Graduate Program

The PhD Program in Germanic Langauges and Literatures provides students admitted into the program with full financial support for a minimum of five years as long as the student remains in good academic standing. Funding includes full tuition remission and a generous stipend ($36,050 in 2024-25, over 12 months).

Students in the MA in German and Higher Education Administration receive a full tuition remission as well as a generous stipend to cover living expenses. All graduate students are also eligible to apply for additional funding for conference participation and research abroad.

In addition, departmental funding, students can apply for competitive university fellowships with enhanced funding for outstanding students in select target groups. Visit the Office of Graduate Studies in Arts & Sciences website for more funding information.

The German Program at Washington University provides graduate students with exceptional training and mentoring for their teaching both here at Washington University and in their future careers. Our students have an opportunity to assist with and teach a wide variety of courses, including introductory through advanced German, as well as courses in Comparative Literature, Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies, and Film and Media Studies. At the beginning of their teaching experience, students work in close collaboration with the Foreign Language Pedagogy specialist, as well as other faculty members, who serve in a variety of capacities as mentors and advisers. As they gain more experience and prove themselves, students have the opportunity to teach their own courses under the supervision of a faculty mentor.

The German Program also offers its graduate students an opportunity to do semester-long internships (Mentored Professional Experiences, or MPEs) to help them develop skills that translate across professional fields. MPEs may take place on or off campus in the St Louis area. Recent placements include Arts & Sciences College Office, Olin Library, Special Collections, Center for the Humanities, Public Scholarship, Missouri Botanical Garden, Missouri History Museum. Students will be matched according to their scholarly interests and/or the professional skills they are looking to develop.

For more information about our pedagogy program for graduate students and the MTE and MPE requirements for the degree, please contact our Director of Graduate Studies.