Undergraduate Program
Bachelor of Arts | Combined B.A./M.A. | Teaching Licensure | Honors | Minor | Nonmajors
The Department of German provides education in the language, literature, and culture traditionally designated as German, as expressed in the language and cultural heritage of Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. Its faculty members engage in research and teaching activities focused on German language, literature, and culture from both disciplinary and interdisciplinary perspectives.
Undergraduate German majors pursue one of three tracks: humanities, applied areas of language study, or both (comprehensive). The graduate programs build on the department's strengths and those of other departments to provide strong, individualized graduate training. The department is committed to helping students identify and pursue their own historical and theoretical interests in the study of German language and literature.
The department also offers courses approved for General Education in foreign languages, humanities, and foreign civilization and culture; language training for students in other graduate programs; and courses that meet the interdisciplinary needs of undergraduate and graduate students throughout the University.
University graduates with degrees in German frequently enter the teaching profession. They also find positions in government, foreign service, and commercial enterprise.
Bachelor of Arts
The Bachelor of Arts in German requires a minimum of 120 s.h., including at least 30 s.h. of work for the major. Students who plan to complete the undergraduate teaching major in German in conjunction with the College of Education are encouraged to choose the comprehensive track; see "Teaching Licensure in German" below.
Students must complete the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences General Education Program.
Students who begin a German major with no previous German language experience must complete the following course sequences or their equivalents (the basic program).
| 013:011 Elementary German I | 4 s.h. |
| 013:012 Elementary German II | 4 s.h. |
| 013:021 Intermediate German I | 4 s.h. |
| 013:022 Intermediate German II | 4 s.h. |
This requirement also may be satisfied by various combinations of 013:013 Intensive Elementary German, 013:014 First-Year German Review, and 013:025 Intensive Intermediate German. However, these courses do not count toward the 30 s.h. of upper-level coursework for the major in German.
The required 30 s.h. for the major must include the following upper-level German courses taken at The University of Iowa. Students may count a maximum of two Department of German courses taught in English (prefix 13E) toward the requirements for the major if they enroll in a section that includes a German language component. Please note that 013:101 Introduction to German Literature is prerequisite to all other German literature courses.
All of the following courses:
| 013:101 Introduction to German Literature | 3 s.h. |
| 013:103 Composition and Conversation I | 3 s.h. |
| 013:104 Composition and Conversation II | 3 s.h. |
| 013:116 Advanced Composition and Conversation | 3 s.h. |
One of the following linguistics courses:
| 013:107 Introduction to German Linguistics | 3 s.h. |
| 013:165 History of the German Language | 3 s.h. |
One of the following culture courses:
| 013:105 German Cultural History | 3 s.h. |
| 013:115 Contemporary German Civilization | 3 s.h. |
| Four 100-level electives offered by the Department of German | 12 s.h. |
German majors, both graduate and undergraduate, are urged to supplement their degree programs with relevant courses in areas such as German history, philosophy, and business. Students who have taken upper-level course work at other institutions should consult the Department of German director of undergraduate studies to determine how much work remains for completion of the major.
Combined B.A./M.A.
The department offers the combined Bachelor of Arts/Master of Arts in German. The combined degree, which is designed to be completed in five years, is appropriate for students who enter The University of Iowa from high school with advanced German language preparation. Students in the program receive a B.A. in German when they have met all bachelor's degree requirements, and they receive an M.A. in German when they have completed all master's degree requirements.
The program is attractive to highly motivated students who plan to study abroad and who plan to pursue a Ph.D. in German or second language acquisition. It may serve as preparation for other programs, such as those related to international studies, library science, business with an international focus, or international relations. Students seeking careers in teaching or other fields may pursue the combined degree as a credential.
Applicants to the joint program must:
be University of Iowa undergraduate students;
have completed 80 s.h. or be in the process of completing at least 90 s.h. of undergraduate work;
have completed or be in the process of completing at least 21 s.h. of 100-level courses in the German major;
have a g.p.a of at least 3.50 at the time of application, or have a letter from a Department of German faculty member recommending an exception; and
have completed or be in the process of completing at the time of application a study abroad program in a German-speaking country, or have satisfied this requirement another way.
