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All questions concerning the subject/degree:German Studies - Dual-Subject Bachelor's Programme
Within the scope of the Dual-subject Bachelor, you can take German Studies
- as a Major (90 ECTS credits) combined with a Minor
- as a primary or secondary dual subject (60 ECTS credits) or
- as a Minor (30 ECTS credits) combined with a Major
German Studies can be studied either in connection with a non-teaching career goal or as a professional teaching qualification. If you want to become a teacher, you must follow the combinations of subjects for each teaching position.
Orientation and Goals
German Studies encompasses the study of the German language and literature, as well as teaching and learning the German language as a mother tongue or a foreign language. It is comprised of the sub-disciplines literature studies, linguistics, didactics, German as a foreign language, and medieval studies (German language and literature in the middle ages and the early modern period).
German Studies is a very popular subject at the University of Oldenburg. Out of 16,000 students, 2,000 have opted for German Studies, of which the larger part intend to qualify as teachers.
The focus of research includes literary studies, especially literature from around 1800 (Hölderlin, Kleist, the reception of Faust), modern and post-modern literature, children's and youth literature from the enlightenment to the present, including children's media (picture books, film), as well as literary theory and issues relating to gender and cultural studies. Research focuses in Medieval Studies include historical witnesses to the Minnesingers, the medieval literary tradition in East Prussia, the correspondence of the Brothers Grimm and the history of German Studies as a discipline. Research focuses in linguistics include linguistic systems, and at this time especially graphemics, or the German writing system, as well as morphology. Another research focus concerns variations of intonation in High German, Low German, Dutch, and Saterland Frisian. The linguistics section has also integrated the topic 'Low German and Saterland Frisian' into its teaching and research (http://www.niederdeutsch.uni-oldenburg.de/index.html ). The German as a Foreign Language component focuses on the relationship between state monolingualism and societal multilingualism, as well as, in cooperation with Intercultural Education, problems with intercultural communication in teaching German.
Foreign Language Skills
Students who intend to acquire a Bachelor of German Studies must provide evidence of their skills in one foreign language.
Students who intend to acquire a Master of Education for teaching in the Gymnasium, Master of Arts German Studies or Master of Arts German as a Foreign Language / German as a Second Language must provide evidence of their skills in two foreign languages by the time of registration for the Master's thesis.
In order to study this course at the University of Oldenburg as a student from outside of Germany, you need an adequate knowledge of German.
German Language Proficiency
You can proof your German language proficiency with the following language certificates:
- DSH: Deutsche Sprachprüfung für den Hochschulzugang (Level 2)
- TestDaF: Test – Deutsch als Fremdsprache (with level 4 in all four areas)
The proof of language proficiency must be presented for the enrolment. For other proof possiblities see: Language requirements
Careers and Areas of Employment
Graduates of German Studies seek careers in such fields as adult education and in public as well as private schools. The media sector (press, radio, film, and television) as well as publishing offer wide variety of opportunities.
Students may go on to further study at the master's level, graduating with either a Master of Education or a Master of Arts. The former qualifies students for school teaching, whereas the latter puts a greater emphasis on the technical aspects of the subject and serves as the basis for a career outside of teaching.
Target Group/Admission Requirements
International applicants who received their prior education abroad should apply online through uni-assist. For further details see: Application for international students
Application/Admission Procedures
This course of studies accepts a limited number of applicants, and application is only possible in the winter semester.
The application deadline for the winter semester is 15 July.
Overview application deadlines Dual-Subject Bachelor's programmes
Further Information
General questions: Coordinator for Academics and Teaching: studienkoordination.fk3@uol.de