Degree Requirements

Master of Arts

Students enroll in a core program to fulfill the requirements for the master’s degree. The core program consists of three courses: German 381, 382M or 386, and 398T, as well as seven electives.

The master’s degree program requires 33 semester hours of coursework, of which three hours are earned in the report course, German 398R. Students must pass an oral examination of up to one and one-half hours based on the master’s report and coursework done in the declared area of the specialization. Students must also demonstrate reading competence in one foreign language other than English and the language of the students' major field of study (usually German); students with competence in English and another Germanic language are strongly encouraged to choose German as their other language.

Doctor of Philosophy

The doctoral program usually requires 27 semester hours of coursework beyond the master’s degree. In consultation with the graduate adviser, students develop primary and supporting areas of specialization, with the primary area usually being the area of the proposed dissertation. These areas should represent professionally acknowledged focuses for research and teaching in the field, covering the broad spectrum of literature, cultural, and linguistic specializations represented in the major professional organizations. Students choose coursework from these areas and plan for the qualifying procedure. Students are expected to complete the core program for the Master of Arts degree or its equivalent before admission to the doctoral program. Students must fulfill the following requirements: (1) successfully complete the qualifying procedure administered by the Graduate Studies Committee to enter the doctoral program; (2) demonstrate reading competence in one foreign language other than German or the language of concentration; (3) near the completion of all coursework, pass the candidacy procedure; and (4) defend the dissertation in the final oral examination.