Graduate Degree Programs & Certificates

The Department offers courses of study leading to the Master of Arts in German, and the Doctor of Philosophy in German. The M.A. or equivalent is required for admission at the doctoral level. See Degree Requirements for detailed information.

Areas of concentration on the doctoral level are modern German literature, older German literature, Germanic linguistics, and Scandinavian.

The Department of Germanic Languages and Literatures encourages students to supplement course work in the Department with study in other departments and programs (for example, the Program in Second Language Acquisition/Teacher Education [SLATE], the Program in Comparative Literature, the Program in Medieval Studies, the Department of Linguistics, the Unit for Cinema Studies, the Unit for Criticism and Interpretive Theory, the Women's Studies Program, and the Program in Jewish Culture and Society in the form of an outside minor and, in some instances, for the purpose of obtaining a certificate.

The department participates in the Program in Medieval Studies, offering a Certificate in Medieval Studies to students who wish to pursue a concentration in this area. The graduate degrees, MA or PhD, are offered through a student's home department. Advanced training is offered both in the various disciplines of medieval studies and in the technical skills appropriate to the field.

The Department participates in the Program in Second Language Acquisition and Teacher Education (SLATE), offering students the opportunity to acquire a "Certificate of Advanced Study in Second Language Acquisition and Teacher Education." Students fulfilling the requirements for the certificate may choose to write a dissertation related to German-language pedagogy and second-language acquisition.

It is further possible to combine a PhD in German with an Interdisciplinary Concentration in Cultural Studies & Interpretive Research. This program offers individualized training in cultural studies, social theory, and interpretive research for students completing their doctoral degree within the German department. To receive a minor in Cultural Studies & Interpretive Research, a student needs to take 16 hours (4 courses) approved by the Program. (Please see http://www.comm.uiuc.edu/icr/grads/academics/Cultural_studies_concentration.html for further information).

Candidates for the M.A. degree may emphasize German literature, Germanic linguistics, or the Scandinavian literatures in their course of study beyond the basic requirements.