Cultural Techniques (Master's degree program)Analysis of Cultural and Media Practices
Reading, writing, calculating, painting, planning, designing, storing and coding are among our basic cultural techniques. But decision-making, judging and governing are also practices that are given a culture-creating function through the specific use of signs and technical artifacts. The interdisciplinary course focuses on the theoretical reflection and historical analysis of such cultural-technical actions and thus the significance of artifacts in social contexts. The course combines the subjects of art and media studies and cooperates with other subjects in the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, including German, English and Art History.
Focal areas of teaching and research
The degree program of Cultural Techniques deals with the question of how actions are performed in the interplay of physical gestures and the use of aids (tools, instruments and other media objects). Teaching and research focus on the historical development and the cultural and epistemological foundations of media practices and their constitutive disciplines. This includes the appropriation and use of writing, images, numbers and codes, but also systems of order and representation (diagrams, grids, maps, etc.), operative techniques (graphic processes in art and architecture, analog and digital data processing in the natural and human sciences) and dispositives of the political. The course is divided into three thematic modules, each represented by a professorship
- Practices (e.g. archival processes, academic writing, cultural techniques of law and architecture, cultural techniques of programming)
- Materialities (e.g. recording/modifying, storing, transferring and manifestations of the material; especially in audiovisual media)
- Coordinates of creativity (e.g. educational practices of art, techniques of artistic practice, logic of the image and art theory)
These modules are supplemented by the transdisciplinary module "Cultural-Technical Dimensions" with a changing range of courses from all departments of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences.
Short profile
| Degree | MA in Cultural Techniques |
| Type | Degree program |
| Start date | February, September |
| Credit points | 120 |
| Study structure | The Master's degree is the second degree after the Bachelor's degree and comprises a total of 120 credit points (CP). The Master's degree course in Cultural Techniques is a so-called mono course without further subjects, which is completed with 100 CP. There is also a free elective area (20 CP). One ECTS credit point corresponds to approximately 30 hours of work. |
| Combination of subjects | The Master's degree course in Cultural Techniques is interdisciplinary and is studied without a second subject. The free elective area consists of freely selectable courses that can be used to deepen knowledge in the subjects studied, to gain insight into other subjects offered by the University of Basel or to acquire language skills. |
| Language of instruction | German, English |
| Department | Arts, Media, Philosophy |
Proof of a Bachelor's degree in a humanities and cultural studies subject with a theoretical and historical focus of interest is required. Admission without conditions is granted with a Bachelor's degree from the University of Basel in the following degree programs/subjects: Ancient Civilizations, Eastern European Studies, German Philology, English, Social Anthropology, French Studies, History, Gender Studies, Hispanic Studies, Near and Middle Eastern Studies, Italian Studies, Jewish Studies, Cultural Anthropology, Art History, Media Studies, Musicology, Scandinavian Studies, Eastern European Cultures, Philosophy, Political Science, Study of Religion, Sociology.
Master’s admission requirements
Admission to master’s programs is regulated by the university student regulations and the stipulations of the individual degree program descriptions. More details of the general master’s admission requirements are provided here.
For students to be admitted with no additional requirements, they must hold a bachelor’s degree worth 180 CP from a higher education institution recognized by the University of Basel.
Subject-related requirements are defined in the admission requirements (section 3) of the study program for the relevant subject. The guidelines may also contain further useful information that is key to successful studies.
Registration dates
Students must register for their bachelor’s or master’s degree program within a specified timeframe – even in cases of delayed registration.
Information events
The University of Basel organizes regular information events for bachelor’s and master’s programs. Details can be found on the events page of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences.
Some subject areas also offer their own separate information or welcome events. Please consult the page for the relevant subject area for event dates and locations.
Deadlines and dates for the Master's studies
See also factsheets under Documents & Factsheets.
Master's thesis
Fall semester 2026
Master's examinations for students of the subject and degree program
Master's degree
All data subject to subsequent changes.
Career opportunities
On the one hand, the degree program lays the foundation for an academic career through research skills with the possibility of following a doctoral program at the University of Basel. On the other hand, it offers numerous starting points for activities in the cultural sector: the well-founded historical and theoretical ability to reflect forms a core competence for working in (online) editorial offices of newspapers, magazines, radio and television stations or in cultural institutions such as theaters, museums or foundations.
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