German Studies (BA)

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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, including at least 18 credit hours at or above 300-level
- Prerequisite: Completion of intermediate language level (GERM-233 German, Intermediate II (4) )
One of the following field concentrations:
- 12 credit hours in a second world 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 world 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: Courses may be replaced by approved 300- or 400-level courses, if warranted by language proficiency, by permission of program director.

Linguistics (3 credit hours)

Complete 3 credit hours from the following, or other courses at 400-level approved by advisor:

Electives (21 credit hours)

Complete 21 credit hours from GERM coursework at or above 300- or 400-level, independent study projects, internships, and topics courses from the following, or other courses as approved by program director:

Capstone (3 credit hours)

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

GERM-488 Capstone Project (3) (topics)

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.