German Studies, B.A.

Students who pursue a degree in German studies at Saint Louis University are:

• Intent on becoming conversant in German in order to enhance their global career opportunities in international and domestic business, marketing, law, translation, government service, news service, museums, the publishing industry or international studies.
• Interested in gaining cultural proficiency in German, thus expanding their horizons and acquiring new perspectives with which to view their own culture.
• Curious about language, rhetoric and communication.
• Looking to acquire German as a tool for graduate study in history, political science, library science and countless other fields.

Both the major and minor programs involve learning German in a highly communicative atmosphere and entail a multidisciplinary approach to the history, politics, society and culture of the German-speaking world.

Saint Louis University offers German studies students opportunities for summer, semester and year-long study abroad programs that count toward degree options, especially through the department’s affiliation agreements with the University of Heidelberg and its U.S. counterpart — Heidelberg University in Tiffin, Ohio — the University of Frankfurt and the University of Stuttgart. Many German majors and minors take advantage of these study abroad opportunities to enhance their studies at SLU and in German, and especially their language skills, cultural competency skills and general knowledge.

Additional program highlights include:

• All learning is vigorous and takes place in intimate classroom settings and focuses on intercultural competencies that make students highly competitive on the job market.
• All instruction is in German and interdisciplinary in nature, combining developing language proficiency with cultural, contemporary and historical, and literary and artistic study pertaining to German.
• The German faculty covers a broad range of research expertise, ranging from medieval to 19th century and contemporary, from the visual arts to literature and linguistics.

Curriculum Overview

All instruction is in German and is interdisciplinary in nature. Upper-division courses are taught in an intimate classroom setting, allowing for greater classroom discussion and unique learning experiences. Students will also have opportunities for extracurricular engagements that can strengthen understanding of the German culture and language.

Fieldwork and Research Opportunities

Benefits of the German studies program also include internship and career opportunities. Department faculty assist students in finding internships both in the St. Louis area and abroad.

Careers

Students who graduate with a degree in German studies from Saint Louis University are prepared to work in a number of rewarding fields, including:

• Foreign service
• International business
• International law
• Scientific research
• Social service
• Translation
• Museum curation

Admission Requirements

Freshman

Begin your application for this program at www.slu.edu/apply. Saint Louis University also accepts the Common App.

All applications are thoroughly reviewed with the highest degree of individual care and consideration to all credentials that are submitted. Solid academic performance in college preparatory course work is a primary concern in reviewing a freshman applicant’s file. College admission test scores (ACT or SAT) are used as an additional indicator of the student’s ability to meet the academic rigors of Saint Louis University and are used as qualifiers for certain University scholarship programs. To be considered for admission to any Saint Louis University undergraduate program, the applicant must be graduating from an accredited high school or have an acceptable score on the General Education Development (GED) test.

Begin Your Application

Transfer

Begin your application for this program at www.slu.edu/apply. 

Applicants must be a graduate of an accredited high school or have an acceptable score on the GED. An official high school transcript and official test scores are required only of those students who have attempted fewer than 24 transferable semester credits (or 30 quarter credits) of college credit. Those having completed 24 or more of college credit need only submit a transcript from previously attended college(s). In reviewing a transfer applicant’s file, the office of admission holistically examines the student’s academic performance in college-level coursework as an indicator of the student’s ability to meet the academic rigors of Saint Louis University.

International Applicants

Begin your application for this program at www.slu.edu/apply. 

All admission policies and requirements for domestic students apply to international students along with the following:

• Demonstrate English Language Proficiency
• Proof of financial support must include:
  • A letter of financial support from the person(s) or sponsoring agency funding the time at Saint Louis University
  • A letter from the sponsor's bank verifying that the funds are available and will be so for the duration of study at the University
• Academic records, in English translation, of students who have undertaken postsecondary studies outside the United States must include the courses taken and/or lectures attended, practical laboratory work, the maximum and minimum grades attainable, the grades earned or the results of all end-of-term examinations, and any honors or degrees received. WES and ECE transcripts are accepted.

Scholarships and Financial Aid

There are two principal ways to help finance a Saint Louis University education:

• Scholarships: awarded based on academic achievement, service, leadership and financial need.
• Financial Aid: provided in the form of grants and loans, some of which require repayment.

For priority consideration for merit-based scholarships, applicants should apply for admission by Dec. 1 and complete a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) by March 1.

For information on other scholarships and financial aid, visit the student financial services office online at https://finaid.slu.edu.

