The German Department at Georgetown University offers studies in German literature, linguistics and culture which lead to the M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in German. A particular emphasis of the department is a carefully mentored teaching assistant program in content-focused pedagogy which includes preparation in curriculum design, assessment, and professional development. The core of this training is part of the M.A. program; the Ph.D. program expands on that foundation. Research in the department focuses on Literary and Cultural Studies from the 18th to the 20th centuries and Applied Linguistics with an emphasis on Second Language Acquisition. The study of contemporary German issues benefits from close collaboration with the Center for German and European Studies (CGES), and the work on second/foreign language acquisition of advanced learners is enriched by interdepartmental collaboration in the Foreign Language Initiatives on Research in Teaching (FLIRT) group. The program encourages an interdisciplinary approach and close cooperation with the graduate programs in the Linguistics Department, the other graduate humanities departments, and the Center for German and European Studies. In conjunction with the Center, the German Department also offers a program leading to the joint degrees of Master of Arts in German and European Studies/Ph.D. in German (MAGES/Ph.D. in German). Special resources include extensive library holdings (the 23,000 volume Bibliothek der Deutschen Literatur) and special collections of women's literature (Bibliothek Corvey) on microfiche.

German is the language of instruction. Therefore entering students must demonstrate, by written and/or oral examination, the requisite level of German. Research papers associated with courses can be written in either German or English. Language use in the comprehensive examinations is the following: the Master's examination is conducted in German; the Ph. D. examination can be taken in either German or English.

The following pages describe the procedures and policies for graduate study. For more comprehensive information on departmental life, faculty and graduate student profiles, recent research, current course offerings and syllabi, and information about the Washington DC area, please visit our departmental web page at http://www.georgetown.edu/departments/german/

Program of Study

The Department of German at Georgetown University offers studies leading to the M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in German. Regardless of programmatic emphasis or graduate degree pursued, students select their graduate courses from the following three course modules:

a) Theory, for example:

   GERM 502: Introduction to Literary Theory

   GERM 510: Theorizing Culture

   GERM 518: Introduction to Linguistic Theory

b) Methodology , for example:

   *GERM 545: Fundamentals of German Language Instruction

   GERM 590: L2 Curriculum Construction: Contexts, Principles, Goals and Approaches

   GERM 731: Theoretical, Research, and Instructional Issues in Advanced Instructed
   SLA

                            (* required for all students)

c) Seminars, for example:

GERM 465: German Classicism

GERM 467: German Romanticism

GERM 705: Heimat I

GERM 713: German Realist Novel

Course offerings vary from year to year, balanced between the three modules.

Regardless of the degree pursued, students take a minimum of two courses from each of the three modules.

GERM 545: Fundamentals of German Language Instruction is required for all students.

--The Master of Arts in German Program

The M.A. program consists of 36 credits or 12 courses beyond the Bachelor's degree.

In general, students select their courses from among those offered in the German Department. However, upon the recommendation of the advisor and with approval of the Department, students can take up to two courses from other graduate programs if the course of study requires such course work.

Examinations and Degree Requirements

Among the degree requirements are successful completion of

- Course work according to the above guidelines

- A second foreign language examination

- An oral examination OR oral presentation (for students continuing with the Ph.D. program)

- A Master's research paper.

a. The Second Foreign Language Examination

Prior to taking the oral examination at the Master's level students must pass a reading comprehension examination in a second foreign language.

b. The Oral Examination

This one-hour oral examination, conducted in German, is focused on a reading list developed by the student in consultation with her/his advisor. This list will be submitted to the examination committee ahead of time, so that further suggestions by committee members can be taken into account, i.e., at least two months prior to the proposed exam date. The examination committee consists of the advisor and one additional faculty member. Assuming satisfactory progress, students will normally take their M.A. oral examination during the fourth semester of full-time study.

c. The Master's Research Paper

Both students who plan to complete their graduate studies with the Master's degree and students who plan to continue into the Ph.D. program will submit a Master's research paper. Since the topic for this paper generally arises from work done in a graduate course, the mentor is normally the faculty member teaching that course.

--The Accelerated Master's Program: The 5-Year B.A./M.A. in German

1. Georgetown University undergraduate majors in German are encouraged to inquire, prior to their senior year, about the Accelerated Master's program.

2. Application to the program is made through the Graduate School.  Applications must be made in spring of Junior Year or at the latest in the fall of Senior Year. (By extension, for an undergraduate who has enough advanced standing to graduate in three years, the student must apply by spring of the second undergraduate year, or no later than the fall of the third undergraduate year.)

3. Students enrolled in the Accelerated B.A./M.A. program in German fulfill the same requirements as students pursuing both the B.A. and the M.A. in German. For specific requirements, cf. the section The Master of Arts in German.

