Master of Arts in German

The Graduate Program in German is ideally positioned to respond to the challenges in the profession and to the changing role of the humanities. Many of our program features already reflect the recommendations of the recent MLA report, illustrating the forward-looking character of the Graduate Program in German. Georgetown offers a rigorous academic program that responds to the broadening career goals of graduate students. We are committed to preparing MA students (we offer a terminal Master’s degree) for the highest level of scholarship in research and teaching. Results of a recent graduate alumni survey confirm that the graduate program prepared them well for a range of career paths both in academia and in other professional contexts. For examples, please see our alumni profiles. Drawing on the broad range of expertise of the faculty at Georgetown, the graduate program provides an excellent foundation of German literature and culture from the 18th century to the present and fosters critical and interdisciplinary approaches to more specialized areas of inquiry, including: contemporary literature and culture, issues of gender and sexuality, intersections of religious and literary traditions, curriculum development, and literacy studies. All students, irrespective of their area of concentration, receive extensive preparation for teaching and are involved in various aspects of curriculum development and assessment. We consider these aspects to be part of the intellectual core of graduate education. A recent alumni survey confirms that students benefit greatly from participation in these collaborative projects that bring together faculty and graduate students. Students who plan to pursue research in Second Language Acquisition also benefit from the SLA concentration across several departments at Georgetown. Other program features include: attention to non-native speakers in attaining high levels of ability in German; graduate exchanges with the Universities of Trier and Dresden; and generous assistance for students in presenting work at conferences.