Dec 01, 2024  
Undergraduate Record 2024-2025 
    
Undergraduate Record 2024-2025

Interdisciplinary Major - German Studies


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 .

Program Requirements


In order to declare the German Studies major, completion of or exemption from the following course is required:

  • Credits: 3

  • Students must complete 30 credits (typically 10 courses) beyond the prerequisite course. 5 courses must have German as the language of instruction, three of which must be:

  • Credits: 3
  • Credits: 3
  • Credits: 3 OR
  • Credits: 3
  • NOTE: Students may be exempted from GERM 3000 based on their scores on the German Placement Exam.


    German Studies majors will devise in consultation with their German Department advisor and, where necessary, an advisor from outside the German Department an individualized program that includes two relevant courses in a specific area of concentration (e.g. history, philosophy, politics, or art history).

    • Three additional courses from departmental offerings (GETR or GERM) or from approved courses offered by the Departments of History, Media Studies, Drama, Art History, Philosophy, Politics, Sociology Music, Religious Studies, Anthropology, and the School of Architecture.

  • It is strongly recommended that all students take GETR 3330 (Introduction to German Studies) and at least one course in modern German history.

    NOTE: Up to 12 credits may be transferred from other institutions (prior approval required).

Distinguished Majors Program in German Studies


This program is available to German Studies majors presenting an overall GPA of 3.400 and a letter of recommendation from a member of the German Studies faculty. The DMP consists of a minimum of one relevant 4000-level course in the student’s disciplinary concentration or the German Departmen courses below, in addition to the requirements for the German Studies major:

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.

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:

Additional Information


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