Master: Major, Minor, and Alternatives

What Is the Difference Between the Major and the Minor?

Students who take English Literature and/or Linguistics as their Master Major (90 ECTS) or Master Minor (30 ECTS) will be able to choose between three different tracks (see Focus Areas).

Students of the Major (90 ECTS) will have a sizeable elective component, which means that they will have more freedom of choice. They may, for example, take modules from other, related programs to complement their studies in English (module group "Transferable Skills"). In addition, writing the Master Thesis will provide them with an opportunity to conduct a larger research project.

Students of the Minor (30 ECTS) will also have some freedom of choice, but only within English Studies (i.e. as there is no "Transferable Skills" module group for students of the Minor, their elective component will consist almost exclusively of modules offered by the English Department).

Important:

It is not possible to combine the Major in English Literature/Linguistics with the Minor in English Literature/Linguistics.
Please consult the UZH website for an overview of Master degree programs offered at UZH.

In Which Case Should I Take English as My Major?

You should take English as your Master Major if:

your main interest is English (rather than the other study program);
your other study program cannot be taken as a Major (cf. UZH website for a list of Master Majors and Minors);
you plan to do the teaching diploma (Lehrdiplom für Maturitätsschulen) and your other study program is not a teaching subject (cf. Lehrdiplom website for a list of teaching subjects).