Master of Arts (M.A.) in German

Arizona State University

Arizona State University's main campus is in Tempe, a city of 156,000 in the Greater Phoenix Metropolitan Area. Strong academic programs and faculty are complemented by the attractions of year-around sunshine, cultural diversity on campus and in the surrounding community, and the resources of one of the nation's fastest growing cities. Libraries which house over seven million items and free computing facilities throughout the campus support the research of students and faculty. Of ASU's 47,000 students, 11,000 are pursuing graduate study.

Graduate Studies in German

The faculty in the School of International Letters and Cultures offers graduate programs leading to the Master of Arts degree with a major in German. Students admitted to the M.A. program with a major in Secondary Education may elect German as their subject matter field.

Graduate Students in German at ASU form part of the local German community of more than 60,000 people. In addition to the German Air Force training facility at Litchfield Park and a growing number of German businesses in the Valley of the Sun, the German American National Congress and Austrian Society of Arizona regularly sponsor German cultural events.

Students have opportunities to travel and practice their skills through exchange programs with the German universities of Heidelberg, Tübingen, Stuttgart, Mannheim, Konstanz and Regensburg. In addition, students can participate in a five-week summer program in Tempe's sister city of Regensburg.

Program of Study

The program of study for the M.A. degree includes a minimum of 30 semester hours of graduate-level work, as approved by the candidate's supervisory committee. The program must include a 500-level Bibliography and Research Methods course. When approved by the candidate's supervisory committee, up to nine hours in another language or in closely related courses may be included in the program.

Concentrations are available in the following areas: (1) literature; (2) language and culture; and (3) comparative literature (in cooperation with the Department of English).

For Comparative Literature students, credits must include the following areas: theory and methodology (six semester hours), interdisciplinary topics and literary periods, and literature courses in German and the other language(s) of specialization.

Students pursuing their graduate studies in a program with a concentration in literature, or comparative literature present an acceptable thesis for which 6 hours of credit are granted (GER 599). Students who are primarily interested in teaching on the secondary and community college levels may select, with the approval of the supervisory committee, a program of study with a concentration in language and culture. Students in this program also present a thesis for 6 hours of credit (GER 599).

Students also have the option of presenting a non-thesis project. In this scenario, students either choose to write an Applied Pedagogical Project or produce a Paper Portfolio consisting of two expanded graduate seminar papers. Both projects should be discussed in depth with the Graduate Advisor. Students completing either an applied pedagogical project or portfolio option are required to complete 27 hours of coursework and 3 hours (GER 593) of credit devoted to the preparation and defense of the non-thesis culminating experience. Students pursuing the non-thesis option will generally not be expected to eventually pursue a Ph.D.

As is current policy, students pursuing either the thesis or non-thesis option will be required to complete a written and/or oral comprehensive examination as well.

Financial Assistance

Each year the German program appoints approximately five teaching assistants who teach first- and second-year language classes. Non-resident tuition is normally waived for TAs. TAs for whom English is a second language and who are not U.S. citizens must take the Test of Spoken English (TSE), administered by the Educational Testing Service (ETS), or the SPEAK text, upon arrival on campus.

Opportunities for Study and Research

Commitment to professional research in the School of International Letters and Cultures is evidenced by the large number of faculty publications and conference papers. Faculty members are engaged in editorial work for scholarly presses and journals. In addition to general coverage of German literary topics, faculty members are engaged in research on the following topics: literature and music, Baroque drama and theatre, Austrian literature, German media and film studies.

The ASU Library collection has extensive holdings in foreign languages, including German. Particular strengths are German philology and the Age of Goethe. ASU is a member of the Center for Research Libraries and has standing orders for the acquisition of current research materials with all German-speaking countries.

The Arizona Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies organizes programs at all three Arizona Universities relating to the Middle Ages and Renaissance.

Further Information

For further information on the graduate program, please contact Dr. Daniel Gilfillan, German Graduate Representative, School of International Letters and Cultures. In addition, students may access an electronic version of the German Graduate Student Handbook.

For additional information regarding Graduate College requirements, please see the Arizona State University Graduate College.

