German Studies (BA)

Print Degree Planner (opens a new window) |

Offered by the Department of World Languages and Cultures , College of Arts and Sciences .

Admission to the Program

Students must be approved by the department for formal admission to the major. Language coursework may be waived if high school or other preparation warrants it. Placement will be made in consultation with a departmental advisor.

University Requirements

120 credit hours with minimum 2.00 cumulative GPA (Undergraduate Academic Regulation 2 )
Completion of all requirements for a major (Undergraduate Academic Regulation 9 )

AU Core Requirements

Completion of AU Core foundation requirements (Undergraduate Academic Regulation 8.2-8.6 )
Completion of AU Core Habits of Mind requirements (Undergraduate Academic Regulation 8.7 )
Completion of AU Core integrative course requirements (Undergraduate Academic Regulation 8.8-8.11 )

For additional information, see AU Core Curriculum .

Major Requirements

39 credit hours with grades of C or better
- Prerequisite: completion of intermediate language level (GERM-233 )
One of the following field concentrations:
- 12 credit hours in a second foreign language at any level
- 12 credit hours in area studies in the major field at or above 300-level
- Teacher education leading to certification to teach a foreign language at the secondary level
- An approved minor related to the major field: for example, another language (Arabic Language (Minor) , Chinese Language (Minor) , French Language (Minor) , Japanese Language (Minor) , Russian Language (Minor) , Spanish Language (Minor) ), Anthropology (Minor) , Business Administration (Minor) , Communication (Minor) , Economics (Minor) , History (Minor) , International Studies (Minor) , Literature (Minor) , Political Science (Minor) , or Sociology (Minor)

Course Requirements

Required (12 credit hours)

Note: GERM-332 and GERM-333 may be replaced by other 300- or 400-level courses if warranted by language proficiency.

Linguistics (3 credit hours)

Complete 3 credit hours from the following, or 3 credit hours of TESL-xxx coursework at 400-level as approved by advisor:

Capstone (3 credit hours)

Complete 3 credit hours from the following or other approved coursework at or above 400-level:

WLC-490 Capstone Independent Research (3)

Electives (21 credit hours)

21 credit hours chosen from 300- to 400-level courses, independent study projects, internships, and topics courses in German studies

Combined Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees

American University offers students the opportunity to earn both undergraduate and graduate degrees through its combined bachelor’s/master’s programs. See Admission to a Combined Bachelor’s / Master’s Program and Combined Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees for more information.