Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in German Studies

The Carolina-Duke Graduate Program in German Studies combines the resources of two great universities in a curriculum that joins disciplinary rigor with interdisciplinary flexibility to create an internationally acclaimed center of excellence for graduate training, research, teaching, and scholarly exchange. The combined expertise of the core faculty, one of the largest in German Studies in North America, ensures that every chapter in German literary, cinematic and cultural history, from medieval manuscripts to contemporary cinema, is covered by experts in the field. The program thus offers an appealing synthesis of individual attention with a wide range of inquiry from which students develop their own research interests. The Carolina-Duke Graduate Program in German Studies is a fully merged graduate program, granting the PhD in German Studies, with a joint admissions process and a single diploma bearing the names of both Duke University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Its organizing principle is a careful combination of disciplinary rigor and interdisciplinary flexibility that recognizes the fundamental interrelation of all the cultural expressions of societies where the German language is spoken. Taking full advantage of the intellectual, educational, and cultural resources of two of the finest universities in the nation, the program features an advantageous combination of individual attention in small classes and a close connection to the broader communities of literature, cultural studies, and German Studies at Duke University and at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The core German Studies faculty represent all branches of research in the field, including medieval studies, gender and sexuality studies, literary theory and poetics, European intellectual history, modernism, German-Jewish studies, politics and culture in the twentieth century, media studies, and contemporary society. Faculty engage in innovative, interdisciplinary teaching and research projects involving other departments and programs and support close intellectual ties with major German universities. Admission is highly competitive and limited to about seven students a year. Duke University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill are committed to offering five years of full funding, including tuition, to admitted students. Students take courses full time in their first year of study; in subsequent years they acquire teaching experience at both a private (Duke) and a public (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill) university. Multiple program options are available to students, from the study of historical periods and genres (medieval to contemporary) to literary criticism and theory. Interdisciplinary work is strongly encouraged. Highlights Students receive tuition and a stipend for 5 years of graduate study Students gain teaching experience at a private and a public university Opportunity to leverage research relationships with multiple institutions in Germany Joint degree from Duke University and the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill