Why Study German?

Our German studies minor prepares students to become active participants in an increasingly globalized and multicultural world and equipped for personal and professional success. German is the world’s third largest exporting economy and a vital business partner with the United States. Significant corporate leaders are based in Germany, Austria and Switzerland—BMW, Bayer, Volkswagen, Adidas, Puma, Bosch, Hugo Boss, Löwenbräu, Beck’s, Red Bull, Lufthansa, Swatch, Lindt, Nestlé, TAG Heuer, Swarovski, and Steinway & Sons.

The Department of World Languages and Cultures is not actively offering the language courses that are required to complete this minor. Students can complete this portion of the requirements through study abroad, transfer from an approved institution, or by examination.

Program Requirements

Why Study German?

Studying German provides students with all of the academic and personal development benefits of foreign language study. In addition, German is an important world language, especially in Europe, where more people speak German as their native language (approximately 100 million) than English, French, Italian, or Spanish. German is spoken in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. It also ranks as the major second language spoken by Eastern Europeans, even above English. Germans are a powerhouse in the European Union, and German companies have a global reach, with more than one thousand German companies in the United States.

Further, knowing German will give you access to a rich body of knowledge in many disciplines. German is not only the language of many great thinkers, artists, writers, and scientists (think of Einstein, Nietzsche, Freud, Marx, Kafka), it also plays an important role in the arts (such as its many Expressionist artists and classical composers), and in our world history. Studies in any of these fields will be enhanced by a knowledge of German.

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