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Engage as a global citizen through the study of language and culture of the German-speaking world.
Your German mentors will help you catch the spirit of learning the language while experiencing the culture of Germany. First, they’ll find the best resources for you on campus: German Club, the German language residence (Max-Kade Deutsches Haus), and the national German honor society. They’ll then help you set your sights on being a language counselor for Concordia Language Villages’ German Village, Waldsee, or traveling abroad for a week, month, semester, or year.
Programs of Study
German is important, relevant and enjoyable as a foreign language. Germany is the economic powerhouse of the European Union and the second largest exporting nation in the world. It also has a long tradition in music, philosophy, and art and is a leader in innovation in all areas. Pairing your German major or minor with any other academic area will give you a career advantage and will enrich your life, both here and abroad.
Major or Minor in German
Through coursework and a unique set of on-campus, off-campus, and overseas opportunities, students achieve high proficiency levels in the German language and attain a high degree of cultural awareness of the German-speaking world. Taken individually or in conjunction with other majors, studying German will give students a leading edge in a global society in any professional pursuit.
Major in International Business with a Minor in German
Consider pairing a minor in German with a major in international business.
Major in German Education
This major will prepare you to teach German to students in grades K-12.
Major in Elementary Education with an add-on endorsement in World Languages
Optional endorsement for elementary education majors.
20 additional credits in German at the 300-level and above
Students may take one 4-credit German course in English
Additional requirements for German majors seeking teaching licensure:
1. GER 330 – Introduction to German Literature and Film, 4 credits AND GER 332 – German Grammar and Phonetics, 4 credits
2. Complete a second major in Education (see the education section of the catalog)
Students seeking licensure to teach German must also fulfill the requirements for a major in education. See the education section for requirements. For additional information about teaching German, see the chair of world languages and cultures or the chair of education.
Required Courses
Additional Requirements
Students seeking licensure to teach German must also fulfill the requirements for a major in education. See the education section for requirements. For additional information about the teaching licensure in German, see the chair of world languages and cultures or the chair of education.
8 additional upper-division credits in German, 4 of which may be in English
Audrey Gunn '16
One of my favorite parts about being an academic librarian is helping students with research in about every discipline imaginable. My knowledge of German has come in handy, whether it's for a student taking a German class and needing help with research or a student in another discipline coming across something in German and wanting an English version. A great deal of chemistry and engineering research was once published in German so, as a science librarian, it's been helpful when I'm supporting research projects.
Special Opportunities
Becoming immersed in German language and culture is easier than ever at Concordia. Students can become involved in a variety of activities that combine language learning, culture, and getting to know fellow German students. There is a wide variety of opportunities for German students both during their time here at Concordia and after graduation.
On-Campus Opportunities
German Club
Concordia’s German Club has many on- and off-campus events throughout the academic year. You can practice your German at the biweekly Kaffeezeit events, watch German movies, take part in the yearly advent calendar sale, attend monthly German Club meetings, and much more.
German House
You can become even more engaged in the on-campus German-speaking community by living in the German House in the Bogstad Manor apartments. The German House provides a space to regularly practice your German language abilities with your housemates. As part of the house, you will take part in cultural events meant to help you better understand and immerse yourself in German culture.
German Honor Society
Kappa Tau is Concordia’s chapter of Delta Phi Alpha, the German National Honor Society. It annually honors the achievements of outstanding students in promoting German language and culture.
Off-Campus Opportunities
Concordia Language Villages
Language students at Concordia have the opportunity to visit and even work at Concordia Language Villages, located in Bemidji, Minn., for a few weekends each semester.
Federation Scholarship
Spend a year at one of 20 German universities and get paid! Each year, the German program is awarded one scholarship by the federation of German-American Clubs to send one of our students to study in Germany for the academic year.
Fulbright Scholarships
The Fulbright U.S. Student Program provides for individually designed study/research projects and for English Teaching Assistantship programs. The programs in Germany last for 10 months. Applicants for the study/research grants design their own projects – in either academic or art fields – and work with advisors at foreign universities and other institutes. Applicants must have a bachelor’s degree. The English Teaching Assistant programs place grantees in schools overseas to supplement local English language instruction in the classroom. Candidates assist in teaching American studies, including English language, to German students at pre-university levels.
The German department had four of its graduating students receive Fulbright grants in the 2016-17 selection year.
Study Abroad
Concordia students have many opportunities to spend time in German-speaking countries through study abroad. It’s an experience that will last you a lifetime and one that you will never regret. From business in Hannover to sustainability in Freiburg, there are programs for every interest.
Career
Graduates of Concordia’s German department are working in a variety of fields and finding diverse ways to apply their knowledge of the German language and culture.
One graduate is working at a bio research lab in Jena, while another is teaching in Vienna on a Fulbright Scholarship. They are also continuing their German studies at top universities or studying law, medicine, economics, and business. Recent grads have paired German with other fields of study including international business, English, music, communication studies, and political science.
Concordia's Associate Professor of German, Dr. Jonathan Clark, participated in an expert panel about the job market during and after the pandemic.