Application Procedures

Admission Requirements

The Graduate Admission Application is online: http://www.asu.edu/graduate with all the information for prospective students: http://www.asu.edu/graduate/prospective/index.htmThe graduate application fee ($65 US citizens, $80 for non-US citizens), one set of official transcripts from every college and university from which a Bachelors or higher degree was earned, and any necessary test scores (e.g. TOEFL) are submitted directly to the Graduate College Admissions Office:

Arizona State University, Graduate College
Administration B-Wing, Room 170
PO Box 871003
Tempe, Arizona 85287-1003

Submission of GRE or MAT scores is highly recommended for US applicants, but not required. Normally, a minimum overall GPA of 3.25/4.0 is required for admissions to the German Masters Program. Should an applicant's overall GPA be less than 3.25, a junior-senior average of 3.5 in German-related courses would be considered competitive. Admission to the German Masters Program requires the candidate to present a B.A. degree in German or a related field or close equivalent from an accredited institution.For your convenience, a checklist for the Graduate College admission requirements can be found at: http://graduate.asu.edu/admissions/application_checklist.html

Deadlines

Application to the German Graduate Program will be considered on a continuing basis. However, the deadline for priority assignments for the next academic year is February 1. Applications for TA-ships are not considered until the applicant has been admitted with regular status to the Graduate College and to the German Graduate Program. (It is advisable to submit the application for a Teaching Assistantship as a part of your admission application.)  TA-ships are normally awarded for the academic year (fall and spring semesters). Normally, April 1 is the deadline for final decisions on graduate students accepted in to the program.

Submission of Supplemental Application Materials

Please send the supplemental application materials to 

Barbara Tibbets, Graduate Student Coordinator
School of International Letters and Cultures
Arizona State University
PO Box 870202 
Tempe, AZ 85287-0202

Please submit the following materials:

1. Two or more letters of recommendation addressing your academic experience and potential for graduate studies in German.
2. A one-page personal statement of your goals (in German if your native language is English, or vice versa.
3. A substantial writing sample in German (a term paper, thesis chapter, etc.)
4. A five-minute audio recording (tape, CD, .mp3 file) of yourself speaking in German, in English for native speakers of German

If you are a non-native German speaker: a 4 minute (approximately) recorded message in German on a topic of your choice (please do not read; this is to help the committee evaluate your level; it should reflect realistically your spoken German).

If you are a non-native English speaker, a 4 minute (approximately) recorded message in English on a topic of your choice. (The same criteria are applied as above) In order to teach, non-native English speakers are required to pass the ASU SPEAK test given during Orientation.

Additional materials required for Teaching Assistantships:

1. Two or more letters of recommendation that should address your competence in German and your ability, or potential to conduct a university-level language course. These letters may be from the same recommenders in item "a" listed above, as long as these letters address your competence in German and your ability/potential to conduct a university-level language course.
2. Graduate Assistantship (also referred to as a Teaching Assistantship or TA-ship) application form may be downloaded from: http://graduate.asu.edu/files/forms/RATAapp.pdf

International Students

All Graduate Teaching Assistant applicants, for whom English is not their native language, must have a minimum TOEFL requirement of 550 for the paper-based  test (PBT), 213 computer-based test (CBT), or 83 internet-based test (iBT). The exam results must be sent to the Graduate Admissions Office by ETS. Self reported scores are not official.  International student applications for admission, will not be considered, without an official, minimum, TOEFL score on file with the ASU Graduate Admissions Office.

Check List for International degree applications: http://graduate.asu.edu/admissions/application_checklist.html

Potential TA’s must also pass the Test of Spoken English (TSE), or the ASU SPEAK test (given only on campus) with a score of 55, in order to secure their position. It is advisable that these students take the TSE test in their home country; preferably at the time they take the TOEFL.  If potential TA’s do not take and pass the test prior to being offered a TA contract, they will have to arrange it as soon as possible—this is often logistically difficult and may put a TA position in jeopardy if not handled well in advance.  If a potential TA does not receive the minimum passing score, their contract will automatically be voided. 

Please refer again to the Graduate College admissions website for more information:
http://graduate.asu.edu/admissions/index.html#requirements 

For the SCHOOL OF INTERNATIONAL LETTERS AND CULTURES at ASU, visit:
http://www.asu.edu/clas/silc/index.htm