1. Graduates will be able to express themselves and communicate effectively in spoken and written German on a great variety of everyday and specialized topics.
2. Graduates will be able to demonstrate cultural competence through investigation of the target culture, an awareness of cross-cultural difference, and an ability to view
themselves and the world from a variety of perspectives.
3. Graduates will be able to make connections with other disciplines and perspectives, thus applying their German language learning to other fields of study.
4. Graduates will be able to interpret and critically analyze a wide array of texts and artifacts of the target language culture within their socio-historical context.
5. Graduates will have gained a background in the literary, linguistic and cultural histories of the German-speaking countries and be able to apply their knowledge to research projects.
6. Graduates will be able to demonstrate their research skills by accessing and synthesizing content from target language sources and apply appropriate research methodologies.
7. Graduates will be able to apply these research skills by writing a substantial research project in German which follows the conventions of academic writing.
8. Graduates will be able to present their research orally in a clear, organized and professional manner in German.

German students must complete a minimum of 30 credit hours for the major.

Students who begin their study of German at Saint Louis University above the 2010 level must complete an additional course or courses at the 4000 level to fulfill the major total.

Continuation Standards

All German Studies major courses must be completed with a grade of C or higher in order to count for the major and for the student to continue in the major.

Bachelor of Arts Core Curriculum Requirements

Graduation Requirements

• Complete a minimum of 120 credits (excluding pre-college level courses [numbered below 1000]).
• Complete either the College of Arts and Sciences Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science Core Curriculum Requirements
• Complete Major Requirements: minimum 30 credits required.
• Complete remaining credits with a second major, minor, certificate, and/or elective credits to reach the minimum of 120 credits required for graduation.
• Courses listed under the intensive English program do not count toward graduation requirements.   EAP 1500 College Composition for International Students (3 cr), EAP 1900 Rhetoric & Research Strategies (3 cr) and EAP 2850 Nation, Identity and Literature (3 cr) count toward graduation requirements as equivalents to Department of English courses. In addition to those courses, six credits from EAP/MLNG courses at the 1000 level or higher may count toward graduation requirements
• Achieve at least a 2.00 cumulative grade point average, a 2.00 grade point average in the major(s) and a 2.00 grade point average in the minor/certificate, or related elective credits.
• Complete Dept/Program specific academic and performance requirements.
• Complete at least 50% of the coursework for the major and 75% for the minor/certificate through Saint Louis University or an approved study abroad program.
• Complete 30 of the final 36 credits through Saint Louis University or an approved study abroad program.
• Complete an online degree application by the required University deadline.

Roadmaps are recommended semester-by-semester plans of study for programs and assume full-time enrollment unless otherwise noted.  

Courses and milestones designated as critical (marked with !) must be completed in the semester listed to ensure a timely graduation. Transfer credit may change the roadmap.

This roadmap should not be used in the place of regular academic advising appointments. All students are encouraged to meet with their advisor/mentor each semester.  Requirements, course availability and sequencing are subject to change.

Program Notes

If a student places below GR 2010 Intermediate German: Language & Culture (0,3 cr) (third semester) on the Saint Louis University Placement Exam (SLUPE), the student would first take GR 1010 Communicating in German I (0,3 cr) and/or GR 1020 Communicating in German II (0,3 cr), pending placement exam placement. If a student places above GR 2010 Intermediate German: Language & Culture (0,3 cr) on the SLUPE, e.g into GR 3010 Communicating in German: The German Media (0,3 cr) (fourth semester) or even GR 3020 Communicating in German: Contemporary Issues (0,3 cr) (fifth semester), the student would begin their coursework for the German major at either GR 3010 Communicating in German: The German Media (0,3 cr) or GR 3020 Communicating in German: Contemporary Issues (0,3 cr) and would take an additional two GR 4xxx courses (if placed into GR 3010 Communicating in German: The German Media (0,3 cr)) or an additional GR 4xxx course (if place into GR 3020 Communicating in German: Contemporary Issues (0,3 cr)) to complete the 30 credits in the major.

It is very common for students majoring in a foreign language, German in this case, to have a second major. History was chosen for the purpose of this roadmap as the second major, which many students do elect as a major alongside of the German major.

Approved electives offered in other departments for German major:

A student may choose to take the Arts and Sciences Core courses in a different order. This is simply a suggestion, although in the cases of core requirements at different levels, the 1xxx course needs to be taken before a 2xxx, in addition to needing to satisfy prerequisites for those courses.