Applicants must be admitted to the combined program before the beginning of their seventh semester (senior year).
Students in the program must meet the usual requirements for the comprehensive track of the B.A. in German as well as those for the M.A. They ordinarily spend two semesters in their junior year enrolled in the study abroad program at the University of Freiburg, in Germany (see "Study Abroad" below) unless they have met this expectation another way (e.g., a year abroad during high school or a study abroad program with similar content).
During the last two semesters of their senior year, they may take up to 12 s.h. of graduate-level courses, which may be counted toward both degrees, as follows: 6 s.h. may be counted toward the course requirements for the undergraduate German major, and 6 s.h. may be counted as undergraduate electives.
Students must maintain an undergraduate German g.p.a. of at least 3.50; if they fail to meet this standard for more than one semester, they may be required to leave the program.
After completing the B.A. requirements, students complete the remaining M.A. requirements. They must have an undergraduate g.p.a. of at least 3.00 when they achieve graduate standing.
Students pay undergraduate tuition and fees during their first semester in the combined program enrollment (normally their seventh semester); beginning with their second semester in the program (normally their eighth semester), they begin paying graduate tuition and fees. Students may hold a graduate appointment beginning with their second semester in the combined program.
Teaching Licensure in German
German majors interested in licensure to teach in elementary and/or secondary schools must successfully complete the requirements for a major in German and must be admitted to the College of Education's foreign language teacher education program. Several courses in the College of Education also are required, as is one semester of student teaching in the senior year. Contact the Department of Teaching and Learning for more details.
Students who plan to use a German minor to teach at the elementary and/or secondary level must contact the College of Education concerning requirements.
Four-Year Graduation Plan
The following checkpoints list the minimum requirements students must complete by certain semesters in order to stay on the University's Four-Year Graduation Plan.
Before the third semester begins: language competency equal to first-year German and at least one-quarter of the semester hours required for graduation
Before the fifth semester begins: language competency equal to second-year German and at least one-half of the semester hours required for graduation
Before the seventh semester begins: four courses in the major and at least three-quarters of the semester hours required for graduation
Before the eighth semester: two to three additional courses in the major
During the eighth semester: enrollment in all remaining course work in the major, all remaining General Education courses, and a sufficient number of semester hours to graduate
Honors
Honors in German is open to exceptional students who are members of the University Honors Program, which requires students to maintain a cumulative University of Iowa g.p.a. of at least 3.33 (contact the University Honors Program for more information). To participate in honors in German, students must have completed three years of college-level German, or the equivalent, with a g.p.a. of at least 3.50 in upper-division German courses.
Participating students register for the following courses.
| 013:190 Honors Program in German | 3 s.h. |
| 013:191 Honors Research and Thesis | 3 s.h. |
Honors students are expected to engage in readings and discussions in German literature and culture and to write essays in German and English. Students meet with their faculty director of studies on a regular basis.
The program concludes with presentation of an honors thesis to a faculty committee of at least three members.
Minor
The minor in German requires a minimum of 15 s.h. in college-level German courses, including 12 s.h. in 100-level courses taken at The University of Iowa; however, students may count up to 6 s.h. earned in study abroad at a university in a German-speaking country toward the minor. Students must maintain a g.p.a. of at least 2.00 in the minor. Course work in the minor may not be taken pass/nonpass.
All Department of German courses taught in German and numbered 013:100 and above count toward the minor. Students may count one German course taught in English (prefix 13E) toward the minor if they enroll in a section that includes a German language component.
Language for Nonmajors
The department offers a number of opportunities for students who wish to study German. Students who have had experience with the language should take the Foreign Language Placement Test in German online, offered by Evaluation and Examination Service. The test helps determine the level at which a student should begin German language study at The University of Iowa.
Students with no background in German should begin their study with 013:011 Elementary German I.
Students who wish to use German to complete the foreign language component of the General Education Program can choose from a number of course sequences. All of the following satisfy the requirement. Students are encouraged to talk with departmental advisors about the varied sequences.
013:013, 013:021, 013:022
013:011, 013:012, 013:021, 013:022
013:014, 013:021, 013:022
013:011, 013:012, 013:025
013:013, 013:025
013:014, 013:025
