German studies
German studies (B.A.)
Are you interested in the German language, literature and culture and would like to deepen your knowledge? Then a Bachelor’s degree in German Studies is just right for you. In the German Studies program, you will intensively study the German language, its history of development, its literary and cultural contexts, and its role in society.
- Degree
- Bachelor of Arts (B.A.)
- Duration of studies in semester
- 6
- Start of degree program
- Winter semester
- Study location
- Erlangen
- Number of students
- 50-150
- Subject group
- Language and Cultural Studies
- Special ways to study
- 2-subject Bachelor, Double degree program, Part-time degree program
- Teaching language
- completely in German
- Admission Requirements
- No Admissions Restrictions
What is the degree program about?
Do you like reading and are you interested in the German language? You don’t want to go to a mass university and study anonymously? If you can identify with these statements, you already meet important requirements for studying German Studies at FAU. If you don’t shy away from more abstract thinking and are interested in theoretical and methodological issues, all the better. You will learn and practice writing and working with scientific texts during your German studies.
In the field of Modern German Literature you will deal with German-language works from the Luther period to the immediate present, whereby non-fictional texts such as travel reports, reportages or diaries are also considered in addition to poetry in verse and prose. The indexing is carried out under historical and systematic perspectives, and the cultural contexts play just as important a role as questions of classification, aspects of media dissemination, or references between German literature and other national literatures.
In the history of older German literature (medieval studies), one learns to deal with texts from the period of the Middle Ages (ca. 800 to 1500). In contrast to popular contexts, such as fantasy literature or medieval festivals, the focus is on a reflected scientific and historical examination of the literature of this epoch, which is (only) quite foreign to us at first glance. Heroic epics such as the Nibelungenlied are used, for example, to discuss the historical development of gender roles, to examine the form of presentation of the narrative text, or to pose questions about the practice of transmission. Knowledge of Middle High German is acquired during the course of study.
Linguistics deals with the structure and use of language. Language is the object of study as something material, audible or written, which can be analyzed in terms of its components, units and functions. Language is also the means of communication used by human beings. Under this aspect, the specifics of oral versus written communication, linguistic varieties such as dialects and colloquial languages, as well as the historical variability of language become the subject of study.
Unserdeutsch
Wissenspopularisierung
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At the beginning of the program, the basic modules (introductory courses) from all subfields must be taken. This is followed by advanced modules in the areas of grammar, historical linguistics, literary history and systematic aspects of literary studies. After these obligatory basics, in-depth modules from sub-areas of the subject can be taken. They characterize the student’s academic focus. In German Studies as a first subject, 10 ECTS points must be earned for key qualifications.
Course structure
First by the end of the 2nd or at the latest the 3rd semester (GOP): basic modules
2nd/3rd-4th semester: advanced modules
5th-6th semester: advanced modules and bachelor thesis
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- A confident command of German in speaking, writing and comprehension.
- Ability to work independently
- Pleasure in reading
- enthusiasm for interpreting and discussing texts
- inclination to read scientific texts and to write them yourself
- Curiosity with regard to historical changes in language, literary forms and cultural contexts
- Desire to present and discuss one’s own ideas about texts and linguistic phenomena
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The German Studies program qualifies you for jobs
- as a freelance author
- in publishing (e.g. editor, etc.)
- in the library sector
- in science
- in journalism
- in the media sector (e.g. press and public relations, etc.)
- in the cultural sector (e.g. museum trainee, assistant director or dramaturge in the theater, screenwriter, editor of any kind, etc.)
- in education (e.g. teaching after further studies, adult education, German as a foreign language, etc.)
- in consulting institutions (e.g. media or management consulting, etc.)
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- Double degree possible for two-subject Bachelor German Studies/Ibero-Romance Studies or Ibero-Romance Studies/German Studies.
Partner university: Universidad de Sevilla, Spain
Contact: Prof. Dr. Schierholz; Prof. Dr. Neumeyer - Double degree for two-subject Bachelor German Studies/Italo-Romance Studies or Italo-Romance Studies/German Studies possible.
Partner university: Università per Stranieri di Siena, Italy
Contact person: Prof. Dr. Rivoletti
- Double degree possible for two-subject Bachelor German Studies/Ibero-Romance Studies or Ibero-Romance Studies/German Studies.
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Degree program combinations
- Archaeological Sciences
- Art History
- Book Studies
- Business and Economics
- Chinese Studies
- Computational Linguistics
- Cultural History of Christianity
- Digital Humanities and Social Sciences
- Education
- English and American Studies
- French Roman Studies
- Geography: Cultural Geography
- Greek Philology
- Hispanic Studies
- History
- Indo-European and Indo-Iranian Studies
- Islamic Religious Studies
- Italian Romance Studies
- Japanese Studies
- Latin Philology
- Medieval Latin and Neo-Latin
- Oriental Studies
- Philosophy
- Political Science
- Scandinavian Studies (BA)
- Sociology
- Theater and Media Studies
Das Lehrangebot dieser Kombination ist so aufeinander abgestimmt, dass die Fächer in der Regel überschneidungsfrei miteinander kombiniert werden können.
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- Admission requirements (first semester)
- No Admissions Restrictions
- Application deadline winter semester
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30.09.
Language skills
- German language skills for international applicants
- DSH 2 or equivalent
- General language skills
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Deutsch
- Details and notes
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The application deadline for the winter semester for international applicants is July 15th.
In addition to the general qualification for university entrance (Abitur), there are other access options for studying at FAU.
Do you need help or more information?
Our Student Advice and Career Service (IBZ) is the central point of contact for all questions about studying and starting a degree programme. Our Student Service Centres and subject advisors support you in planning your studies.