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General
Even though many universities across Europe moved their semesters to an online-only format, our classroom structure allowed us to safely remain operational. This was possible because compared to most universities, our regular class sizes of 16 are extremely small - and our facilities accommodate 49 separate learning spaces.
Travel to Germany
Please visit the German Federal Foreign Office for official travel updates.
COVID-19 - special refund policy
If you make an enrolment payment (and a single tuition fee payment) to guarantee your place on any of our courses and you are unable to attend the course for any reason directly related to the Coronavirus outbreak, we will offer a full refund of your monies. Please visit our COVID FAQ for further detail.
We organise regular opportunities for you to visit our campus, meet the team, and experience our vibrant community.
Open days
Our virtual open days allow you to discover our facilities and equipment, speak directly to our tutors and students, learn more about our educational approach and get a good idea of the general Catalyst vibe and what it feels like to join us - all from the comfort of your home. We usually host 3 Virtual Open Days and various tours on site throughout the year. We host a variety of events through-out the year including Virtual Open Days, Open Evenings, Meet the Tutor events and more.
Sign up on our Events Page
Individual drop-ins
These can be arranged on by contacting our Admissions team.
Accessing our courses
We are committed to making our courses as accessible as possible though we would not provide anyone with a place on a course that we didn't think they were capable of. Our short courses are the easiest to access and our HE Certificate and BA Hons Degree courses also have routes to accessing them even for those students without the usual qualification levels required for entry (please scroll down to Entry Requirements for information on Mature and Non-standard applications).
Standard
You should usually be aged 18 or over when you start your course AND have completed your formal schooling. If you're still in school you can apply with your current transcript and send us your certificate when you receive it.
Suitable certificates include:- A Level, Baccalaureate, International Baccalaureate, Abitur, BTEC National Diploma, GED (high school diploma), Scottish Highers, Diploma di Maturità, di Esame di Stato, Título de Bachillerato or other equivalents.
Practical and language requirements
We want you to demonstrate your passion for the subject. For direct entry onto these courses (Standard or Mature) you will need to provide us with practical evidence, meaning a submission of some original work from you.
Your level of English speaking will also be evaluated during the application process. You must be equivalent to IELTS level 6 - but we don't require a certificate of language ability.
Berlin is the most exciting destination on the planet for producers, musicians, sound engineers, DJ’s, filmmakers, performers and artists. It’s bold, it’s gritty, it’s cutting-edge and it pulsates with a creative youthful energy which never fails to put a smile on your face.
But it's also a big city and you'll need some tips for how to settle in, find somewhere to live, prepare yourself to study and enjoy your new home.
Please check with your relevant local organisation on funding options for your studies. Our Admissions team will be able to support you with the necessary documentation to apply, please contact them for support in the process.
The following organisations can provide financial support for BA or MA study at Catalyst: CSN in Sweden, Lín in Iceland, DUO in the Netherlands and Lånekassen in Norway.
EU students (and certain international students) applying for our Bachelor & Masters programmes are eligible for Bafög (http://asv.stw.berlin/index.html). Please make sure to look up the programmes as follows in the search section:
- Film Production (see BA Hons programme)
- Screen Acting (see BA Hons programme)
- Visual Effects ( see VFX, Digital Arts & Animation BA Hons programme)
- Creative Music Production & Sound Engineering (see BA Hons programme)
- Electronic Music Production & Performance (see BA Hons programme)
- Creative Production (Music) (see M.A. programme)
- Creative Production (Film) (see M.A. programme)
For M.A. funding, can check this article containing web links to scholarships worldwide.
Admissions
Our monthly 'Ask Admissions' sessions aim to provide answers and support for any doubts you may have regarding the application process, work example submissions or simply planning your relocation to Berlin. We're here to help!
If you’re considering any of our 1 or 3-year Certificate and Bachelor's degree programmes or our 1-year full-time / 2-years part-time Masters degrees programmes starting next September 2023, here are some details to keep in mind regarding your application*:
International students from non-EEA countries
- Standard deadline: 31 March, 2023
Non-EEA nationals often require a student visa to study in Germany, depending on which country you are from.
Students from some non-EEA countries can enter Germany without a visa, but will then need to apply for a residence permit upon arrival. For example, if you come from Australia, Canada, Israel, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea or the United States.
