Students working toward the Ph.D. degree must have completed all requirements for the M.A. degree given above and must complete an additional 10 units of course work approved by the graduate adviser. At least eight units must be for courses in Germanic Languages and Literatures. Residence requirements are those of the Graduate College. Candidates must demonstrate proficiency in reading two languages other than English and German that are considered useful in their area of specialization. The candidate must then complete eight units of thesis research and successfully defend the thesis in an oral examination.
More detailed information is available from the departmental office.
Experience in teaching is considered a vital part of the graduate program and is required as part of the academic work of all Ph.D. candidates in this program. The department faculty includes nationally and internationally recognized scholars in all areas of research within the field. These areas include older and modern German literature, Scandinavian literature, Yiddish language and literature, comparative literature, medieval studies, American-German relations, historical and synchronic Germanic linguistics, German civilization, and German language pedagogy. The University Library has one of the nation's outstanding collections of works pertaining to study and research in Germanic literatures of all periods and in Germanic and general linguistics. Preference may be given to students who have lived in a German-speaking country or have had some teaching experience.