The ECLA degree programme is 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 provides excellent support for students interested in careers in politics, organizational work, public policy, law, journalism, or the art world.

It takes four years to complete the programme. Students spend the first two years at ECLA dividing their time between common core courses and foundational studies in their areas of concentration. The third year is arranged for each student individually according to his or her interests, and will normally be spent studying or working somewhere else in the world. Students finish 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 will receive a BA in Value Studies and concentrate 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 are not eligible to pursue a German degree will have the possibility to receive a U.S. degree.