THE GRADUATE PROGRAM
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The University offers a limited number of fellowships for graduate study and strongly supports diversity. We encourage qualified students from diverse backgrounds to apply. If you would like to be considered for a fellowship, your application for graduate study including the following documents must be received in the Department of Germanic Languages and Literatures by January 15, 2011:
Student’s personal essay; student’s curriculum vitae; transcripts of all college or university work; copy of GRE scores; TOEFL scores – if applicable; three letters of reference; signed form indicating student’s access to files or recommendations.

CLICK HERE FOR A COMPLETE COPY OF THE "HANDBOOK FOR GRADUATE STUDENTS IN GERMAN".

GENERAL GRADUATE STUDY INFORMATION

1. Graduate degrees. The Department offers courses of study leading to M.A. and Ph.D. degrees. The program provides our students with training of a scope and quality that leads mainly to careers as teachers and scholars.

2. Specializations. Ours is one of the relatively few graduate programs in the country that offers specialization in German literature, medieval philology, Germanic linguistics, and German applied linguistics.

3. Faculty. The Departmental graduate staff (currently 7-8 members) consists of a number of specialists who, as a group, represent the discipline in its entirety. The student will be exposed to both American and German-trained members. Each spring semester a Distinguished Max Kade Professor from Germany teaches in the Department. The Max-Kade Professorship provides a regular contact with outstanding German scholarship and adds intellectual profile to the campus community. The following scholars have held this position: Gerhard Storz, Stuttgart (1965), Heinz Otto Burger, Frankfurt (1966), Wilhelm Emrich, Berlin (1967), Friedrich Beissner, Tübingen (1970), Richard Alewyn, München (1971), Helmut Koopmann, Bonn (1972), Friedrich Sengle, München (1973), Lutz Röhrich, Freiburg (1974), Wilhelm Vosskamp, Bielefeld (1975), Jacob Steiner, Karlsruhe (1976 and 1983), Hans Eggers, Saarbrücken (1977), Ulrich Fülleborn, Erlangen (1978), Hans- Jürgen Schings, Würzburg (1981), Hartmut Steinecke, Paderborn (1984), Hugo Steger, Freiburg (1985), Jörg-Ulrich Fechner, Bochum (1986), Helmut Arntzen, Münster (1987), Uwe-K. Ketelsen, Bochum (1988), Hans Esselborn, Köln (1989), Bernd Witte, Aachen (1990), Rolf-Peter Janz, FU Berlin (1991), August Stahl, Saarbrücken (1992), Kurt Rein, München (1994), Hans-Gert Roloff, FU Berlin (1995), Walter Haug, Tübingen (1996), Burghard Dedner, Marburg (1997), Gert Sautermeister, Bremen (1998), Inge Stephan, Humboldt Berlin (1999), Klaus Mattheier, Heidelberg (2000), Irmela von der Lühe, Göttingen (2001).Ulrich Gaier, Konstanz (2002), Walter Erhart, Greifswald (2003), Ludwig Eichinger, Mannheim (2004), Per Øhrgaard, Copenhagen (2005), Wilfried Barner, Göttingen (2006), Irmela von der Lühe, Berlin (2007), Nina Berend, Heidelberg and Mannheim (2008), Dieter Lohmeier, Kiel (2009), Jan-Dirk Müller, München (2010).

4. Faculty and student research. Faculty members engage in various research activities in their areas of specialization. The Max Kade Center for German-American Studies is attached to the Department. Some staff members have been involved in editorial work for national organizations. Furthermore, the staff regularly participates as readers of research papers and as officers in professional organizations at the regional, national and international levels. Faculty and graduate students contribute to the Departmental Research Colloquia.

5. Graduate curriculum. The graduate curriculum is composed of six distinct groups of courses, which are designed for a learning process in three stages (introductory - general - specialized) in the three major areas of study: literature, philology, linguistics, and applied linguistics. Within the total number of approximately 40 graduate courses listed, the program emphasizes in-depth knowledge of German language and literature, specifically a thorough acquaintance with (1) the outstanding figures and works of German literature, (2) the historical dimension of literature, (3) the historical development of the language, (4) older language forms of the Germanic family, (5) the linguistic analysis of modern German and its dialects, and (6) the teaching of German as a foreign language.

6. Student training and participation in Departmental operation. Most graduate students are Graduate Teaching Assistants, who teach elementary courses under faculty supervision. This practical preparation for the teaching profession is an important dimension of our training program. Graduate students participate in the decision-making process by electing representatives to the Departmental Voting Staff and various Departmental committees.

7. Function in the State of Kansas. The University of Kansas is the only institution in the state offering the highest degree in the field. For students pursuing B.A. and M.A. degrees in other institutions in the state, our program represents the logical choice for advanced work. Through the Kansas Association of Teachers of German the Department maintains strong ties with high school and college German programs throughout Kansas. The Department sponsors public lectures and symposia. These are attended by residents of Kansas and Missouri within a 60-80 mile radius. The Max Kade Center for German-American Studies provides information concerning German-American cultural relations. Faculty also provide outreach through programs sponsored by the Kansas Humanities Council.