Welcome to the German Studies Program!

We provide a rich and challenging environment for students interested in learning German and in studying a wide range of topics in German Studies. We offer unique courses in English and in German, and many of our students participate in our study abroad programs in Germany. Choose an item from the menu on the left to learn more about our courses, degree programs, and internationally recognized faculty.

Why learn German and study topics in German Studies? What is German Studies?

To start answering the first question, bear in mind the fact that more people in the European Union speak German than any other language. There are over 110 million native speakers of German, mostly in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, and knowledge of German and German culture opens doors for students interested in many subjects, from journalism to economics and from business to philosophy.

In German Studies, we focus on all areas of German culture and its crucial role in the formation of the modern world. It’s hard to think of a field unaffected by men and women who wrote and spoke German, from Mozart, Marx, Nietzsche, and Freud to Kafka, Einstein, Jelinek, the artists of DADA, the architects of the Bauhaus, and the filmmakers of New German Cinema. 

German Studies is an interdisciplinary field. Our faculty members conduct research and teach topics that cross disciplinary boundaries into Political Science, History, Film Studies, Philosophy, Jewish Studies, Humanities, Comparative Literature, and the History of Art, and they regularly advise students in a many fields in the humanities and social sciences and beyond. Many of our students pursue two majors, combining German with fields such as International Relations, Computer Science, History, and Mathematics, and we also offer a popular certificate program for students in Engineering.

We invite you to consider a minor or major or double-major in German, and we encourage you to contact our advisors and faculty if you are thinking about pursuing German or German Studies.