There are four German universities which offer degree courses in Book Studies (Buchwissenschaft): Mainz (since 1947/1949), Erlangen (since 1983), Munich (since 1987) and Leipzig (since 1994). Each university offers its own take on the course, and there are significant differences in student numbers and in the resources available at each institution.
The Book Studies course at Erlangen has been restructured in the last ten years and has developed significantly as a consequence. After Mainz the Erlangen institute is the largest of the four. In 2008 the Book Studies department became part of the Department for Media Studies and Art History. The book as a medium and a means of communication is therefore a pivotal notion of the course.
The Bavarian State Ministry of Sciences, Research and the Arts has added Erlangen's Book Studies course to the list of subjects which continue to grow strongly.
The institute currently consists of a chair (Prof Ursula Rautenberg), a W2 professor, a junior professor for Book Studies and an honorary professor for copyright and publishing law. There are furthermore a number of lecturers in the department with their own individual teaching and research fields. The department is regularly visited by outreach coordinators from the publishing industry.
The Erlangen Book Studies department is recognised for the outstanding quality of its numerous academic research projects and publications in the field. From very early on in their academic careers students have the opportunity to get involved in research as student research assistants. A selection of the best Magister theses is available for free online as part of the "Alles Buch" series.
Students can carry out doctoral studies in the Book Studies department. Alongside the graduates of the Erlangen Book Studies department, students with degrees in other subject areas and from other universities apply for this opportunity.
The Erlangen Book Studies department awards the Thalia Doctoral Research Grant for dissertations in the field of "Market structure, business strategies and customer relations in the book and publishing trade"