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Welcome!

What is the Academy of Media Arts?

We are the Academy of Media Arts in Cologne.

We started 30 years ago.

Here you can study:

  • art
  • film
  • and other types of media arts.


You can learn a lot

through arts and media arts.

And you can also use art

to talk about many different topics.


What can I study at the Academy of Media Arts?

We have a special programme here.

We call it “media arts”.

In this programme our students

can choose what kind of art

they want to study

and try a lot of different things.


They can decide which type of media

they want to work with.

For example:

  • film
  • film animation
  • computer animation
  • photography
  • internet
  • music
  • literature.

They learn how to make art

with these types of media.

For example, how to:

  • create and direct films
  • write books and theatre plays
  • compose and make music
  • take and develop photos
  • make animation or programmes on the computer
  • and lots more…


What is it like to study at the Academy of Media Arts?

Students learn

how to work for themselves.

This means that the art projects

are really important.


Teachers help the students

with their art projects.

They help the students

answer questions about art, science, and research.


Students can work

in many different places at the college.

For example, there are:

  • ateliers – pronounced like: “a-tell-yays”
  • studios
  • and laboratories.


The word “atelier”

comes from the French language.

It means: a workshop.

An atelier is a big room

with a lot of space to work.


The word “studio”

comes from the Latin language.

It means: work, or effort.

A studio is also like

a workshop for artists.

In studios students work

with lots of tools.

For example,

you can do film or sound recordings.


The word “laboratory”

comes from the Italian language.

It means: to work.

Students can work with special equipment

in laboratories.


You can visit the Academy of Media Arts

before the study begins.

There is a tour every year in July.

That means:

you can visit the places where students work

and see their art projects

and ask questions.


There is also an Information Day

every year in December.

You can learn all about

what it is like to study

at the Academy of Media Arts.


How can I study at the Academy of Media Arts?

The programme at the Academy of Media Arts

always begins in the winter semester.

That means: classes begin in October.


You have to apply

to study at the Academy.

You can apply between

the end of October and

February of the next year.


People who apply have to show

that they already have ideas

about what kind of art they want to do.


They have to give samples of their art.

That can be, for example:

  • films
  • photos
  • sketches
  • texts
  • pieces of music
  • computer animation
  • film animation
  • or other types of art.


People who apply

have to write an essay.

They get a specific topic.

And then they have to make an art project

and explain their thoughts about it.


People who apply also have to say

what they want to learn at the Academy.

These are their personal goals.


If you create a good project

and write about your work well,

then you will be accepted

into the Academy of Media Arts.

How many students are at the Academy?

There are 400 students

at the Academy.

Some students come from

outside of Germany.


Each year many people apply

to the Academy.

Usually between 60 and 80 people

are accepted into the programme.


How long does it take to study “media arts”?

The programme is divided into semesters.

A semester is half of a year.

The time it takes to complete the programme

can be different.


Sometimes it takes 9 semesters.

That is how long you have to study

when you start from the very beginning.

That means:

it will take 4 and a half years

to finish the programme.


If you already know

about a type of art

but you want to learn more about it,

then you do not have to study so long.

For example,

if you already studied somewhere else

or already worked as an artist,

then you only have to study 4 semesters.

That means:

it will only take 2 years

to finish the programme.


When you finish studying

and pass all of the exams,

you get a diploma.


You can also study more

after you finish your programme.

This is called: a doctorate.

Then you have to write a lot

about an art topic.

When you finish that,

you get a doctoral degree.

That means:

you are an expert about

a specific art or media topic.


What happens after I study at the Academy?

You can work is a lot of fields

with a diploma from the Academy.

For example, as

  • an artist,
  • a cameraman or camerawoman
  • a director,
  • a screenwriter,
  • a designer,
  • a producer,
  • a writer.

Or you could start

your own company.

You could also become a teacher.


Who works at the Academy?

There are many people

who work at the Academy.

Some people work full time,

and some people work part time.


For example,

there are about 40 professors.

There are also about 30 people

who do scientific research about art.

And there are about 80 people

who do other important work

at the Academy.


What else is important?

The Academy of Media Arts

started in 1989.

The first programme

started on 15 October 1990.

There were only 25 students

in the beginning.

Last semester there were

about 400 students at the Academy.

Around 150 of the students came

from outside of Germany.


Translation:  www.capito-nrw.eu

Student office

Karin Cordes

Juliane Schwibbert

Katrin Seiniger

Claudia Warnecke

Peter-Welter-Platz 2

50676 Köln


Tel.: +49 221 20189 - 119 / 187 / 249
Fax: +49 221 20189 - 49119
E-Mail: studoffice@khm.de


Opening hours: Mondays + Tuesdays from 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. and Thursdays from 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. and from 2 p.m. - 4 p.m.

For enquiries or appointments, please call us, Mon - Thu 9.30 to 1 p.m., or send us an e-mail.

Winter semester 2023/24

Lecture period:
​​​​​​​Oct. 16, 2023 until Feb. 09, 2024


Summer semester 2024

Lecture period:
​​​​​​​Apr. 8, 2024 until Jul. 19, 2024


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