Courses are offered at all levels, from beginning to advanced, in German and in English, for majors and non-majors. We encourage all of our students, and require majors, to study abroad in either Berlin, Freiburg, or Vienna. The CIEE study abroad program in Berlin is open to students with no language training in German, as well as to intermediate or advanced speakers. While enjoying a broad spectrum of courses in Germany's cultural and political capital, students live with families who give them personal insights into the cultural diversity of this great city. Advanced language students may choose to study abroad in IES programs in Freiburg or Vienna. There, qualified students can take courses either within the IES program itself or enroll directly in classes at the university.

A resident German assistant, sponsored through the Fulbright Program, assists students in grammar and arranges various co-curricular activities such as films, Stammtisch, and Kaffeeklatsch. The German Club, German House, and excursions to cultural centers in Washington and Baltimore all foster a close working relationship between students and faculty. The Gettysburg library holds an impressive collection of contemporary literary texts, films, journals, and newspapers, and critical work in German Studies.

Many German Studies majors and minors choose to double major in fields as diverse as Anthropology, Biology, Globalization Studies, History, Philosophy, Political Science, Psychology, or Religion, to name just a few. The German Studies Department has a strong record of sending graduating majors and minors as Fulbright Teaching Assistants to Germany and Austria. Recent German Studies graduates are in graduate school for law, public health, German Studies, and student affairs; they pursue careers ranging from teaching to working for the U.S. Government in Washington.