Frequently Asked Questions
Below you can find some of the most commonly asked questions regarding the German language program at UT.
If you cannot find the information you are looking for here, please feel free to get in touch with us using the contact information in the sidebar.
⬇︎ Why should I choose to study German?
- German is the most well-paid foreign language you can learn in general (here) and specifically in many cities (here).
- German is the among the three most sought-after foreign languages by employers in TX and elsewhere.
- You can combine German seamlessly with STEM, social science, or liberal arts degrees with tailored language training for your subject.
- The German program at UT offers flexible degrees and certificates so you can pursue all of your interests?
- The German program teaches more than just a language: literature and cultural communication competence, linguistic and digital skills, marketable professional skills, and more!
- Plus many, many more reasons:
- Infographic I (by Niskayuna HS German Program)
- Infographic II (by daytranslations.com)
⬇︎ What do former students have to say about studying Germanic Languages at UT?
You can hear what our students have to say about our German language courses in the video that is on our front page, or you can see what our former German majors have to say below:
Harry (Government, German)
“I am currently pursuing my Law degree as well as working for a global company. The German Department at the University of Texas was such a great opportunity to continue with my efforts in learning German. Many of my professors pushed me not only to speak, but to think in German. Since my time at UT, I have been able to really harness that same discipline to develop a successful career in legal work.”
Kiersten (Business Admin)
“As an International Business student at UT focusing in Germanic Studies, the German Department has provided me with so much more than language learning alone. I have gained a greater confidence in my academic ability and have become more comfortable with my voice as a student on such a large campus—which helped me in interviews.”
Abigail (German, Linguistics)
“The faculty in the UT German program are in-vested in every student. They checked in with students regularly in classes to make sure everyone was set up to succeed, and I received excellent one-on-one mentorship through every step of my honors thesis. Taking German at UT gave me the skills and confidence I needed to interview for jobs in German. I now work as a writer for a German company, all thanks to the speaking and writing practice I got from the UT German program. Anyone looking for quality, all-encompassing German education should take German at UT.”
⬇︎ I took German in High School or at another university. How do I get started with German @ UT?
Students who have taken German in high school can earn credit through AP or IB exams. If you didn’t take these exams in high school, you can take the CLEP test at any testing center or at the UT testing center. With any of these exams, you can earn credit for 1st year or 1st + 2nd year. Please see the testing services website for more information.
However, you don’t have to take a test to place into our courses. You can also do a short (30 minutes or less) placement interview with our faculty. We’ll find the right course for you. You won’t get course credit, but many students don’t need credit for the lower courses, so you can place into 612, and once you finish, that’ll satisfy the language requirement.
⬇︎ Where can I meet up with other German students?
When classes are in session, we host a weekly Stammtisch conversation group. We also host weekly Film nights (Filmabend). Each semester, our students even host a student-run German radio program called “Es klingt wie Deutsch”. The days and times for these events may change from semester to semester, so we recommend looking at our calendar of events and following us on Twitter or Instagram for updates.
We also have active student groups, such as the German Club, the Delta Phi Alpha German Honors Society. The faculty sponsor for both of these groups is Dr. Kit Belgum. If you are interested in joining these groups, please contact her at the link above.
⬇︎ How can I study abroad in a German-speaking country?
Every summer, the German program organizes a ten-week summer Study Abroad program to Würzburg Germany.The goal is to enable students to learn about German and European history, politics, economic life and culture firsthand in Germany. The program is conducted both parallel to and integrated with the regular German university semester. This way, the participants are exposed to the normal workings of a German university and to German student life. The program typically offers the second-year German course (GER 612; 6 credits) and an upper division composition and conversation course (3 credits for either GER 330C or for GER 379). Students can therefore finish their language requirement or earn credit towards the German Certificate or Major.
The university offers other semester- and year-long options to study abroad as well, at the University of Erfurt and the University of Würzburg. You can search for other Study abroad programs at the Texas Global Website.
⬇︎ What opportunities are there for conducting research with faculty?
We recognize that today’s students need so much more than ‘just’ language, and offer multiple opportunities to work with faculty on research projects that promote critical thinking and other real-world skills.
Students interested in linguistics can work on the Texas German Dialect Project, headed by Dr. Hans Boas. The TGDP seeks to document, preserve, and analyze the language descended from the early German settlers in Texas. Students will learn about language preservation, how to conduct interviews, catalog and transcribe language data, and analyze features of Texas German.
Students who are interested in the psychology of language, language acquisition, and language teaching can join the Second Language Acquisition and Bilingualism Lab. The SLAB Lab is headed by Dr. Nick Henry. Students learn about language acquisition and cognitive science and can assist in designing lab experiments, running lab sessions, and analyzing quantitative data.
Students who are interested in the humanities and digital skills can work in the Digital Humanities Lab, headed by Dr. Thorsten Ries. Students learn about digital tools for analyzing language, literature, and cultural artifacts.
Students interested in older Germanic languages can work with Dr. Hans Boas and Dr. Marc Pierce, who are both affiliated with the Linguistics Research Center. In the past, Germanic Studies students were involved in creating freely available online lesson series for older Germanic languages and creating lexical entries for the Indo-European Online Lexicon.
Texas Global also offers a comprehensive list of researchers at UT who work in Germany.
Upper division students can also design their own research projects and develop a thesis as part of their coursework.
