In contemporary society, the way we work, communicate, are mobile, participate in politics, engage in economic transactions, receive and consume cultural products is significantly influenced by digital technologies. The university-level study programme Digital Society (B.A.) addresses digitization from a cultural, social, and media studies point of view. Courses are (for the most part) taught in German.

The programme is addressing the following questions (among others):

• Which social, economic, and political conditions have given rise to digital technologies?
• How is society changing as a result of digitization and how can digital technologies be regulated?
• How are culture, the public sphere, politics, the economy and work influenced by the use of digital technologies?
• How are media shaped by digital infrastructures and platforms?
• How do digital technologies affect the autonomy, freedom, and privacy of Digital Society’s citizens?
• To what extent do digital technologies reinforce and reproduce power relations, social differences, and inequalities within society?
• Which ethical limits have to be set for the use of digital technologies such as artificial intelligence, autonomous robots, and other digital innovations?

As a student in the Digital Society programme, you will learn to address these questions using academic methodologies. You will become aware how digitization affects businesses, work and our cultural self-consciousness. You will gain insights into how technological developments in the field of digitization depend on social conditions and are related to the transformation of our natural environment.

Learning to reflect on digitization

You will explore the ethical and political concerns related to artificial intelligence, robotics, Big Data and social media. You will learn to analyze electronic and digital media and reflect on how digitalization is portrayed in the media. To finish your bachelor’s degree, you will specialize in one of the fields of study of the programme to produce a thesis on your first personal research project.

Diverse career prospects

In addition to the main fields of study in sociology and cultural studies, the programme also includes modules bearing on the engineering and organizational science perspectives on digitization. Compulsory and elective courses in law and economics provide further important qualifications bolstering the attractiveness of your resumé for future employers.

After completing your bachelor's degree, you will be able to find work in the media, the private sector, or in associations and non-governmental organizations.

Alternatively, you may choose to deepen your academic education by aiming for a master's degree. For this purpose, the BTU is currently in the process to establish new master’s programmes for graduates with a B.A. in Digital Societies.

Studying in Cottbus: free of admission, promising, affordable

Enrollment in our programme is simple and free of unnecessary complications. There are no prior admission procedures. If your university entrance qualification is from a foreign county, please consider the German language proficiency requirements and the specifics of the application process for non-German applicants.

The study programme is located at the central campus (Zentralcampus) in Cottbus which is characterized by short distances, modern buildings and an international atmosphere.

Manageable group sizes in seminars and lectures, an excellent staff-student ratio conducive to successful learning and many opportunities for personal exchange with university teaches are to be expected from our programme. The head of the study programme, the academic advisor and the student council for our programme are easily accessible if you need advice.

Low rents in Cottbus and a semester ticket for public transport in Berlin, Brandenburg and to Dresden included in the semester fee are additional advantages of choosing the BTU as your alma mater.