However, students from some non-EEA countries will not be able to enter Germany without a visa. We advise you to check the German embassy website for your country for the most up-to-date information relevant to you. Find out more about applying for a student visa, and a list of overseas German embassies, here.
The visa application process takes several months and you can only begin this process after you have been offered a place and enrolled on the course. If you do require a student visa, apply before our standard deadline on 31 March 2023 latest, so that you’ll have plenty of time for all the paperwork involved, as well as the sometimes lengthy waiting times with the embassies.
If you apply after the standard deadline, please consider the difficulties in completing your paperwork on time, as this is country-specific and Admissions can not speed up this process. Provided that you meet our entry requirements, we will do our best to save you a place on the course of your choice, but if the visa arrangements are not finalised in time, we may offer you an option to defer you spot to the following academic year.
Students from EEA countries & Switzerland
- Standard deadline: 31 March, 2023
- Final deadline: 31 May, 2023
If you’re from the European Economic Area or Switzerland, and you’re 100% motivated, we strongly recommend you apply by the standard deadline on 31 March 2023 for your best chances of securing a spot on your chosen course.
You can apply until the final deadline on 31 May 2023, although we cannot guarantee that there will still be spaces available. The earlier you apply, the sooner we can assess your application and confirm your spot. This way, you’ll have plenty of time to prepare everything you need to relocate to Berlin.
EEA countries are: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Republic of Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden.
Students from the UK
- Standard deadline: 31 March, 2023
UK nationals moving to Germany after 1 January 2021 (post-Brexit) can enter Germany without a visa, but will then require a visa to stay in Germany for longer than 90 days.
We recommend UK nationals apply before our standard deadline (31 March) to allow plenty of time for your visa application process.
Students applying for funding
- Standard deadline: 31 March, 2023
If you’re from Sweden, Norway, Iceland or the Netherlands and intend to apply for funding from your home country, we recommend that you also apply before our standard deadline (31 March). Students on our BA and Masters programmes are eligible to apply for funding from the following organisations: CSN (Sweden), Lín (Iceland), Lånekassen (Norway), DUO (Netherlands). Be sure to give extra time for this application too!
Late applications
After the 1 June, all applications are placed on a waiting list. If there are remaining places on specific courses and your application is successful, you will receive an offer for one of these places. Otherwise you will remain on the waiting list until September. Typically each year, a small number of students who have already enrolled are unable to attend for various reasons. We then offer their spaces to applicants on the waiting list. This may mean that you miss the first week or two of the course start, but you will receive support to catch up on any work you have missed.
* About the application process *
Once we receive your application, it can take between 2-3 weeks for your application to be processed. Masters applications may take longer. Once we have assessed that you fulfil our Entry Requirements, you will receive an Offer Letter from us and will be asked to pay the enrolment fee (not the full tuition!) within 14 days to secure your place. All the information about the required materials and the application procedure is available on the first page of the application form.
You can also find a detailed Admissions Map for each course under the Application Process tab below.
4-week short courses are also subject to the standard deadline application deadline - 31 March, 2023. But if spaces are still available, the last date we will accept applications is 15 May, 2023.
Standard deadline: 31 March, 2023
The standard deadline for all our 2023 courses is the 31 March, 2023. Anyone who wants to join a short course in the summer should apply by this deadline. Once we have assessed that you fulfil our Entry Requirements, you will receive an Offer Letter from us and will be asked to pay the enrolment fee (not the full tuition!) within 14 days to secure your place.
Final deadline: 15 May, 2023
If you meet our entry requirements, we will do our best to offer you a place on the course of your choice. If there are no places available, we will either offer you a place on an alternative course or place you on the waiting list.
Late applications
After 15 May, all applications are placed on a waiting list. If there are remaining places on specific courses and your application is successful, you will receive an offer for one of these places. Typically each year, a small number of students who have already enrolled are unable to attend for various reasons. We then offer their spaces to applicants on the waiting list.
Whether you would like to join an accredited programme starting in September or one of our short courses during the summer, our admissions process is done entirely online. Each course has slightly different requirements and most of our courses will require submitting some original work from you.
Undergraduate | Bachelor Of Arts (Hons) / Higher Education Certificate
Undergraduate applicants will be asked to provide: personal and educational information, documentation of their education experience, a portfolio or audition tape, and a personal introduction (which can be submitted as a written statement of motivation or a video/audio clip).
