German
From Mozart to Conchita Wurst, from Christmas markets to the Bundesliga, from Goethe to Herta Müller, cultural exports from the German-speaking world have made a huge international impact. And in Europe, where more people speak German as a first language than any other, understanding German language and culture has never been more important, whatever your goal.
German at St Andrews is proud of being a friendly and welcoming department with a strong sense of community and a supportive atmosphere. The Department has a flourishing German Society, an intake of around 80 undergraduates each year and a strong postgraduate presence. The Department’s long-standing links with the universities of Bonn and Vienna provide popular opportunities to study abroad.
The Department of German offers degrees for beginners as well as for those who studied German as a main subject at school. Staff offer teaching across their wide-ranging research expertise, including:
- medieval German culture
- literature and society from the 1700s to the present day
- translation studies
- intellectual history
- memory studies
- East Germany
- film studies
- gender and queer studies.
The Department of German was ranked 2nd in the UK in The Complete University Guide 2020. Our School of Modern Languages was ranked 2nd in The Guardian University League Tables 2020.
Why study German?
Graduates in German are consistently sought after by employers: a degree in German opens up a wide range of career opportunities, from journalism and international relations to start-ups.
You can combine German with one or two other languages, or with a range of other subjects, from history, English or theology to international relations, management or mathematics. St Andrews is one of the few institutions in the UK that offers such an imaginative, challenging, modern and diverse approach to the study of German.