4. All applicants to the Accelerated Degree Program in German are eligible to apply for the same forms of financial support, such as tuition waivers, health insurance, Research or Teaching Assistantships, as all other applicants to the graduate program in German, after the undergraduate degree has been awarded.

5. Degrees are conferred sequentially, with the B.A. in German conferred at the end of the senior year (normally the fourth year). All details of Commencement, Tropaia, diploma, etc., are handled in the ordinary way as for all College undergraduates graduating that year. The M.A. will be conferred separately, at the end of the fifth year or whenever the degree requirements for the M.A. have been completed.

6. Bachelor's degrees in Georgetown College are based upon 120 credits and 38 courses. The M.A. in German is based on 36 credits (12 courses) beyond the B.A. A maximum of two courses (6 credits), numbered 350 and above, may be double-counted. Normally, students enroll in these courses in the fourth year of the undergraduate program, after admission to the accelerated degree program. These two double-counted courses will not be marked on the undergraduate record as having any special status in the undergraduate degree. They will be included in the student's undergraduate earned hours and GPA. A maximum of two additional courses (numbered at 350 or above) taken within the junior/senior years, and taken above and beyond the 120 credits and 38 courses for the Bachelor's degree, can be counted for the Master's degree. These additional courses would not be applied to the Bachelor's degree, and removed from earned hours and GPA calculations of the Bachelor's degree. Thus the maximum number of courses and credits that can be applied to the M.A. prior to formal matriculation into the graduate program is 4 courses (12 credits).

7. Once the Graduate record is established, all applicable course work from the undergraduate record is cross-referenced on the Master's transcript.

8.  Students enrolled in the Accelerated B.A./M.A. program in German who were double majors may be exempted from taking a second foreign language exam.

9. Residency, tuition, and financial aid:

  a. Students are charged undergraduate tuition, eligible for undergraduate financial aid, and establish senior residency by full-time enrollment in the fourth year in line with expectations of all undergraduate College students.

  b. In the fifth year, students matriculate into the Master's program, are charged Graduate School tuition, are eligible for Graduate Student forms of financial aid, and must meet any residency expectations with regard to terms of full-time status mandated by the Master's program and the Graduate School.

  c. For students with advanced standing, who are in a position to earn a Bachelor's degree in three years, residency, tuition, financial aid and eligibility for on-campus housing must be negotiated between the College and the Graduate School.

--The Master of Arts in German and European Studies (MAGES), with German Emphasis

Students enrolled in the MAGES program with an emphasis on German fulfill the same requirements as students pursuing the MS in German. Their normal course of study usually includes the following courses:

  a. Required MAGES Humanities Core Courses (2)

  b. Courses in the German Department (6)  "Fundamentals of German Language Instruction" is required.

For all other degree requirements, please see the Program Administrator of the MAGES program.

In general, students select their courses from among those offered in the German Department. However, upon the recommendation of the advisor and with approval of the Department, students can take up to three courses from other graduate programs if the course of study requires such course work.

Continuation in the Ph.D. Program

Students who enter the graduate program with a Bachelor's degree essentially follow the program of study for the Master's program. However, the following important modifications apply:

Continuation in the Ph.D. program is determined by the examination committee following the student's oral examination at the Master's level.

Criteria for continuation include:

   - a minimum average of A- in course work;

   - support of the majority of faculty in the area of emphasis.

Students who are not invited into the Ph.D. program will complete their graduate studies with the Master's degree, which includes an oral examination and submission of a Master's research paper (see above).

Students who continue into the Ph.D. program obtain the M.A. degree by writing a Master's research paper in the summer following completion of the M.A. coursework (see description of Master's research paper above).  In lieu of an oral examination, students will give a presentation on their completed research paper early in the subsequent fall semester.  The presentation is open to all faculty and graduate students and includes a question and answer period.

Among the degree requirements for the Ph.D. are successful completion of:

   - course work according to the above guidelines;

   - a second foreign language examination;

   - the Ph.D. Comprehensive Examination;

   - the completion of a Ph.D. dissertation.

Second Foreign Language Examination

All Ph.D. candidates must pass their second foreign language reading examination prior to a) their M.A. Oral Examination (Qualifying Examination) or, if the student entered with a masters degree, b) prior to the Ph.D. Comprehensive Examination.

Dissertation Mentors and Readers

In order to assure timely completion of the dissertation, students should work closely with their mentors. Mentor and student should devise a workable timetable and plan of operation and should agree upon the level of involvement of the readers.

Dissertation Defense

A Thesis Reviewers Report is to be completed and turned in to the Graduate School at least one week prior to the date of the oral defense.  The form (available online at  http://cfdev.georgetown.edu/grad/gsas_www/pages/forms_landing_page.cfm or from the Graduate School office in ICC-302) must be signed by the Thesis Advisor and any other degree committee members who have served as reviewers of the thesis draft.  A defense may be held only if the reviewers are unanimous in their decision that the thesis is ready for defense with no more than minor revisions.  If any member of the degree committee determines that the thesis is not ready for defense, a defense may not take place. 

