German, Department & Faculty

At UD we offer German as an intensive course, which combines two semesters worth of study into one. This way a student can fulfill his or her language requirement in only one academic year. The classes meet daily with first-year German completed in the fall semester and second-year German in the spring. 

We offer an academically challenging and energetic course of studies in German language, literature and culture. Those who learn German gain access to an important intellectual, economic and culturally historic area of Central Europe.

Advantages:

1. It is the best way to learn a Language. Languages require steady concentration. A challenge faced by students going to Rome is a possible interruption in language studies for at least a one year period (not to mention summers). There is no interruption if you take the intensive model. The daily meetings (six hours a week) will make you more fluent and give you more meaningful practice with consecutive contact hours and no lengthy pauses.
2. Flexibility before and after you declare a major. If you defer your language requirement until after Rome, this allows you to finish the requirement in a timely manner without having to plan out four semesters in advance. If taken the freshman year it will open up your schedule later for other courses, concentrations, double majors, and exciting study abroad and internship opportunities.
3. Career Opportunities if you decide to continue after the intensive course. If you need German for graduate studies, a concentration, scholarship opportunities (such as Fulbright) or internships, or as part of a degree requirement (classical philology) this is a quick way to do it and still have time to go one with the language if needed. It is not only quick but more effective and lasting due to the time invested. The intensive model gives you the time to achieve lasting proficiency and competency in the language that may make all the difference in planning your future career or course of graduate studies.

Why Take German?

Did you know...

That there are more than 100 million German speakers and that it is the most widely spoken language in Europe? A full 18% of European Union residents speak German as their native language, and 14% of all Europeans can speak German as a second language, and that it is the most commonly used language on the internet after English.  Additionally, Germany has the most websites per capita in the world.

That of UD's 40+ Fulbright awards over the years, 25 of those students receiving the prestigious scholarship went to Germany, Austria, and Switzerland thanks to continued study in German beyond the core.

That there are many opportunities to study in Germany at both the bachelor's and master's levels. Two thousand grants are awarded to US students annually to study and research in Germany, offering more scholarships for international students than any other country and requiring NO TUITION at excellent universities.

That Germany is one of the most important trading partners of the United States. German companies account for 800,000 jobs in the US (making them the third largest group of foreign employers in the country), and US companies have created approximately the same number of jobs in Germany.  Germany is the third largest investor in the US, the fourth largest national economy worldwide and the largest in the European Union.  Knowing German can boost your annual salary in the UD by 4%, in Europe by even more.

That with more than 25,000 scientists working in Germany, it is the world's third largest "country of researchers." Knowledge of German particularly enhances the qualifications of those studying biology, chemistry, engineering or physics, and improves their chances of finding a job. If you can read German, you have access to a whole world of research findings in all areas of modern science.

That German is the language of Pope Benedict, Goethe, Einstein, Kafka, Hegel, Kant, Mozart, Nietzsche, Bach, Freud, Beethoven and many more influential authors and artists. Knowing German helps better understand their work and the Western Tradition.

That you can take part in exciting study abroad courses and internships in the summer months in Germany that count toward UD credit?

That the UD German program offers an academically challenging and energetic course of studies in German language, literature, linguistics, history, and culture that prepares you for almost any area that you care to explore--anything from teaching pedagogy to German Mythology and J.R.R. Tolkein's Lord of the Rings.  

For questions and more information about courses contact: Dr. Jacob-Ivan Eidt (jieidt@udallas.edu) or Dr. Laura Eidt (lmeidt@udallas.edu)