Department of German
UW-Madison
College of Letters & Science

Graduate Program Booklet: The Master's Degree

The M.A. degree in German requires 24 credits of coursework at the graduate level (8 courses) and the Master’s examination. Students select either literature or linguistics as their field of concentration. All students complete the following four courses:

German 650: History of the German Language
German 651: Introduction to Middle High German
one course from the series 703, 708, 709
a second literature course (which may be a second course from the series 703, 708, 709)

Four additional courses are required and selected in consultation with the M.A. advisor according to field of concentration (literature or linguistics):

three elective courses appropriate for the M.A. at the 600 or 700 level
a seminar in literature (947, 948, 949) or linguistics (960 or 970)

The M.A. examination is both the capstone of M.A.-level course work and the qualifying examination for continuation toward the Ph.D. degree. It consists of two parts: a 3.5 hour written examination and a one-hour oral examination which test specific knowledge gained in courses completed during the M.A. studies as well as general knowledge of the field. The exam is administered twice each academic year, usually in December and May. While the written exam may be in English or German, at least one section of the oral examination must be held in German. Conversely, for native speakers of German, one section must be held in English. Candidates may opt to write a Master's Thesis instead of taking the written portion of the M.A. exam.

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