Degree Description
Undergraduate Degrees in German, B.A., B.S. Education
Upon completion of the baccalaureate degree (B.A.) in German, students are expected to:
Attain language proficiency levels congruent with national professional standards published by the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages;
Demonstrate understanding of the aesthetic qualities and socio-historical contexts of a set of representative texts from German culture;
Be able to employ different interpretive approaches;
Know the cultural history and social realities of at least one target culture society, most likely Austrian or German.
The exact course requirements and course descriptions are here.
A German major requires 27 credit hours at 300 and 400 level.
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The Foreign Language Education major in the College of Education is a competitive four-year program that offers licensure in German. Students who enroll in the major are eligible for a multi-age (3-21) teaching license, providing they have a 2.8 cumulative grade point average, a 2.8 grade point average in the specialization, and have passed Praxis II content examinations.
Graduate Programs in German, German and History, German and Political Science, German and French or Spanish, and German and Music
from the 2008–2009 BGSU Graduate Catalog, p. 101
link to Graduate Office addmision requirements
The department offers programs leading to the Master of Arts in German and the Master of Arts in Teaching German. It is also possible to pursue a dual Master of Arts in German and Political Science, History, French, Spanish, or Music History, as well as other disciplines (see p. 47 of the catalog).
The graduate programs in German meet a variety of student needs and career orientations, such as in teaching, public service, and the private sector. Students interested in secondary-level teaching can work on obtaining teacher certification while earning a master's degree. Students can pursue a Ph.D. preparatory program with a strong concentration in literature and culture. The curriculum includes language study, with courses in composition, stylistics, and phonetics, as well as technical translating and business German. The department also has a writer-in-residence program funded by the Max Kade Foundation.
M.A. students ordinarily fulfill part of their degree requirements in Salzburg, Austria, through the department's Academic Year Abroad (AYA) program. Students usually spend their first year of study in Austria and complete their degree on the university campus the following year.
Prerequisites to Graduate Work
Admission to graduate study in German requires an undergraduate major or minor in German (not less than 20 semester hours beyond the intermediate level). Applicants with less background may be accepted, provided they are willing to make up the deficiencies specified by the graduate coordinator.
As a basic entrance standard, the Department of German, Russian, and East Asian Languages looks for a minimum undergraduate GPA of 3.0 (on a scale of 4.0) and a GPA of 3.2 or better in German. Applicants' ability in the German language is an important factor in admission decisions.
Admission Procedure
Applicants seeking admission to the graduate programs in German should follow the instructions outlined in the "Graduate Admission" section (p. 13–) of the catalog.
Degree Requirements
Master of Arts in Teaching
Degree requirements are listed under the heading of Master of Arts in Teaching in the “Degree Programs” section of this catalog. A copy of the specific M.A.T. requirements in German will be provided upon request.
Master of Arts
A candidate may pursue a Master of Arts degree in German under the following two plans:
Plan I: Candidates must complete a minimum of 32 semester hours of graduate credit that includes the writing of a formal thesis for six hours of credit. Students must pass an oral examination on the thesis and a related area.
Plan II: Candidates must complete a minimum of 32 semester hours of graduate credit. No formal thesis is required. Students must pass a written examination on an area of specialization and an oral follow-up examination on the area of specialization and a related area.
Under either plan candidates must pass proficiency examinations in the German language, usually administered in Salzburg. A minimum of 24 hours in German is required, including GERM 601, a two-course literature survey, a seminar and one from the following courses: linguistics, translation, GERM 615 or 616. Beyond this minimum, students may apply courses in cognate areas toward their degree, subject to the approval of the graduate coordinator.
