German, PhD
for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in German
acting head of department: Laurie Johnson
director of graduate studies: Anke Pinkert
department website: http://www.germanic.illinois.edu
college website: https://las.illinois.edu/
overview of graduate college admissions & requirements: Graduate Admissions
overview of college admissions & requirements:
department office: 2090 Foreign Languages Building, 707 South Mathews Avenue, Urbana, IL 61801
phone: (217) 333-2020
email: germanic@illinois.edu
Graduate Degree Programs in Germanic Languages & Literatures
German, MA
concentration:
Medieval Studies
German, PhD
concentration:
Medieval Studies|Second Language Acquisition & Teacher Education
The Department of Germanic Languages and Literatures offers graduate programs leading to the degrees of Master of Arts in German, and Doctor of Philosophy in German. Students in the department may choose an additional specialization in Cultural Studies and Interpretive Research or a concentration in Medieval Studies. Candidates for the Ph.D. in German may additionally obtain a certificate in Second Language Acquisition and Teacher Education (SLATE Certificate).
Admission
Applicants should apply online (www.grad.illinois.edu/admissions/apply/) and submit a statement of purpose, three letters of recommendation and a sample of their written work in English or German or both. For admission to the Master of Arts program, the writing sample might be a term paper, and for admission to the doctoral level, a master's thesis or seminar paper. Original transcripts (with English translations if applicable) showing all undergraduate and graduate work completed should be sent to:
SLCL Graduate Student Services
3070 Foreign Languages Bldg.
707 S. Mathews Ave.
Urbana, IL 61801
Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores are required. The applicant should ask the ETS to submit scores to institution 1836. Applicants whose native language is not English are required to take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) and must score at least 79 on the internet-based test (iBT); they must also pass the speaking sub-section of the iBT with a minimum score of 24 (see www.grad.illinois.edu/Admissions/instructions/04c).
Graduate Teaching Experience
Although teaching is not a general Graduate College requirement, experience in teaching is considered an important part of the graduate experience in this program, and all students teach. Non-native English speakers must first pass a test of their oral English ability (see www.grad.illinois.edu/admissions/taengprof.htm).
Research Interests
The department faculty includes nationally and internationally recognized scholars in all areas of research within the field, from older and modern German language, literature, and culture to Scandinavian languages, literatures and cultures. Some of the current research areas of faculty encompass (but are not limited to) Arctic Studies, Literature and Music, Literature and Medicine, Migration and Multilingualism, Film and Visual Studies, Digital Humanities, Memory Studies, and Intersectional Studies of Race, Gender, and Sexuality. We offer courses on topics in German and Scandinavian languages, literatures, and cultures across all periods, including historical and synchronic Germanic linguistics, and German language pedagogy. The University Library has one of the nation's outstanding collections of works pertaining to study and research in Germanic literatures of all periods and in Germanic and general linguistics.
Financial Aid
All students accepted into the program have financial support, usually in the form of a Teaching Assistantship (see www.grad.illinois.edu/admissions/taengprof.htm).
The department has contacts with a variety of universities and institutions in German-speaking countries; these cooperative endeavors also include arrangements for graduate students to study and teach abroad.
For continuing graduate students, the awarding of financial aid of all types is contingent upon making satisfactory progress toward a degree.
for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in German
Applicants must meet the admission standards outlined for the Master of Arts and, in addition, hold a Master of Arts in German (or equivalent) with a graduate grade point average of 3.5 (A = 4.0). Admission to the program is on a competitive basis.
Candidates for the Ph.D. in German may specialize in older German literature, modern German literature, Germanic linguistics, or Scandinavian literature.
Students working toward the Ph.D. degree must have completed all requirements for the Master of Arts degree given above and must complete an additional 40 graduate hours of coursework approved by the graduate adviser. At least 32 graduate hours must be for courses in Germanic Languages and Literatures. No more than 8 hours of credit in 400 level courses beyond those presented for the M.A. will be counted toward these ten units. The 40 hours may include up to 4 hours of GER 593, but may not include any credit for GER 496 for work taken as independent study. Residence requirements are those of the Graduate College.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| One course in German or Scandinavian literature before 1500 | 4 | |
| One course in German literature since 1500 | 4 | |
| One course in German, Germanic, or Scandinavian linguistics | 4 | |
| GER 582 | German Language Teaching | 4 |
| GER 515 & GER 520 | Middle High German and History of the German Language (unless completed during masters) | 8 |
| Course work electives at the 500 level (to total 40) | ||
| GER 593 | Research in Special Topics (4 max hours applied toward degree) | 0-4 |
| Language Requirement: a reading knowledge of two research languages other than English and German | ||
| GER 599 | Thesis Research (min/max applied toward degree) | 12-32 |
| Total Hours | 68-72 | |
Other Requirements1
| Other requirements may overlap | |
| Credit in GER 496 will not count toward degree requirements | |
| Teaching of elementary or intermediate German (at least one half-time appointment as teaching assistant for one academic year). | |
| Minimum Hours Required in the Unit: | 32 (not including GER 599) |
| Minimum 500-level Hours Required Overall: | 72 |
| Masters Degree Required for Admission to PhD? | Yes |
| Preliminary Exam Required | Yes |
| Final Exam/Dissertation Defense Required | Yes |
| Final Exam/Dissertation Defense Required | Yes |
| Dissertation Deposit Required | Yes |
| Minimum GPA: | 3.0 |
| 1 | For additional details and requirements refer to the department's Website and the Graduate College Handbook. |