Our strengths are in interdisciplinary literary and cultural studies, including Black German Studies, Cultural and Intellectual History, Film Studies, GDR Studies, Gender and Sexuality Studies, German-Jewish Studies, Holocaust Studies, Medieval Studies, Minority Studies, Theater and Performance Studies, Transnationalism, and Turkish German Studies. (Learn more about our faculty's research and teaching expertise here!) We are home to the DEFA Film Library, a research center focusing on films related to East Germany. Our resources are enhanced by the Five Colleges, the Yiddish Book Center, and exchange programs with universities in Germany, Sweden, Denmark, and Austria. UMass offers language instruction in German, Yiddish, and Middle High German.

In addition to offering a diverse range of graduate seminars, the German Studies graduate program provides training in language pedagogy, research support, and opportunities for professional development.

Admitted students can receive a multi-year funding package in the form of teaching assistantships, which include full tuition credit, health insurance, and an annual stipend. For more information on graduate assistantships and benefits, see the Graduate School Funding Policies & Procedures page and the Graduate Employee Organization (GEO) website. German Studies graduate students teach beginning- and intermediate-level German courses and may have opportunities to assist in lecture courses on topics like the Holocaust, teach for other UMass programs and departments, and work with the DEFA Film Library.

Our MA and PhD graduates include many prominent scholars and teachers worldwide. Click here for a list of recent placements and here for recent PhD dissertations.

Interested in graduate programs in German Studies at UMass? Please view our application information page, and contact the Graduate Program Director to discuss the program, your interests, and the application process.

Graduate Program Director: Mariana Ivanova (@email)