The German program offers an interdisciplinary 2‐year MA degree in German that can include a direct exchange with universities in Baden‐Württemberg. Many of our incoming MA students spend their first year studying in Germany and return to Knoxville for their second year to complete their degree requirements and to receive pedagogical training in the classroom. We offer tuition waivers and GTA stipends on a competitive basis.

Options Available

Thesis
Course Only with Comprehensive Exam

Campus Code

Knoxville Campus

Admissions Standards/Procedures

• A student should have already completed a major or the equivalent of a major (usually 30 hours) in their main discipline (French, German, or Spanish).
• Although the Graduate Council requires a minimum grade point average of 2.70 (on a scale of 4.00) for admission to the UT Graduate School, prospective students should note that the grade point average of 3.50 (on a 4.00 scale) in all course work of their major (French, German, Spanish, or a related field) in order to be admitted to the MA programs in French, German, or Spanish.
• In making its decision, the Admissions Committee considers grades, recommendations, a statement of goals (in English and in the target language), and 2 writing samples (ideally, one in English and one in the target language).
• When evaluating a student’s application dossier, the Graduate Admissions Committee looks for high-quality, committed students who could complete the program successfully, and who will add diversity, and intellectual liveliness and energy to the program.

Academic Standards

• After entering the graduate program, students in any of the MA Programs offered by the Department of Modern Foreign Languages and Literatures (MFLL) are expected to maintain a GPA of at least 3.00 in order to remain in good standing (note, students in the PhD Program in Modern Foreign Languages are expected to maintain a GPA of at least 3.50 in order to remain in good standing).
• The Department of Modern Foreign Languages and Literatures (MFLL) specifies that a student will not be allowed to continue in any of its graduate program if any of the following occurs:
  • The student cheats or engages in any other act of dishonesty with respect to the university community. Such acts include but are not limited to getting or giving help that is considered inappropriate in an academic setting as well as any form of plagiarism. (for details on Academic Honesty, please see the respective passages in Hill Topics and in the Graduate Catalog).
  • The student earns two or more grades of C or below in courses taken for graduate credit.
  • The student receives a grade of D or F in a graduate course that is identified as a core or mandatory course in the student’s graduate program.
  • The student’s cumulative graduate GPA falls below 3.00 for two consecutive semesters, excluding the summer semester if no courses are taken. (UT Graduate Policy).

Thesis Option

Students in the thesis option demonstrate their research capability by submitting a thesis (usually 40 to 75 pages long) and passing an oral examination on it and on related matters. Additional information can be found in the MFLL Graduate Handbook.

Credit Hours Required

Minimum of 30 graduate credit hours

Required Courses

• GERM 500  (6 credit hours)
• 24 credit hours on literature, culture, film or language taught in the German program
  • Only one of which may be chosen from GERM 411 -GERM 412  or GERM 485 .
  • Graduate courses in other programs may be counted with permission of the graduate advisor in German.
  • MFLL 512  is required for all students and may be taken only one.
  • A maximum of three 400-level courses (taken for graduate credit) may be counted toward the 24 credit hours of graduate course work.
  • Enrollment in GERM 595  for 1 credit hour per semester for the duration of the degree, whenever GERM 595 is offered.

Non-Course Requirements

• An exam over the designated reading list is required
• A thesis defense
• A standardized language exam, such as the Zentrale Mittelstufenprüfung.
• Students who are interested in future PhD-level study are strongly advised to choose the thesis option.
• A maximum of 3 credit hours of GERM 595  can be counted towards the degree requirements.

Course Only with Comprehensive Exam Option

In this option students demonstrate their research capability by submitting to their three-person graduate committee a dossier consisting of two research papers, the first a seminar paper written in a 600-level German course and the second a paper previously written for another graduate course in German. Additional information on this option can be found in the MFLL Graduate Handbook available on the department’s webpage.

Credit Hours Required

Minimum of 30 graduate credit hours

Required Courses

• The 30 credit hours consist of courses on literature, culture, film, or language taught in the German program.
  • At least one 600-level course for which a seminar paper is required.
  • Only one course may be chosen from GERM 411 -GERM 412  or GERM 485  
  • Graduate courses in other programs may be counted with permission of the graduate advisor in German.
  • MFLL 512  is required for all students and may be taken only one.
  • A maximum of three 400-level courses (taken for graduate credit) may be counted toward the 30 credit hours of graduate course work.
  • Enrollment in GERM 595  for 1 credit hour per semester for the duration of the degree, whenever GERM 595 is offered.

Non-Course Requirements

• A common written exam over the designated reading list
• A standardized language exam, such as the Zentrale Mittelstufenprüfung
• Each non-thesis MA candidate will have a committee of three faculty members in German to whom the student will submit a dossier consisting of
  • the seminar paper (see first bullet under Required Courses) and
  • one paper previously submitted in a graduate course; the length and type of the papers is described in greater detail in the Manual for Graduate Students in German.
• A maximum of 3 credit hours of GERM 595  can be counted towards the degree requirements.

 

Five-Year BA/MA Program – German Major, MA

For qualified students, the Department of Modern Foreign Languages and Literatures offers a 5-year BA-MA program with a BA major in Modern Foreign Languages and Literatures — German concentration and a German major, MA (course only option with comp exam). The primary component of the program is that a qualified student may take up to 9 credit hours of approved graduate courses for their senior undergraduate electives and have them count toward both the BA degree and the MA degree. Qualifications for admission to the program are:

• The student must have an overall cumulative GPA of 3.00 and a cumulative GPA of 3.50 in undergraduate German courses to be considered for admission to the program.
• Conditional and full admission of a student into this program must be approved by the Department of Modern Foreign Languages and Literatures and by the Graduate School.
• Conditional admission may be granted after completing 64 credit hours of the requirements for the BA in MFLL-German, as specified by any Undergraduate Catalog in effect during that student’s attendance at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, provided that the Catalog has been in effect within six years of the date of graduation.
• Conditional admission must be obtained before taking a graduate course that is to be used to satisfy the requirements of both the BA degree and the MA degree.
• Full admission may be granted after completing 96 credit hours of the requirements for the BA in German, as specified by any Undergraduate Catalog in effect during that student’s attendance at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, provided that the Catalog has been in effect within six years of the date of graduation. A cumulative GPA of 3.50 in undergraduate German courses is required for full admission.
• Any course taken for graduate credit prior to satisfying all requirements for the BA degree must be approved by the department head (or designee) and by the Graduate School.
• A student will not be eligible for a graduate assistantship until the student has satisfied all of the requirements for the BA degree.