The ECLA degree programme was designed to secure a very high level of general education, while preparing for continued study in fields such as philosophy, literature, political theory, and art history. The ECLA degree also provided excellent support for students interested in careers in politics, organizational work, public policy, law, journalism, or the art world.

It took four years to complete the programme. Students spent the first two years at ECLA dividing their time between common core courses and foundational studies in their areas of concentration. The third year was arranged for each student individually according to his or her interests, and was normally be spent studying or working somewhere else in the world. Students finished their degrees back in Berlin with a year structured around a research project supervised by one or two of the ECLA faculty members.

Students completing the programme received a BA in Value Studies with concentrations in two of the following three areas:

ART AND AESTHETICS
ETHICS AND POLITICAL THEORY
LITERATURE AND RHETORIC

ECLA received state recognition as a private German university in February 2011. With it ECLA received the right to grant a BA degree in Value Studies. Students, who were not eligible to pursue a German degree had the possibility to receive a U.S. degree.