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About Bard College Berlin

Bard College Berlin is a state-recognized, non-profit university in Germany which combines the strengths of American liberal  arts education with the rigorous research profile of a German university. Its unique approach to education emphasizes interdisciplinary study, small-group seminars, and individual academic advising. Located in Europe’s political, economic, and artistic center, the college offers students direct access to present-day developments in cultural life and current affairs through class sessions and activities linked with the city of Berlin.  

On its residential campus in the Niederschönhausen neighborhood of Pankow, over 300 students from 68 countries engage in  intellectual dialogue across disciplines, supported by a world-class faculty committed to teaching. Accredited at both the state  and federal levels in Germany, and in the US through its affiliation with Bard College Annandale, Bard College Berlin offers three BA degree programs: Humanities, the Arts, and Social Thought; Economics, Politics, and Social Thought; and Artistic Practice  and Society. The college has partnerships with universities, think tanks, and cultural institutions such as the ICI Berlin Institute  for Cultural Inquiry, the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities, and the Humboldtforum.

 

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History of Bard College Berlin

Founded in 1999 as the European College of Liberal Arts (ECLA), Bard College Berlin was established by German intellectuals  and entrepreneurs seeking to offer a high-quality, small-seminar-based international program for promising undergraduates wishing to study in English. Bard College in Annandale, New York supported the college early on and acquired it in  2011, awarding Bard College Berlin’s first BA degrees in 2012. Since then, Bard College Berlin has grown the size of its student body sixfold and has expanded its academic profile and faculty to provide degree programs across the humanities, arts, and  social sciences.

A belief in the university as a bulwark against threats posed by illiberal politics and by discrimination, persecution, and war connects Bard College Berlin with Bard College Annandale. Beginning in the mid-1930s and throughout the Second World  War, Bard College was a haven for distinguished writers, artists, intellectuals, and scientists fleeing from Europe. Notable emigrants included social critic Hannah Arendt and philosopher Heinrich Blücher, who both taught at the college. Arendt’s thought continues to inspire teachers and students across the world in the effort to preserve democratic institutions and values. Blücher’s core curriculum continues to be central to the educational approach taken by Bard College Berlin.  

One way in which the college upholds these principles is through its scholarship programs for students from areas of crisis and  conflict, providing full-tuition funding and stipends for students from Afghanistan, Yemen, Nigeria, Ukraine, Syria, Palestine,  and Pakistan, among others. The experiences and insights of these students make a profound impact on the college, informing  the curriculum and connecting discussions in the seminar room with the reality of the outside world. 

 

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Accreditation

Bard College Berlin has been recognized as a university in the state of Berlin since 2011. It has been institutionally accredited at the federal level by the Deutsche Wissenschaftsrat since 2017. In the United  States, it is accredited through Bard College by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education.

 

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Academic Programs

The aim of the BA in Economics, Politics, and Social Thought is to embed the study of the social sciences within larger cultural, intellectual, and social contexts, and to encourage a reflective application of the methods and insights of Economics and Politics to the solution of complex issues in the contemporary world.

• The Economics concentration offers comprehensive training in macroeconomics, microeconomics, and quantitative methods, with an interdisciplinary approach which integrates political science, political theory, and intellectual history.
• The Politics concentration involves training in quantitative and qualitative methods in the social sciences, as well as familiarity with the central concepts of political studies and political theory.

The goal of the BA in Humanities, the Arts, and Social Thought is to offer comprehensive education in humanities and social science, and to cultivate reflective, historically-informed specialist knowledge in Art and Aesthetics, Ethics and Politics, or Literature and Rhetoric. 

• The Art and Aesthetics concentration encompasses the study of art in all of its aspects: philosophical, practical, and historical. Courses utilize Berlin as an artist's space, featuring workshops from working artists and visits to museums and art galleries.
• The Ethics and Politics concentration explores the intersection of politics with ethics, moral philosophy, and political theory, offering insights into political systems, international relations, and policy analysis. 
• The Literature and Rhetoric concentration at Bard College Berlin explores the evolution of literature, its genres, and its relationship with various forms of discourse, while exploring a variety of writing practices from journalistic reportage to creative expression.

Bard College Berlin’s newest program, the BA in Artistic Practice and Society enrolled its first cohort of students in 2023. It integrates a liberal arts education with hands-on courses in painting, film, performance, photography, sculpture, and other practices, encompassing historical innovations and contemporary social developments. The program  offers unique opportunities for engagement with the global art scene and cultural institutions.

 

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Liberal Arts Education

The liberal arts educational model emphasizes critical thinking, problem solving, and close interaction between students and  faculty. By developing essential skills in writing and thinking, a liberal arts program encourages exploration, critical reflection, and engagement with diverse perspectives. The Core Curriculum—a series of six team-taught courses in intellectual history  from antiquity to Modernism—enables students to consider the interplay between fields and phenomena often treated as separate and creates a store of shared knowledge for students from all degree programs. This interdisciplinary  approach, combined with practical applications in the real world through internships and civic engagement projects, prepares  graduates to tackle the multifaceted challenges of a rapidly changing world, and to contribute to a shared global future.

The abilities to think analytically and draw connections between a wide range of issues and fields are transferable skills in today’s dynamic job market. The awareness gained from ethical reflection and actual experience of the demands of social responsibility  provide graduates with indispensable advantages in an interconnected world.

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Faculty

31 permanent faculty members from 15 countries.
50 visiting lecturers with expertise in the arts, social sciences and public policy. 

Bard College Berlin’s international faculty reflects the university’s  commitment to academic excellence and civic engagement,  as their work draws on interdisciplinary research to connect  with  urgent debates addressed in the  public sphere. Professors hold doctorates from institutions  renowned for their scholarship and teaching,  including UC Berkeley, the University of Cambridge, the  University of Chicago, Columbia University, Freie Universität  Berlin, Harvard University, Universität Heidelberg, MIT,  Princeton University, and RWTH Aachen.

 

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Successful Alumni Outcomes

Alumni placements: 17% both studying and employed, 28% pursuing advanced degrees, 52% employed*

Bard College Berlin alumni have gone on to graduate studies at  some of the top universities in the world, including the University of Cambridge, Columbia University, Dartmouth College,  Freie Universität Berlin, Harvard University, Leuven University, the London School of Economics, the University of Oxford, Sciences Po, UCLA School of Law, Universität  der Künste Berlin, and Yale University. 

Bard College Berlin graduates work in a variety of  fields globally, and have achieved distinction in public service,  education, journalism, art, business, and non-profit advocacy.  Recent placements include employment at AmeriCorps, Deloitte, Deutsche Welle, the European Commission, Home  Box Office (HBO), Paypal, Teach First Deutschland, Tesla, TikTok, and the United States Senate.

*Average, based on available data from classes of 2021-2023