When the dissertation has been successfully defended, the mentor, in consultation with the student, determines which, if any, recommened emendations should be incorporated into the final version of the dissertation.

Submission of the Final Version

Due to reporting requirements and copyright stipulations, a student must submit the final version of the dissertation to the Graduate School no later than the semester following the defense of the dissertation.

 ==========================================================

The Joint Degrees of M.A. (in German and European Studies)/Ph.D. in German

These joint degrees are available to those students in the Center for German and European Studies, who, within the MAGES program, choose German as their area of emphasis.

Students who wish to pursue the program leading to the joint degrees of M.A. (in German and European Studies)/Ph.D. in German must initiate their acceptance into the Ph.D. program of the German Department in writing to the Department Chair. This should be done after completion of 24 credits of graduate work, normally during September of the second year of study in the joint program.

Admission to the program leading to the joint degrees of MAGES/Ph.D. in German is based on a performance appraisal conducted by the German Department's Graduate Committee. Criteria are the same as for M.A. students continuing into the Ph.D. program and include class performance, grades, and recommendations by professors.

The course requirements and the distribution of classes are the same for MAGES/Ph.D. and other Ph.D. students.

The Accelerated Master's Program: The 5-Year B.A./M.A. in German

  1. Georgetown University undergraduate majors in German are encouraged to inquire, prior to their senior year, about the Accelerated Master's program.

  2. Application to the program is made through the Graduate School. Applications must be made in spring of Junior Year or at the latest in the fall of Senior Year. (By extension, for an undergraduate who has enough advanced standing to graduate in three years, the student must apply by spring of the second undergraduate year, or no later than the fall of the third undergraduate year.)

  3. Students enrolled in the Accelerated B.A./M.A. program in German fulfill the same requirements as students pursuing both the B. A. and the M. A. in German. For specific requirements, cf. the section The Master of Arts in German.

  4. All applicants to the Accelerated Degree Program in German are eligible to apply for the same forms of financial support, such as tuition waivers, health insurance, Research or Teaching Assistantships, as all other applicants to the graduate program in German, after the undergraduate degree has been awarded.

  5. Degrees are conferred sequentially, with the B.A. in German conferred at the end of the senior year (normally the fourth year). All details of Commencement, Tropaia, diploma, etc., are handled in the ordinary way as for all College undergraduates graduating that year. The M.A. will be conferred separately, at the end of the fifth year or whenever the degree requirements for the M.A. have been completed.

  6. Bachelor’s degrees in Georgetown College are based upon 120 credits and 38 courses. The M.A. in German is based on 36 credits (12 courses) beyond the B.A. A maximum of two courses (six credits), numbered 350 and above, may be double-counted. Normally, students enroll in these courses in the fourth year of undergraduate program, after admission to the accelerated degree program. These two double-counted courses will not be marked on the undergraduate record as having any special status in the undergraduate degree. They will be included in the student’s undergraduate earned hours and GPA.

 A maximum of two additional courses (numbered at 350 or above) taken within the junior/senior years, and taken above and beyond the 120 credits and 38 courses for the Bachelor’s degree, can be counted for the Master’s degree. These additional courses would not be applied to the Bachelor’s degree, and removed from earned hours and GPA calculations of the Bachelor’s degree.  Thus the maximum number of courses and credits that can be applied to the M.A. prior to formal matriculation into the graduate program is 4 courses (12 credits).

  7. Once the Graduate record is established, all applicable course work from the undergraduate record is cross-referenced on the Master’s transcript.

  8. Residency, tuition, and financial aid:

  a. Students are charged undergraduate tuition, eligible for undergraduate financial aid, and establish senior residency by full-time enrollment in the fourth year in line with expectations of all undergraduate College students.

  b. In the fifth year, students matriculate into the Master’s program, are charged Graduate School tuition, are eligible for Graduate Student forms of financial aid, and must meet any residency expectations with regard to terms of full-time status mandated by the Master’s program and the Graduate School.

  c. For students with advanced standing, who are in a position to earn the Bachelor’s degree in three years, residency, tuition, financial aid and eligibility for on-campus housing must be negotiated between the College and the Graduate School.

The Ph.D. program consists of a minimum of 54 credits (18 courses) beyond the Bachelor's degree. For candidates who enter with a Master's degree in German from another university, the program consists of a minimum of 27 credits (9 courses). In any case, the distribution of courses at the end of course work must meet the requirements of the Georgetown Ph.D. program. Students choose their course work in close consultation with their faculty advisor.