Postgraduate | Master Of Arts
Postgraduate applicants will be asked to provide: personal and educational information, documentation of their education experience, a detailed project proposal, sample of research/academic writing and a portfolio.
To start the application process simply navigate to the APPLY NOW page, read the instructions thoroughly and then select your course of choice. Please note that it may take up to 3 weeks to process your application so give yourself sufficient time to meet our application deadline.
If anything about the process is unclear for you, please don't hesitate to send a message to our Admissions team or give us a ring.
1-YR HE, 3-YR BA, 1 or 2-YR MA course dates
Start: September, 2023
Summer Short Courses (see programme)
Dates: June 19 - July 14, 2023
We take a very strict approach to privacy and the storage of private details.
There is an Enrolment Fee payment for all courses. Course price varies by programme type and subject. We offer you two simple ways to pay the course fee.
Single payment
Make a single payment before the start of your course. This is the lowest cost option.
Instalment payment
Make 10 instalment payments throughout the year. This helps spread the cost of the course.
All details including when fees become due are available on the course fees page.
Visas & residence permits
Our Bachelor degrees and our Masters degrees are officially recognised by the German authorities and qualify for the German Study Visa.
Non-EEA nationals often require this visa to study in (and in some cases, to enter) Germany, depending on which country you are from. We advise you to check the German embassy website for your country for the most up-to-date information. Find out more about applying for a student visa, and a list of overseas German embassies, here.
If you do need a student visa, please apply for your chosen course before the Standard Deadline on 31 March, to allow plenty of time for the visa application process.
Citizens of any EEA country, Switzerland and the UK
- You DO NOT require a visa to enter Germany.
- You DO NOT require a residence permit to study in Germany.
- You MUST register your address within two weeks of moving into an apartment with a district office.
Citizens of Australia, Andorra, Brazil, Canada, El Salvador, Honduras, Israel, Japan, Monaco, New Zealand, San Marino, Switzerland, United States, South Korea
- You DO NOT require a visa to enter Germany.
- You MUST apply for a residence permit (for study purposes) within 3 months of entering Germany.
- You MUST register your address within two weeks of moving into an apartment with a district office.
Citizens all other countries
- You MUST hold a valid student visa before entering Germany.
- You MUST apply for a residence permit (for study purposes) within 3 months of entering Germany.
- You MUST register your address within two weeks of moving into an apartment with a district office.
Citizens of any EEA country, Switzerland and the UK
- You DO NOT require a visa to enter Germany.
- You DO NOT require a residence permit to study in Germany.
- You MUST register your address within two weeks of moving into an apartment with a district office.
Citizens of Australia, New Zealand, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Israel, Chile, Brazil
- If you are aged between 18 - 30, you may apply for the Work and Travel Visa/Working holiday program. More details from the [German Federal Foreign Office here]
- This type of visa is also your residence permit.
- You MUST register your address within two weeks of moving into an apartment with a district office.
Students from all other countries WILL NOT be able to get a visa to study on this course.
Citizens of any EEA country, Switzerland and the UK
- You DO NOT require a visa to enter Germany
- You DO NOT require a residence permit to study in Germany
Citizens of any country marked 'No' [on this list]
- You DO NOT require a visa to enter Germany
- You DO NOT require a residence permit to study in Germany
- You MAY NOT stay more than 90 days in Germany during a 6 month period
Citizens of all other countries
- You MUST apply for a tourist/ Schengen visa in order to enter Germany.
Entry requirements
Accessing our courses
We are committed to making our courses as accessible as possible, though we would not provide anyone with a place on a course that we didn't think they were capable of. Our short courses are the easiest to access.
Short courses
You should usually be aged 18 or over when you start your course.
These courses are designed to be accessible for anyone. No proof of academic qualification is required.
If you're coming from outside the EU a holiday/travel visa will usually suffice.
If taking an intermediate or advanced course, relevant prior knowledge is recommended to maximise your learning experience.
Accessing our courses
We are committed to making our courses as accessible as possible, though we would not provide anyone with a place on a course that we didn't think they were capable of. Our short courses are the easiest to access, but our HE Certificate and BA Hons Degree courses also have routes to accessing them even for those students without the usual qualification levels required for entry.
When you submit your application form, you'll need to upload proof of your academic qualification and if neither of the two categories below describe your situation, you'll most likely need to complete a short course to gain access to the longer course.
