PhD in German Studies

The diversity of our faculty’s research and the breadth of our resources makes the PhD program in German studies the destination of scholars from a wide range of backgrounds. Our strengths are in interdisciplinary literary and cultural studies, with specialties in gender, sexuality, German ethnic diversity, art, performance, history, and transnationalism. Our resources also include the DEFA Film Library, the Yiddish Book Center, and our global exchange programs.

We are committed to funding our students through the timely completion of the degree, primarily through teaching assistantships. Students have great flexibility in the choice of concentration and coursework, and can pursue graduate certificates in a range of fields, such as film studies, African diaspora, and women, gender, sexuality studies.

With the completion of their coursework, our PhD students take exams in four fields before continuing to their dissertation. The content of these fields is flexible, ranging from film and media studies and medieval poetry to Holocaust historiography and social and literary theory. For their dissertations, students can pursue any field relevant to German studies, with program approval