German, B.A.

Universal Curriculum Requirements

To be awarded a degree from the College of Arts and Sciences, students are required to complete universal curriculum requirements in addition to the program requirements provided below. The school universal curriculum requirements can be found on the school Degree Programs page .

Prerequisites

To major in German, a student must have completed GERM 2020 or the equivalent. Students who have a score of 5 and above on the German Placement diagnostic (PLACE) or a 5 on the College Board German Advanced Placement exam may also commence work toward the major. See the German Placement Chart.

Program Requirements

Students must complete ten courses or thirty semester hours in German at the 3000 level or above, including:

• GERM 3000 - Advanced German Credits: 3

• Students should take GERM 3000 Topics in Advanced German during their first semester of commencing the German major. Students are required to complete GERM 3000 Topics in Advanced German by their second semester of commencing the German major. 

  Up to 12 credits may be transferred from other institutions in the USA or abroad (prior approval required).

   

• GERM 4600 - Fourth-Year Seminar Credits: 3
• 8 electives: a minimum of 6 courses in German (GERM) at the 3000-level or above;
• Up to 2 GETR/YITR courses at the 3000-level or above. 

GERM 1010 and 1020

These two courses are for beginners. All students with any previous background in German who have not taken the SAT II Subject Test or the Advanced Placement test must take the German placement diagnostic (PLACE) if planning to take German at any time in their college career.

The sequence of courses is:

• GERM 1010 - Elementary German I Credits: 4
• GERM 1020 - Elementary German II Credits: 4
• GERM 2010 - Intermediate German I Credits: 3
• GERM 2020 - Intermediate German II Credits: 3

• Once a student has placed in the required course sequence, they must complete each successive course with a passing grade. A student may not skip, for example, from GERM 1020 to GERM 2020. Students may not take more than one course in the sequence at a time.

  • Those who place higher than course 2020 in a language and have successfully taken an advanced placement examination in that language are relieved of the foreign language requirement for the degree of Bachelor of Arts.

High School Teaching in German

For students interested in pursuing a high school teaching career, there are two options in conjunction with the School of Education and Human Development: a five-year program, in which the student may earn two degrees, a Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Teaching, and a 15-month program, the post-baccalaureate Master of Teaching. For more information, contact the School of Education and Human Development.

Distinguished Majors Program in German

This program is available to German majors presenting an overall GPA of 3.400 and a letter of recommendation from a department faculty member. The DMP consists of the following courses:

• GERM 4600 - Fourth-Year Seminar Credits: 3
• GERM 4995 - Honors Research and Thesis Credits: 6

• NOTE: Students may elect a full-year program (GERM 4995) or semester program (GERM 4990) their senior year. In either case, an honors thesis of approximately 25 pages (one semester program) or 40 pages (full-year program) is to be submitted by April 25.

Additional Information

For more information, contact the Director of Undergraduate Studies, Department of Germanic Languages and Literatures, P.O. Box 400125, Charlottesville, VA 22904-4125; (434) 924-3530; www.virginia.edu/german.