Centre for Book Studies
print

Links and Functions
Language Selection

Breadcrumb Navigation


Content

Prior to Studying

Admission Requirements and Pre-enrolment

Study at the Centre for Book Studies in Munich – why, what now?

Those who complete the book studies programme at the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität will not only have a clearly defined, specialised professional profile, but will also have a direct career perspective: the book, media and publishing city of Munich. This locational advantage of the Munich book studies programme is directly reflected in the extensive range of seminars offered. In the practically oriented courses, active professionals impart knowhow specifically relevant to the industry and discuss current issues with students. The close proximity – in terms of both content and distance – between teaching and professional practice benefits students not only academically, but also offers them the opportunity to gain practical experience during their studies, thus preparing a direct path to starting their careers.

Before you ask: yes, Munich is expensive! But on the other hand, there is no other city in which it is easier to find a well-paid part-time job. The website of the Munich book studies programme has a job market section which is well serviced by publishers and agencies. There is no shortage of part-time work for students of book studies!

Click here for a  A walk through Munich’s publishing district…(pdf)

nach obenMunich is expensive – but what does the city offer?

The comparatively high rents and not to be underestimated cost of living in Munich in most cases make a part-time job unavoidable for purely economic reasons. The city, of course, offers many opportunities to earn money, for example in the gastronomy business – but why not combine the necessary with the useful? A part-time job in the book industry on the one hand makes it possible to directly apply and enrich the skills learned from studying, and on the other hand offers the chance to further sharpen one’s profile and specialise through practical experience.

With the skills learned theoretically at the university and practically in the publishing houses, most LMU book studies graduates manage a seamless transition to professional life after studying. Through their network, which has grown in the course of their studies, they ultimately have much more than just a foot in the door, and are already able, as student employees, to prove and present themselves in the professional setting. It is not unusual for a student job to lead to a direct employment offer. Almost every scholar of book studies in Munich works alongside his or her study programme as a part-time employee in a publishing and/or bookselling company. This is due not least to the good contacts between the university and the industry, which are a result of the practical profession-oriented courses and the network evening held by the Munich book studies department.

nach obenStudy and Student Jobs in Munich

You are just beginning your studies and are looking for a part-time job with a publisher? Or you have already finished and want to start your career in the book industry? Then you are in the right place here in the publishing city of Munich! With around 180 publishing houses and a large number of literary institutions and events as well as an extensive cultural programme, Munich is one of the most vibrant publishing cities in Europe.

nach obenMunich as a Media and Publishing Location

Along with Berlin, Munich continues to be the most important publishing city in the German-speaking world, and with its many publishing houses and an annual production of around 10,000 first editions, it provides an extensive field of activity for book studies scholars. In times of media transformation, the book industry is reliant more than ever on well-educated expert staff who are actively able to shape the future of book production and trade in all function areas. In marketing, public relations, sales, production and management, a wide range of new challenges await the leaders of tomorrow.

nach obenCultural City of Munich

Municipal museums, private galleries, theatres and cabarets, opera houses, multiplex and independent cinemas, large concert halls and small stages for emerging bands – whether it be popular, sub or high culture, as a stimulating evening or something with which to relax and switch off: there can be no complaints of a lack of culture in Munich. Particularly as a student, one should seize the opportunity and regularly attend the opera or theatre, as the best seats are available to students at low prices. Museum enthusiasts should also keep their Sundays free, since all the large museums open their doors then for just one Euro.

A more relaxed atmosphere than at the opera can be found at the Tollwood Festival: there is music, dancing, shopping and food from all over the world to enjoy - open-air in summer at the Olympia Park and in winter in a tent on the Theresienwiese. A similarly relaxed tone can be found at the music festivals held in summer in Munich and the surrounding region. The S-Bahn will take you to ‘sonnenrot’ in Eching, Bavariapark can be reached by bicycle for ‘Oben Ohne’, while ‘umsonst und draußen’ is held at the Pentecost Festival in the Theatron (Olympia Stadium). If that is still not enough, the open-air cinema at the Olympia Lake (June to August) is within walking distance from there.

nach obenMunich as an Academic Location

Starting from Marienplatz in the centre of Munich and passing by Odeonsplatz and the Hofgarten, one soon reaches the main building of the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität (LMU). And when standing directly in front of it, on Geschwister-Scholl-Platz, with the Englischer Garten behind, Schwabing on the right and Odeonsplatz in the distance on the left, one begins to understand the term ““university in the heart of Munich””, as announced by the LMU on its website. The university in Munich is closely interwoven with the city – not relegated to the outskirts, but rather right in the middle, centrally located in the Maxvorstadt.

But it is not only the LMU that characterises this university city: there is also the Technische Universität, the Hochschule München and many others, including several private institutions. A further major advantage of the LMU is its direct proximity to the Bavarian State Library, which can be used without charge by LMU students. This institution provides not only a space for read-ing, but also excellently complements the collection of the university library – itself already very impressive. To date, almost every book imaginable has been able to be found in at least one of the two libraries!

nach obenLiterature Archive Monacensia

The Munich City Library provides a far-reaching network of excellently equipped suburban libraries with reading spaces; the Munich Literature Archive Monacensia is an important cooperation partner: in the ‘literary memory of the city’ one finds not only a comprehensive collection of Munich books of all kinds, but also an exciting (and with free access for us!) archive with the literary remains of Munich authors. Since its renovation and reopening in 2017, the Hildebrandhaus in direct proximity to the Englischer Garten provides the pleasant atmosphere of seminar rooms, research workspaces and a small cafeteria.

nach obenInternational Youth Library (Blutenburg)

The International Youth Library is the largest research library in the world for international children’s and youth literature. The IJB is housed in the building of Blutenburg Mansion, which was built in the first half of the 15th century. The IJB, which was founded in 1949 by Jella Lepmann against the background of the National Socialist terror system of 1933 to 1945, offers students, in addition to a range of international books and historical collections (including the literary remains of children’s and youth authors and publishing houses), an opportunity for international academic exchange, interesting research fields in the realm of children’s and youth literature, workshops and exhibi-tions.

nach obenLiterary Life and the Munich Literature House

The most important aspect for book enthusiasts, however, is Munich’s literary life. The city is not only the birthplace of renowned authors, but is also a place in which literature is still lived and loved today. The Munich Literature House has established itself as the centre of this life, attracting visitors with alternating exhibitions concerning literature and particularly with its outstanding reading sessions. In the rooms of the Literature House, book studies seminars are held at irregular intervals on the significance and function of literature houses in today’s literature industry along with conferences and workshops on questions relevant to the field.

Further special highlights such as the Crime Writing Festival (students of book studies are regularly involved here as part of a project seminar) and the Munich Book Show will raise the pulse of every book lover and provide a wonderful practical complement to the book studies academic programme, demonstrating all that can be done with and in relation to books. Students of the book studies programme in Munich hence have ideal circumstances: they enjoy on the one hand the advantages of an ‘urban university’ with its international networks, the wide range of study options for minor subjects and the exciting guest lectures held by internationally recognised scholars. On the other hand, the book studies programme gives rise to a manageable and well-connected community that provides students with the feeling of being part of a close-knit group, rather than being just one of 40,000 students.