Graduate Programs
Admissions
Instructions
For admission, apply online at http://www.utexas.edu/student/giac. The following items are required:
- Completed online application.
- A non-refundable $50 processing fee for all U.S. applicants. This fee must accompany applications to all programs within the Graduate School. Students who are not U.S. citizens and who do not have resident-alien status are required to submit other materials and must pay a $75 processing fee. Follow the directions for foreign student application carefully.
- One official copy of the academic transcript from every senior college attended (including Scheine from German universities).
- One official copy of GRE scores.
- In addition, send the following materials to the Graduate Admissions, Department of Germanic Studies, The University of Texas at Austin, EPS 3.102, Austin, Texas 78712-1190:
- Three letters of recommendation on the appropriate forms;
- One official copy of the academic transcript from every senior college attended.
- A completed "Statement of Purpose." You may either submit it online with your application, or send it by mail directly to the Department.
- A writing sample, in English or German, that represents your abilities and interests.
Applicants who wish to apply for financial aid should mark question #18 of the Texas Common Application to indicate the type of award sought.
Requirements
The Graduate Program in the Department of Germanic Languages offers M.A. and Ph.D. degrees. A student may enter the program at either level (see further information at Degree Requirements). The minimum departmental requirements for admission are:
- B.A., ordinarily with a major in German or in an appropriate Germanic language. The Graduate and International Admissions Center determines degree equivalency to a B.A. for international students. For students from Germany we require the Zwischenprüfung plus an additional year of study at a German university, or 30 credit hours at an American university. The year's additional work must include 15 hours at the upper-division level in the student's intended major area of study and nine hours taken at the upper-division level in other areas. No more than six hours may be taken at the lower-division level.
- A 3.0 grade-point average in the upper-division courses of undergraduate work and any previous work in a graduate school.
- GRE scores that are not more than five years old.
- A passing grade on the TOEFL test for foreign students.
Students who do not meet these requirements may be admitted to the Graduate School with conditions assessed, such as specific courses to be taken or a specific GPA to be maintained. Students admitted with conditions cannot be appointed to assistantships until conditions are removed.
For those students who wish to enter the graduate program in Germanic Studies, but who have a bachelor's or master's degree in another field, the department uses as a guideline its own requirements for a B.A. in German which include, in part, twenty-four hours (eight courses) of third- or fourth-year German with a concentration in literature, language, and/or culture. For a complete listing of these requirements, see the catalog of the College of Liberal Arts. Other courses of study may also satisfy these requirements; contact the Graduate Advisor or Graduate Coordinator in case of doubt.