory via BASIS; please take note that your choice is restricted by your choice of accompanying subject) |
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Kernfach Romanistik Choice of First/Second Language (mandatory via BASIS) |
No Need for Action: Profiles Have Already Been Defined During the Admission Process
In the following degree programs, you do not need to take any action. The Examination Office will book the profiles directly into your examination account, as a decision was already made during admission due to the different admission requirements. Only if you have been admitted to several profiles you will be asked via your program management which profile you have finally decided on. You will not receive a separate notification of your successful enrollment. However, the profile can be viewed in your performance overview ("Notenspiegel") after booking in BASIS.
Summer Term
Master Programs
- MA Archäologische Wissenschaften
- MA Germanistik
- MA Geschichte
- MA Romanistik
- MA Kunstgeschichte
Winter Term
Master Programs
- MA Asienwissenschaften
- MA Archäologische Wissenschaften
- MA Germanistik
- MA Geschichte
- MA Romanistik
- MA Provenienzforschung und Geschichte des Sammelns
- MA Kunstgeschichte
Option for Action at the End of Your Studies: Profile Recognition Application
MA Transkulturelle Studien/Kulturanthroplogie
Please note that in the MA program Transkulturelle Studien/Kulturanthropologie, you have the option to apply for profile recognition. The recognition of your profile usually takes place at the end of your studies, once you have successfully completed three of the elective modules corresponding to that profile. The profile will then be indicated on your transcript of records and on your Master’s degree certificate.
If you have taken modules in the subject area “Museumsstudien” equalling 30 ECTS credits, these will be indicated as a supplementary area on your Master’s degree certificate.
You also have the option to study without a profile or supplementary area. In this case, your Master’s degree certificate will not include any indication of a profile or supplementary area.
You can find further information on profile recognition in the MA program Transkulturelle Studien/Kulturanthopologie here:
MA Politikwissenschaft
In the MA program Politikwissenschaft, you have the option to select a profile within the scope of the Wahlpflichtbereich I (elective modules). Upon application, your profile will be indicated on your transcript. For this purpose, your examiner must certify your profile when you register your master’s thesis and, before submitting your thesis, you need to submit an application for profile recognition to the Examination Office.
If you do not submit such an application, no profile will be indicated.
Information about the profiles can be found here:
MA Soziologie
Upon application, you can have a profile indicated on your Master’s degree certificate for the MA Soziologie. The profile is determined by the elective modules you selected in the Wahlpflichtbereich I as well as your Master’s thesis.
Please remember to have your examiner certify your profile when you register for your Master’s thesis. Please submit this certification to the Examination Office before handing in your Master’s thesis so that the profile can be indicated on your Master’s degree certificate.
If you do not submit an application, no profile will be indicated.
You can find all relevant information here:
Choosing a Profile in the BA Program "Germanistik"
Web address for registration: https://basis.uni-bonn.de/
Please note: New students must register for their examinations in the basic modules without prior selection of a profile in their first semester! This applies even if you already know which profile you want to study. However, when registering for exams in the basic modules, you should keep a possible profile choice in mind.
Only in the second semester, in preparation for the beginning of the specialization phase of your studies, will you need to select a profile. There is also the option to study without a specific profile. This allows you ample opportunity to become more familiar with your program and make a well-informed decision.
Changing your Profile
During the registration period for your profile, you can still electronically opt for a different profile. After the registration period for your profile has concluded, you can no longer electronically change your profile. A profile change can then only be made through the Examination Office of the Faculty of Arts, as credits need to be transferred.
Error Messages, Additional Information Sources
Please note that you cannot successfully register for an exam or a course outside your profile; you will receive a prerequisite error. If you are a transfer student (changing location or major) and have had credits recognized, please check if your recognized achievements may be allocated to the wrong profile. Use your transcript of records for assistance. If you believe there is an error, please contact the Examination Office.
Also, please refer to the information regarding profile selection on the Department of German and Comparative Literature and Culture's website. If you have further questions regarding the profiles, please contact your academic advisory service.
For questions about the examination procedure itself, please consult the Examination Office.
Frequently Asked Questions About Profiles
No, because not all degree programs have a specialization (profiles/focuses/subject areas/supplementary areas/choice of first and second language). If you did not have a choice when you enrolled in your degree program and also did not receive an email from your program management asking you to choose a profile, it will usually not be necessary to do so. If you are unsure whether you have to/can choose a profile, please consult your examination regulations and/or contact your subject advisor.
IMPORTANT: The definition has no restrictive effect. This means that the specialization does not have the effect that you can only see and register for the modules offered in your profile. This means that you yourself must pay close attention to which modules are intended for your area of specialization. Only the modules that correspond to the special curriculum you have chosen will count towards your degree! So you have not necessarily passed your degree program yet by acquiring the minimum number of credit points, but only when you have fulfilled the conditions required for your profile, in other words, completed all the modules that are required for your profile according to the module plan of the examination regulations.
To ensure that you successfully complete the modules appropriate to your profile, please refer to the study (progression) plans provided on the pages of your institute. If you are unsure about this, please seek advice from your subject advisor.
During the profile selection phase, you can change your mind without restriction and enter this yourself in BASIS. As soon as the phase is over, however, the freely selected profile can only be changed once via the Examination Office.
Warning about changing profiles:
Please note, however, that modules you have already completed may not be included in the new profile and therefore no longer count towards your degree after the change. It is therefore essential that you consult with your subject advisor before changing.
It depends on whether there are admission requirements for the profile you want to change to:
- If you would like to change to a profile without special admission requirements, this is possible without any problems once during the course of your studies. Proceed as described in the previous point.
- However, if the profile you want to change to has its own entry requirements, this is not possible without further ado. Therefore, if you want to make a change here, you must first clarify this with the Examinations Office (contact form) and your subject advisor. There you must first check whether you also meet the requirements for the desired new profile before the change is made. Possibly, in the course of this, further knowledge and competencies in certain areas and corresponding evidence will be required of you (as regulated in the subject-specific regulations of the examination regulations for your degree program). Before you actually declare your intention to change to the Examination Office, it is therefore best to seek advice in advance from your subject advisor. In this case, too, a change is only possible once during the course of your studies.
Warning about changing profiles: Even in the case of profiles with restricted access, please note that modules you have already completed may not be included in the new profile and therefore no longer count towards your degree after the profile change. It is therefore essential that you consult with your subject advisor before changing.
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