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German Master's Degree Programs

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The German Program in the Department of International Literary and Cultural Studies offers two courses of study leading to a master's degree.

  1. The M.A. in German requires two academic years and is designed to prepare students for doctoral work in German or to provide career enhancement for fields such as international business or law, media and communications, library science.
     
  2. The M.A. in German with Teaching Licensure requires two academic years plus one summer, is offered in conjunction with the Education Department and designed to prepare highly qualified secondary school teachers.

Both master's programs offer a wide range of courses in language, literature, and culture.

(In conjunction with the German Program, the Education Department also offers a M.A.T. German as a Foreign Language. For more information and application materials, please contact the Education Department).

M.A. in German

Mission Statement
The master's program in German is designed for students who wish to deepen their knowledge of German language and culture beyond the bachelor’s level. The degree provides cultural enrichment and important career enhancement for fields such as international business, law, media and communication, and library science.

Next to high-level language skills, students will learn about cultural literacy and cross-cultural competency by being introduced to a wide range of both older and contemporary literary works and other cultural information through films and current websites. Students will develop an understanding of cultural developments in the German-speaking countries, their historical contexts, and their relations to other countries outside the German-speaking world, especially to the U.S.

Working with primary and secondary sources, students will practice text analysis in order to increase their nuanced thinking and sensitivity to cultural subtleties. At the end of the program each student completes one written and one oral M.A.-level exam.

Students can choose to study the first year in Tübingen, Germany, or they can spend both years on the Tufts Medford Campus.

Requirements
The master's program in German takes 2 years with the following distribution of requirements:

Eight graduate level courses, the colloquium, and comprehensive written and oral examinations. Entering students will be provided with a reading list for use in preparing for the comprehensive examinations. It is the basis for the work of the colloquium and complements coursework.

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M.A. in German with Teaching Licensure

Mission Statement
By joining this program, students will develop skills and knowledge regarding the German-speaking countries (including literature, history, thought, and contemporary society). They will develop both strong language competency and the ability to conduct original research and write graduate-level research papers.

In the licensure program, through added courses from the Education Department at Tufts, the students will also acquire knowledge of pedagogical theory, best practices, current issues in education, and adolescent development.

Through supervised teaching (the Preservice Practicum), which takes place in the spring semester of the second year, the students will acquire the ability to plan curriculum, deliver effective instruction, manage classroom climate, promote equity, and meet professional responsibilities.

They will demonstrate advanced language skills and cultural knowledge on one written and one oral M.A. exam at the end of the second year and one licensure exam for educators for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts (the MTEL).

Students can choose to study the first year in Tübingen, Germany, or they can spend both years on the Tufts Medford Campus.

Requirements
The master's program in German with Teaching Licensure takes 2 years plus one summer with the following distribution of requirements:

Course Requirements: 14 Courses
6 Course Credits in Education consisting of:
1 Introductory Course:
  • ED 101 Introduction to Teaching in Middle and Secondary School
    (includes a pre-practicum experience)

1 Course in Human Development and Learning:

  • ED 130 Human Development and Learning
  • ED 230 Foundations of Learning, Cognition, and Academic Intervention

1 Course in the Social, Cultural and Historical Foundations of Education:

  • ED 160 Post-colonial Theories
  • ED 161 Anthropology and Sociology of Schooling
  • ED 162 Critical Histories of U.S. Education
  • ED 163 Philosophies
  • ED 167 Critical Race Theory

1 Course in Exceptionalities in Learning:

  • ED 142 Education of the Exceptional Child

1 Student Teaching: (2 course credits)

  • ED 102 Supervised Teaching in Middle and Secondary School and Seminar

2 Courses in Second Language Teaching (will count for ED and GER):

  • ED 114 Linguistic Approaches to Second Language Acquisition
    (Cross listed with German GER 114 and Modern Languages ML 114)
  • GER 124 Practice of Teaching: German

Questions about the program should be addressed to the following faculty members:

Program Director/Director of Graduate Studies Markus Wilczek, Olin 314, 617-627-2576
Language Course Coordinator Saskia Stoessel, Olin 335, 617-627-5635

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