About PhD Program,
At Illinois, we offer both M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in German Studies. We also offer a Five-Year BA/MA degree for current undergraduates at the University of Illinois. And, we offer the Bachelor of Arts in Teaching and Master of Arts in Teaching degrees.
The program welcomes both students interested in an academic career and students who plan to pursue non-academic career paths after their degrees. We have examples of successful graduates in both areas, and our post-degree job placement rate is extraordinary.
We fully fund our graduate students with full tuition and fee waivers as well as competitive teaching or research assistantships or fellowships.
PhD Program Degree Eligibility with GPA,
The Department of Germanic Languages and Literatures offers graduate programs leading to the degrees of Master of Arts in German and Doctor of Philosophy in German. Students may choose an additional specialization and certification in Medieval Studies, Cinema Studies, Scandinavian Studies, or in Criticism and Interpretive Theory. Candidates for the Ph.D. in German may additionally obtain a certificate in Second Language Acquisition and Teacher Education (SLATE).
Applicants must meet the admission standards outlined for the Master of Arts and, in addition, hold a Master of Arts in German (or equivalent) with a graduate grade point average of 3.5 (A = 4.0). Admission to the program is on a competitive basis.
Candidates for the Ph.D. in German may specialize in older German literature, modern German literature, Germanic linguistics, or Scandinavian literature.
Students working toward the Ph.D. degree must have completed all requirements for the Master of Arts degree given above and must complete an additional 40 graduate hours of coursework approved by the graduate adviser. At least 32 graduate hours must be for courses in Germanic Languages and Literatures. No more than 8 hours of credit in 400 level courses beyond those presented for the M.A. will be counted toward these ten units. The 40 hours may include up to 4 hours of Ger 593 “Research in Special Topics,” taken as an independent study, but may not include any credit for GER 496/”Special Topics in German Studies” for work taken as independent study. Residence requirements are those of the Graduate College.
PhD Funding Coverage,
The University of Illinois makes available on a competitive basis a number of generous fellowships in support of graduate study and research. The School of Literatures, Cultures, and Linguistics is a source of attractive fellowship support. In addition, each year the Department may nominate a limited number of outstanding students for University Fellowships. Exceptional students applying for admission may be nominated to compete in the university’s Distinguished Fellowships program.
At the appropriate stage, graduate students may apply for Dissertation Completion Fellowships; Dissertation Travel Grants, which subsidize travel and other costs associated with doctoral dissertation research; Humanities Graduate Students Research and Conference Support; and On-Campus Dissertation Research Grants and Thesis/Project Support Grants. The Department has received generous grants from the Max Kade foundation for additional graduate student fellowship support.
Graduate students in the Department of Germanic Languages and Literatures have also been extremely successful in obtaining external fellowships and grants for study and research at home and abroad. Awards have been made by such prestigious agencies as the American Association of University Women, the American-Scandinavian Foundation, the Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst, and Fullbright-Hayes Students with external fellowships may not hold university fellowships concurrently. Information and assistance in applying for funding from these and other sources are provided by the director of graduate studies.
Application Requirement,
- Personal Information
- Residency Information – Domestic Applicants
- Residency Information – International Applicants
- Program Information
- Academic History
- Uploading Credentials
- Test Scores
- Resume and Application Statements
- Recommendation Letters
- Application Fee
Application Deadline,
Jan 01, 2025
Application Fee,
- A $70 application fee is required for all domestic applications.
- Submission of a$90.00 application fee. For International Applicants
