Students of Egyptology are enthusiastic about early societies and excited about working with ancient languages, writings, and material legacies. They love visits to museums and exhibitions and are prepared to make the journey to Egypt to visit monuments and excavation sites. Curiosity and openness to ideas and achievements beyond Europe’s borders are just as important as a spirit of adventure and stamina.

Excellent proficiency in German and English (ideally also basic reading skills in French) are important for writing, reading and presenting during your studies, as the scientific community in these subjects is relatively small but active worldwide.

This subject is a subject of specialization in the ALPHA (B.A.) degree program. You can also study this subject as a minor within the two-subject bachelor’s degree program.

Program structure

Introductory phase

In three basic modules, you will learn the fundamentals of Egyptian archaeology and history as well as Middle Egyptian and hieroglyphic writing:

• Introduction to Egyptology and Egyptian archaeology
• Hieroglyphs and Middle Egyptian (introduction and specialization)

This will provide you with broad knowledge and allows you to set your own priorities as you progress through your studies.

Specialization phase & individual paths

Based on the fundamentals of the subject, your studies will then take you on an individual path. You will learn about the latest processing methods and achieve a new degree of digital literacy. Depending on your interest, you can focus on the following topics:

• Material culture
• Texts in context
• Further thematic seminars on ancient Egypt (e.g., on settlement archaeology or the beliefs surrounding the afterlife) and research using digital methods

Program syllabi regularly offer one-day and multi-day field trips to exhibitions, relevant museums and/or excavation sites in Germany or abroad, where you can work with findings on site and thus gain valuable insight into professional practice.

In the course of your studies, you may also choose to focus on a particular time period (e.g., a specific millennium), a particular methodology (e.g., philology or archaeology), or a particular topic (e.g., religion), ideally tailored to your major.

In addition to the required course content, you can also benefit from the entire range of topics of Egyptology through additional voluntary courses.

Stays abroad

Would you like to live abroad for a semester or a year? Do you want to learn another language and get to know a new culture? Or gain a different perspective on your particular subject? A stay abroad provides you with the perfect opportunity to achieve this and is possible with every degree program – either self-organized or by taking advantage of one of the popular exchange programs. This is made possible by various cooperation agreements and partnerships with foreign universities.

For more information on this topic, please visit our websites on studying abroad. Visit our student exchange platform for an overview of cooperating universities in your field.

This program of study does not require you to spend time abroad, but you nevertheless have the opportunity to do so.

The recommended study abroad period for this program of study is after the 3rd or 4th semester. Regardless of this, it may be possible to take part in a field trip abroad lasting several days.

Internships

This program of study does not include a mandatory internship. However, voluntary internships are a great way to gain insight into a professional field.

An internship allows you to discover whether everyday life in a particular occupation suits your career expectations and interests. You can gain qualifications for a professional field and acquire important professional and personal skills to start a career. An internship helps you both shape your career path, and mold the remainder of your course sequence – in particular by selecting specializations that suit your practical experience.

You can find further information and relevant internships on the Career Service website.

Students of Egyptology acquire profound expertise and exceptional language competence during the program of study. You will become proficient in a variety of scientific methods, which will make you especially qualified to work in the following subject-related areas:

• Further qualification through master’s and doctoral degrees (supported by student assistant positions, scholarships, research training groups, etc.)
• Academic positions for teaching and/or research at universities or research institutions in Germany and abroad (usually after a master’s and/or doctoral degree)
• Collaboration in excavation projects and other research projects
• Work in museums, collections and exhibitions (e.g., as a curator)
• Cultural heritage programs
• Expert advising or guided tours of exhibitions related to Egypt and the ancient Near East
• Adult education (Center for Lifelong Learning, VHS)
• Publishing (e.g., Antike Welt)
• Scientific journalism
• Media (e.g., cultural programs, film production consultation)

When you graduate, you will be an expert in analytical and critical thinking. You will question theories and sources to formulate your own conclusions and will be able to prepare complex information and issues in a way that is appropriate for the target group. In addition, you will acquire intercultural competencies. You will attain a high level of cultural awareness, particularly in historical research. Project management skills will enable you to plan and execute projects, including time management, budgeting, and resource coordination. These core humanities and cultural studies skills are also in demand in many other professional fields:

• (Agile) project management
• Scientific management and administration of research and teaching at universities and research institutions
• Research funding
• Project work in companies, foundations, NGOs
• Public service and administration (e.g., city administration)
• Media, journalism, public relations and advertising
• Politics and social affairs
• Education and culture

Not sure what to do after graduation? Don’t worry!

A university degree generally does not prepare you for a single profession but qualifies you for a wide range of career paths – for example, in research, in a typical profession related to your field of study, or in one of many other academic fields.

This is why career orientation is also part of your studies. Gaining practical experience is key, and you can do so through internships, working student positions, part-time jobs or voluntary work, for example.

JGU’s Career Service will support you throughout the entire process with information, advice, workshops and numerous events – from career orientation and working on your profile and skills to finding your dream job and successfully applying for it.