We offer both a major and a minor in German, each of which is available as a standard degree or with a teaching emphasis.  Requirements for each are listed below.  If you have successfully completed two or more semesters of High School German, we recommend that you take the Placement Exam  to help determine the level at which you may want to begin.

Both English and German are Germanic languages and the two share much in common. You can probably figure out what a “Haus” and “Garten” are among lots of similar words. German is an exciting way to learn and experience a huge variety of things about Europe, about the world, and maybe even your own family. (The most common cultural heritage in the U.S. is German.) Travel, history, politics, economy, the environment, and the creative worlds of art, literature, music, and film… these are just some of the many topics we cover in our courses.

Thinking about spending time overseas during your studies? German will help get you there. Many of our students take advantage of the chance to study abroad either with a UM faculty-led program, a UM partner university, or through International Student Exchange Programs (ISEP). And Europe comes to us every year thanks to the FulbrightTeaching Assistant Program which provides us with German instructors from Austria who are eager to share their expertise and enthusiasm about their native land and Central Europe in the UM classroom.