Germany

Grant Period

10 Months

8 - 10 months for Bachelor's and Master's Degree Levels.

Grants begin in mid-September, usually with an orientation meeting in Germany.

Pre-Departure Orientation

No Pre-Departure Orientation

Candidate Profile

Applicants should be beginning professional journalists or recent graduates in journalism or related fields with no more than 7 years of professional experience. 

Those applicants chosen as Semi-Finalists will need to submit work samples to the German-American Fulbright Commission. For specific requirements regarding these work samples please refer to Special Application Instructions below.

Accepted Degree Levels

Bachelor's

Master's

Foreign Language Proficiency

Recommended - Intermediate

2 years of college-level study, or the equivalent, prior to commencing the grant.

Additional Information: Previous exposure to Germany is welcome. Applicants should have at least intermediate to advanced German language ability to ensure German language proficiency commensurate with the nature of the proposed project and the tasks required to achieve the project goal. Otherwise the Fulbright Commission recommends that candidates attend a language course in Germany prior to the start of grant. Subject to available funds, the Fulbright Commission may sponsor participation in the language course.

Fulbright Proposal Types

Independent Study/Research: Yes

Graduate Degree Enrollment: Yes

Affiliation

Candidates pursue research on a self-directed and Germany-related project of their own choice. Research may be conducted at a German university or at other relevant institutions. While the Fulbright Commission may be able to connect them with suitable networks, applicants should already have developed a clear idea of what they wish to achieve and how to approach their project methodically, and have identified the resources (institutions, personal contacts) that may assist and guide them while they are in Germany.

The Fulbright Commission offers to matriculate the candidates at the closest university to facilitate their access to university resources, transportation passes, residence permits, health insurance, etc. It is up to the candidates to decide whether or not they wish to enroll in university courses as an additional benefit. Their class attendance will depend on the academic program but is not a requirement of the grant.

Grantees usually spend the first few months studying and conducting independent research. This is followed by one or more internships or guest journalist positions at German newspapers, publishers, or television and radio stations. It is the responsibility of the grantee to find and secure the internships. The Fulbright Commission will help with contacts if possible.

Placement Type

Grantees may spend the first few months studying and conducting independent research, followed by one or more internships or guest journalist positions at German newspapers, publishers, or television and radio stations. All Journalism areas, including photo, print, and broadcast journalism, as well as electronic media, will be considered.

Ineligibility

American citizens/passport holders who also have German citizenship cannot be considered.

Applicants already enrolled in a master’s program in Germany, or who have already begun their academic program in Germany, are not eligible for funding.

Special Application Instructions

Upon notification in January, Semi-Finalists must submit five journalistic work samples to the Fulbright Commission in Germany for the review committees.  To begin preparation of these materials, please read carefully the description of required work samples provided below:

The work samples

• must be of journalistic work published recently (within the last 12 months)
• must show the coherence between the applicant's previous work and the project to be pursued while in Germany
• may include a mix of formats as long as the total number of pieces submitted does not exceed five
• Each work sample must include the title of the piece, the date of publication, name of media, and the author.
• A list of the five work samples must be included at the end of the Statement of Grant Purpose.
• If submitting digital work samples, applicants must provide individual weblinks to each indiviual story. They must make sure that the weblinks are accessible and the work samples can be viewed directly.
• Printed work samples must be scanned and merged into one single pdf-document. Applicants should send this pdf-document to the Fulbright Commission via email at: americanprograms@fulbright.de
• Work samples on CDs or DVDs will not be accepted.
• Applicants must not send any additional application documents to the Commission.
• Deadline for submission of the work samples is January 31, 2019.

Questions can be directed to the Fulbright Commission at: americanprograms@fulbright.de

Dependents

Dependent support is available

Fulbright Commission/U.S. Embassy Website

http://www.fulbright.de