Why study German at BGSU in Ohio?
- Highly-skilled educators. Our award-winning world language and cultures faculty leverages their wealth of scholarship, research and real-world experience to ensure each student excels.
- Study abroad. Immersion is one of the best teachers. That’s why BGSU prioritizes study abroad experiences for our students.
- On-campus resources. Our on-campus learning resources include expansive university libraries and student language clubs.
- Ample scholarship opportunities. BGSU students have so many scholarship prospects – for specific degree programs, international travel or study abroad opportunities. The Joseph L. Gray, III German Scholarship awards up to $500 to an incoming freshman from Ohio who has declared a major in German.
- Hands-on experiences. Experiential learning is a core focus of the world languages and cultures degree program. BGSU offers service learning classes, a German Club, the Global Village learning community, field trips, research opportunities and more!
- BGSU Peace Corps Prep Program. The BGSU Peace Corps Prep Program is a 15-credit, 3-course study concentration that offers students a chance to be a part of life-changing (and resume-boosting) international outreach and aid operations.
- Next-level learning. BGSU offers advanced study in world languages and cultures with our master’s degree in German.
- Career connections. Our impressive alumni network includes professionals at prominent universities, major corporations and elite government agencies such as the FBI.
- Get hired! Graduates of the BGSU B.A. in world languages and cultures degree program bring essential skills to the global job market. Employers across industries recognize them as stand-out workers with exceptional abilities to communicate across cultures, think critically and ethically adapt to diverse environments with social awareness.
- Writer-in-residence program. Each year the Max Kade Foundation helps bring a German-speaking writer, scholar or artist to teach at BGSU. In addition to public readings, the writer ordinarily teaches a course on contemporary literature for advanced undergraduate and graduate students.
Second language acquisition can boost salary and job prospects by as much as 35%.
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Career - what can you do with a German degree?
German language skills help make you more marketable. These skills apply directly to teaching, translating and related areas such as publishing, media, travel and tourism.
Minoring in German and combining knowledge of the German language and culture with a major in another subject like business or international law provides even more career possibilities. Career choices for bilingual graduates include government service, business and banking, communications, science and technology, music and fine arts jobs. Education-related jobs are also available across the world.
Graduates work as career counselors, language media specialists, translators, interpreters, Congressional aids, foreign service officers, political advocates and NGO programs officers.
Graduates may take positions with international businesses or law firms, while others work in European tech and automotive industries. Some graduates further their education by pursuing advanced degrees.
Career paths
- International executive search consultant
- State Department diplomat
- Certified travel agent
- Technical translator
- Automotive industry executive
- International banking investor
- Intelligence analyst in European Affairs
- Museum curator
- Educator
Quick Facts from the Bureau of Labor Statistics
Language skills can be a significant competitive advantage as employers seek professionals who can communicate seamlessly with customers in new and expanding overseas markets.
More than half the world is bilingual
Aside from the many benefits of a second language – social, neurological and cultural – the career options available for German-speaking graduates are extensive.
Business, international law, cultural or diplomatic positions, and teaching are just some of the options available. Why German, though? The economies of German-speaking countries (the Federal Republic of Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Luxembourg and Liechtenstein) are central to the European Union and the rest of the world. Over 100 million people in the world speak German.
Germany is a top investor in the U.S. With German-owned or multinational companies operating in Germany and the U.S., bilingual students can flourish with German language skills.
Germanic contributions in music, philosophy, natural sciences, literature and the visual arts have enriched world culture.
The BGSU German program is a vibrant, in-depth program with deep connections to institutions across the German-speaking world and German culture.
Curriculum
The flexible German program meets the needs of majors and minors and those who simply want to learn the language. The curriculum promotes active use of German as students move from elementary to advanced levels in three main areas: language, culture and literature.
German language skills and cultural competence are improved by studying political, economic and social systems, comparative patterns of daily life, German/Austrian popular culture and film, environmental issues, race matters, the revolution in East Germany, and the unification process.
A reading and translation sequence of courses enables students to apply German in specialties such as international studies, business and the sciences. A drama workshop, linguistics and business German (offered in Salzburg, Austria) improves professional language skills.
Culture courses explore society in German-speaking countries and their past and present contributions to art, philosophy, music, film, science and German-American culture. Literature courses teach reading skills and cover critical creative works.
Students with high school German can place out of some courses and achieve a major or minor more quickly. Students who wish to teach German can earn a Bachelor of Science in Education degree with a major in German.
Sample courses
- German Culture and Civilization
- Contemporary German
- German Language and Culture
- German Literature
- German Drama Workshop
- Vienna @ 1900: Culture and Society
- Women and the Third Reich
- Fascism in Europe: Then and Now
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Study abroad
Immersing yourself in the culture of German-speaking countries is the best way to practice your language skills and explore opportunities for work or further study abroad.
BGSU offers several study abroad options for German majors or minors, Fulbright fellowships, DAAD Fellowships, Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange Program, and CDS internships.
The department also sponsors the University’s respected Academic Year Abroad (AYA) program in Salzburg, Austria. The program is open to all students with four semesters of college German and carries a full year’s academic credit.
A BGSU faculty member supervises the year abroad, courses are taught in German, and students live with Austrians in dormitories. Qualified music students may attend the Mozarteum, Salzburg’s well-known conservatory. Summer programs in Salzburg are also available.
Another exchange program with a number of German universities enables two or three students a year to study with full scholarships.
The Mozarteum - Salzburg
Limited space is available at the Mozarteum University of Music for qualified BGSU music students. Any participant in the Salzburg program can usually arrange to take lessons at this Salzburg institution and will also find ample opportunity to participate in singing groups or ensembles. Mozarteum courses – usually one or two per semester – may be taken in addition to a regular undergraduate program of studies.
The world languages and culture program with a specialization in German is part of the Department of World Languages and Cultures in the BGSU College of Arts and Sciences.
Updated: 12/04/2025 12:04PM