Modality
On Campus
Program URL
https://cges.georgetown.edu/academics/mages/degree-options/mages-phd-german/
At the conclusion of the two-year Master of Arts in and European Studies (MAES) program, students will have acquired broad knowledge of European affairs, drawing on a range of disciplinary perspectives and their methodologies. They will have an appreciation and mastery of interdisciplinary analysis of European affairs, which entails among other things a capacity to interpret and apply theory within and across disciplines and to draw conclusions among discrete elements of a problem.
MAES graduates will have the ability to integrate academic and practical knowledge, and to demonstrate expertise in a self-designed area of European affairs. Students will acquire valuable skills in oral communication, critical writing, and original (including collaborative) research, and improve their mastery of two European languages. Taken together, their newly acquired proficiencies enable them to be informed participants in the transatlantic dialogue.
CGES and the Department of German offer a joint course of study leading to a MAES/Ph.D. in German. Dual degree students save roughly one year of taking course work by pursuing the two degrees simultaneously, while still receiving full preparation in both their discipline and regional studies.
Academic Policies
Students in the European Studies and the German joint program are expected to comply with the polices outlined in the University Bulletin.
Program Requirements
The curriculum includes a total of three years (66 credits) of course work drawn from the MAES program and the Department of German. This dual program is designed for students who aspire to doctoral study in German and wish to complement their inquiry with a broader understanding of the economies, cultures, history, politics and international relations of contemporary Germany and Europe. At the Ph.D. level, students direct their studies in one of two field concentrations: Literary and Cultural Studies or Linguistic and Cultural Studies.
Candidates complete all requirements for both the Ph.D. in German and the MAES degree requirements with the following variations:
- MAES free elective course work must be comprised of required courses from the Department of German.
- Students must pass the MAES second foreign language examination prior to taking departmental comprehensive examinations.
European Studies
Students must complete 42 credits of coursework, including the six core courses (18 credits) and 24 credits of free electives with a minimum grade point average of 3.000. Additionally, students are required to demonstrate oral proficiency in one European language other than English, pass an oral comprehensive exam, and complete a Capstone project to be presented at the MAES Colloquium.
German
Ph.D. students usually take 17 courses in six semesters, including a minimum of two courses in German Applied Linguistics, one of which is a required course in Second Language Teaching and Learning. First year students may take courses in the German department only. Students take a regular course load of nine credits: three graduate level courses, one of which is “Fundamentals of Teaching towards Advanced Literacy in a Foreign Language.” Thereafter students may take no more than one course per semester in another department with approval of advisor, with the exception of SLA students who may occasionally take more than one course in the Linguistics Department.
Required Examinations
European Studies
Students are required to pass an oral language proficiency exam in one European language, as well as an oral comprehensive exam at the conclusion of the program.
German
At the end of their course work, students will take the PhD qualifying exam that consists of an oral and written component. (The student’s advisor will coordinate all logistical aspects of the exam.) Both parts of the exam are designed to assess comprehensive knowledge and intellectual engagement as defined above. Particular emphasis is placed on an examinee’s preparedness to perform independent research. Students are expected to demonstrate their qualifications as generalists and as specialists in a given research area. Successful completion of the examination will assist them in identifying a dissertation topic. Students who have successfully completed the exam present the results of the written exam (i.e., the literature review) at a public event and advance to PhD candidacy.
Thesis Requirements
European Studies
While students do not write a traditional thesis, they are required to complete a research project during the Capstone course taken at the end of the program.
German
The Dissertation proposal, approved by the dissertation committee, should be submitted to the Graduate School during the same semester in which the student presents the literature review.
The Department accepts two dissertation formats: the monograph form; or a series of five related projects and a reflective essay. Both formats demonstrate the student’s ability to perform independent and original scholarship. The second format (five related projects) requires particularly close consultation with the advisor and the dissertation committee.
Upon successful completion of the dissertation, a two-hour dissertation defense is scheduled. The defense consists of the student’s presentation of dissertation research and results (approx. 20 minutes), followed by comments and questions from the dissertation committee and the public. Once the requested revisions are completed and approved by the advisor, the dissertation is submitted to the Graduate School.
