Graduate Program

The UC Davis German Department provides its graduate students with a solid basis of erudition while encouraging innovative and multidisciplinary pursuits. Our students often combine the doctoral program in German Literature with interdisciplinary Designated Emphases in Classics and Classical Receptions, Critical Theory, Feminist Theory and Research, and Second Language Acquisition. The rigorous yet flexible M.A. and Ph.D. programs offer in-depth specialization in theoretical and historical problems pertaining to German literature and thought, as well as a track designed for those interested primarily in linguistics. The approximate time to degree is 2 years for M.A. students and 5 for Ph.D. students.

The UC Davis German Department believes in the scholar-teacher model. We are as committed to mentoring our graduate students as we are to publishing. In fact, during a recent review of our graduate program, invidivualized mentoring was mentioned as one of our outstanding accomplishments. In addition to providing the best possible education we can, we give our students a good deal of individual attention. We are committed to helping our students with their first publications and with the job search. We also offer pedagogy seminars and mentor students with regard to language instruction. As a result, those who have graduated with a Ph.D. from the UC Davis German Department have been successful in obtaining faculty positions at colleges and universities across the nation, such as Brandeis University, Bucknell University, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, DePauw University, Duke University, Emory University, Miami University, Middlebury College, University of Georgia, University of Pennsylvania, UC Santa Barbara, St. Louis, and Washington University.

The graduate community at UC Davis values a diversity of viewpoints, backgrounds, and experiences among its students with the knowledge that a diverse student body strengthens the research, scholarship, and teaching of all members of our community. As a part of our commitment to diversity there are numerous resources, events, and professional staff positioned to meet the needs of our diverse graduate students as they achieve their professional, educational, and career goals. Please feel free to contact Dr. Josephine Moreno at mjmoreno@ucdavis.edu, UC Davis’ Graduate Diversity Officer for Humanities, Arts, Social Sciences and Education, with any questions or concerns regarding diversity in Graduate Studies. For the latest on Grad Diversity initiatives please visit our homepage at https://grad.ucdavis.edu/diversityGradDiversity

For inquiries about the German graduate program, please contact Prof. Sven-Erik Rose (serose@ucdavis.edu) or contact the Graduate Program Office at 530-752-2239.