Mar 29, 2024  
2023-2024 Graduate Catalog 
    
2023-2024 Graduate Catalog

German Major, MA


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 Option
Coursework Only with Comprehensive Exam Option

Campus Code


Knoxville Campus

Admissions Standards/Procedures


  • Submit online application to the Office of Graduate Admissions.
  • 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 coursework of their major (French, German, Spanish, or a related field) in order to be admitted to the MA programs in French, German, or Spanish.
  • 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 World Languages and Cultures are expected to maintain a graduatae 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 graduate GPA of at least 3.50 in order to remain in good standing.
  • The Department of World Languages and Cultures 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 Hilltopics 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


  • (6 credit hours)
  •  

    24 credit hours on literature, culture, film or language taught in the German program:

  • Graduate courses in other programs may be counted with permission of the graduate advisor in German.
  • (required for all students and may be taken only once)
  • A maximum of three 400-level courses (chosen from the 400-level courses that appear in the Graduate Catalog) may be counted toward the 24 credit hours of graduate coursework.
  • Enrollment in   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 German language exam at the B2-level (CEFR) /Advanced Low-level (ACTFL), or higher.
  • Students who are interested in future PhD-level study are strongly advised to choose the thesis option.

Coursework Only with Comprehensive Exam Option


The Coursework Only with Comprehensive Exam Option requires more coursework than the Thesis Option.

Credit Hours Required


Minimum of 30 graduate credit hours

Required Courses


  • The 30 graduate credit hours consist of courses on literature, culture, film, or language taught in the German program:

  • Graduate courses in other programs may be counted with permission of the graduate advisor in German.
  • A maximum of 9 credit hours of 400-level courses (listed in the Graduate Catalog) may be counted toward the 30 credit hours of graduate coursework.
  • (required for all new GTAs)
  • Enrollment in   for 1 credit hour per semester for the duration of the degree whenever GERM 595 is offered. A maximum of 3 credit hours of GERM 595 can be counted towards the degree.

Non-Course Requirements


  • A common written exam over the designated reading list
  • A standardized German language exam at the B2-level (CEFR) /Advanced Low-level (ACTFL), or higher
  • Each non-thesis MA candidate will have a committee of three faculty members in German

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


For qualified students, the Department of World Languages and Cultures offers a 5-year BA-MA program with a BA major in Modern Foreign Languages and Literatures — German concentration and a German major, MA (coursework 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 World Languages and Cultures 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.