Standard
You will be aged 18 or over when you start your course AND you will have completed your formal schooling. If you're still in school at the time of applying, you can submit your application to us with your current transcript and later send us your certificate when you receive it.
Suitable certificates include: A-Level, Baccalaureate, International Baccalaureate, Abitur, BTEC National Diploma, GED (high school diploma), Scottish Highers, Diploma di Maturità, di Esame di Stato, Título de Bachillerato or other equivalents.
Mature
For this category, you must be at least 21 years old.
You have no qualifications in the traditional sense (so standard doesn’t fit you) but you would be able to complete a task for the admissions process. The task will ask you to submit writing which demonstrates English fluency and critical thinking and is course specific. So if you are applying for Film Production - we will ask you to submit an analysis of a film.
Practical and language requirements
We want you to demonstrate your passion for the subject. For direct entry onto these courses (Standard or Mature) you will need to provide us with practical evidence, meaning a submission of some original work from you. The application form will provide some examples. Your level of English speaking will also be evaluated during the application process. You must be equivalent to IELTS level 6 - but we don't require a certificate of language ability.
By September, you will be at least 18 years old AND have earned at least a 2.1 on your Bachelor Degree. Your BA does not need to be in the same field as your chosen topic of MA study.
Education
Our HE Certificates aim to engage students with limited experience in their fields who would like to put their foot in the water without committing to a full degree. This is not an introductory course! The courses will deliver a broad depth of information and aim to get students working independently on major projects. Successful completion of a Higher Education Certificate course earns you 60 ECTS: equivalent to 1 year of a BA degree level course. Should you then decide you would like to pursue a degree programme with us you would enter onto the second year of the programme.
Our bachelor BA Hons degrees are internationally recognised undergraduate bachelor of arts programmes, validated and administered through the University of St Mark & St John in the UK. They are suitable for students that have some initial experience in their chosen or a related field and aim to push students both creatively and technically. They provide the skills required to enter employment, further study or to independent artistic work. This is a full British Bachelor of Arts (HONS) Degree equivalent to 180 ECTS. See FAQ above for entry requirements onto our BA Hons bachelor degrees.
Our seamless progression model allows you to decide how much of the journey you wish to take. Our unique 4 week summer course provides those who need it with the skills necessary to progress onto an HE Certificate. Successful completion of the HE Certificate provides access to our BA Hons degree. Successful completion of the BA Hons degree provides access to the MA programme.
Catalyst courses are validated by Plymouth Marjon University, a small, specialised university based in Plymouth in the South West of England, with around 3500 students. In 2012 they achieved 87% in their student satisfaction survey and 79.9% for teaching excellence in the Sunday Times university guide. We work closely with this university to deliver our music degrees in both the UK and Berlin and have had a very successful relationship with them for a number of years.
With over 175 Years of heritage, tradition and experience, Plymouth Marjon University has travelled a long road in becoming first a university college and now a full university. The university’s degree courses comply fully with the European Diploma Supplement Transcript and have equivalent ECTS values for all modules in keeping with the Bologna Declaration at the Convention for the Recognition of Qualifications Concerning Higher Education in the European Region.
Plymouth Marjon University is listed as an accredited degree awarding university on the following UK Government websites:
Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA) UK Government recognised bodies
University website: http://www.marjon.ac.uk
Yes, you do!
Our qualifications are awarded:
- HE Certificate or 1st year of the Bachelor = 60 ECTS Credits
- 2 years of the Bachelor = 120 ECTS Credits
- Bachelor Degree = 180 ECTS Credits
- Masters Degree = 90 ECTS Credits
For the longer courses which start in September, lessons take place: Monday to Friday between 9:00 & 20:00, with taught study hours usually taking place over 2 or 3 days every week. There is an estimated 36 hour a week commitment, broken down into 12 hours of weekly lessons, supported time on campus, bookable time in our facilities and independent study time. If a class needs to be rescheduled it will be moved to a Saturday. Your particular weekly arrangement depends on which group you are placed into for your course.
For the short courses, lessons take place Monday to Friday between 9:00 & 20:00, with taught study hours usually taking place over 4 or 5 days every week. There is an estimated 16 hours of weekly lessons alongside supported time on campus, bookable time in our facilities and independent study time. If a class needs to be rescheduled it will be moved to a Saturday. Your particular weekly arrangement depends on which group you are placed into for your course.
Of course you want to hear from students who have actually attended our institution. We've created a whole page of testimonials and information about real students experiences