Graduate Program

Georgetown offers a rigorous academic program that responds to the broadening career goals of today’s graduate students.

We are committed to preparing PhD and MA students for the highest levels of scholarship in research and teaching and for a range of career paths in academia and other professional contexts. Many of our program features reflect the recommendations of the 2014 MLA report on Doctoral Study, as we for instance offer a course on Writing Toward Publication.  

Drawing on the broad range of expertise of the faculty at Georgetown, the graduate program provides a wide array of courses, an excellent foundation of German literature and culture from the 18th century to the present, and fosters critical and interdisciplinary approaches to more specialized areas of inquiry.

All graduate students receive extensive preparation for teaching and are involved in various aspects of curriculum development and assessment, often in collaboration with faculty members.

Students who plan to pursue research in Second Language Acquisition (SLA) also benefit from the SLA concentration across several departments at Georgetown.

Our commitment to individual mentoring and to generous year-round support makes completion of the PhD in five years not only highly desirable but also financially and academically feasible.

Other program features include: attention to non-native speakers in attaining high levels of ability in German; graduate exchanges with the Universities of Trier and Dresden; and generous assistance for students in presenting work at conferences.