The graduate program at Vanderbilt consciously seeks to prepare a select group of highly qualified students for the challenges of tomorrow in the field of German. Its purpose is to train graduate students to excel in the profession as teachers and as scholars. While providing the candidate with a firm grounding in the history of German literature and scholarship through a combination of survey courses and focused seminars.

Vanderbilt is a private, selective university with an enrollment of 11,600 (the Graduate school enrolls some 2100). The University in its second century and Nashville in its third, share a rich past. Located on a 333 acre, park-like campus, Vanderbilt offers a haven in the midst of urban stimulation. More than a million people live in the greater metropolitan area, and Vanderbilt both contributes to and benefits from the cultural offerings of the community.

The Program
Graduate work has held a central place at Vanderbilt University since its establishment in 1875. The first Doctor of Philosophy degree was granted in 1879, the 3000th in 1985. German has long been a part of that rich tradition. The first Master of Arts in German was awarded in 1885, the first Ph.D. in 1915.

The Department seeks to prepare a select group of highly qualified students for leading roles as teachers and as scholars. A firm grounding in the history of German literature and scholarship is augmented by related interdisciplinary and critical studies outside of the Department so that students can achieve a better understanding of the complex social and discursive systems from which the literature emanates. The program in German offers courses on critical theory, women writers, the relationship of literature to philosophy, music, science, the German cinema, the institutionalization of literature, as well as on major authors, genres, and periods. Additional resources are available through the Max Kade Center for European and German Studies, the Center for Americas, and the Center for Religion and Culture.

Financial Aid & Admissions
Generous scholarships and teaching fellowships for up to five years are awarded in open competition to support graduate study in German at Vanderbilt. Basic fellowships include tuition and health insurance. In addition, topping-off awards of $6,000-$10,000 annually are available to meritorious students. Furthermore, the Department offers year-long stipends for study and/or research abroad (see below). Dissertation enhancement grants from the Graduate School as well as other fellowships such as from the Center for Americas are also available. Applications for fellowships and admission should be submitted by January 25 for the fall, but later applications will be considered.

Study Abroad
Departmental stipends are offered for students who wish to participate in our exchange programs with the Free University of Berlin and Regensburg University. Graduate students are also encouraged to attend national and international conferences for which support is available.



Degree Requirements

Master of Arts
We offer a terminal Master's Degree in German.

Doctor of Philosophy
The German Department offers a Doctor of Philosophy degree. Students are given considerable latitude to develop a minor in a related discipline such as Film Studies, Jewish Studies, Philosophy, or cross-disciple studies such as German Studies.

Language Requirement
All Ph.D. students are required to demonstrate a reading knowledge of at least one additional foreign language.

Core Reading Lists
These are of two types: departmental and individual. The departmental reading list, made available to all incoming graduate students, consists of approximately seventy literary and theoretical works. Additionally, literary histories are recommended. Together with a student's course work, the departmental core reading list forms the basis of the M.A. examination. Students who already hold the M.A. degree upon entering the Department are expected to have a background comparable to that provided by the M.A. program at Vanderbilt.
The second core reading list is designed by the student. The student normally draws upon his/her course work, the proposed area of dissertation research, and areas of her/his own particular interest. That list, also containing approximately sixty works of primary and secondary literature of varying length, must be submitted to the Ph.D. committee for approval.

Teaching Responsibilities
The acceptance of a Teaching Assistantship (TA) award occasions responsibilities beyond the challenges of graduate study itself at Vanderbilt. The University and the Department have devised a program to develop the student's skills as a teacher. The teacher-training program is a valuable complement to the rigorous academic experience offered at Vanderbilt.
Normally, new TAs are assigned elementary German courses; however, exceptions can be made in the case of an incoming TA who has had teaching experience elsewhere. Regardless of the level of assignment, all TAs work jointly with other TAs and the designated language coordinator. All new TAs in foreign languages at Vanderbilt are required to take the interdepartmental seminar Foreign Language Teaching: Theory and Practice during their first semester of graduate study. While TAs are stand-alone teachers in their respective sections of elementary or intermediate German, they teach under the guidance of an experienced faculty member. Such monitoring ensures uniformity of instruction in multi-section courses and provides for the fullest development of teaching skills.