Studying at the University
of Protestant Church Music
Here you can find out about the numerous opportunities for studying church music, music education or artistic fields at our university. In addition to the four bachelor's and master's degree programmes – the latter with various specialisations – there is also the option of preparing for the entrance examination or the examination for the part-time church music ministry (C Training) – or continuing your education as a guest student in individual subjects.
The Path to University
The programme can be started in the summer or winter semester. Passing an entrance examination is a prerequisite; detailed requirements can be found in the qualification regulations (only the German version is legally binding). In principle, it is also possible to take an entrance examination, e.g. one semester before the planned start of the programme.
Application deadlines:
Start of studies in the summer semester: 1 February
Start of studies in the winter semester: 1 June
The entrance examination for the summer semester 2026 will take place on Saturday, 14 February 2026, and the entrance examination for the winter semester 2026/27 will take place on Wednesday, 17 June 2026.
Class times
The teaching and examination times for the academic year up to the 2027 academic year can be found here:
The university offers four bachelor's and four master's degree programmes. A special feature of the master's programmes is the individually selectable fields of study. In the master's programme in music conducting, these are the fields of study
- popular music (Bayreuth was the first German educational institution to introduce this subject in 1995),
- Children's Choir Conducting
- wind choir conducting and
- choir conducting.
The first three subjects can already be studied as a foundation or specialisation in the undergraduate programme.
The Master's programme in Instrumental/Vocal Pedagogy offers the following fields of study
- piano,
- organ and
- voice training.
These degree programmes are designed in such a way that extensive overlaps in content allow for a high degree of permeability between the degree programmes in general and church music studies in particular. The possibility of taking the major examination for the church music ministry is also provided for.
examination notifications
The examination board sets a registration deadline for examinations. This is announced in good time for each semester in the university's examination notice board. Registration for the voluntary major examination for the church music minor (C examination) must be completed by 1 May of the academic year at the latest.