What Graduate Degrees Are Available in the Georgetown Department of German?

The Georgetown Department of German offers three graduate degree paths: a standalone M.A. in German, a Ph.D. in German, and a joint MAGES/Ph.D. degree run with the BMW Center for German and European Studies. All three sit within a department that describes its graduate environment as "challenging yet supportive," and all are built on the same interdisciplinary study of the German-speaking world that defines the department as a whole. If you are deciding between a terminal master's, a research doctorate, or a policy-oriented joint degree, the choice comes down to how much you want German studies to sit alongside European affairs coursework.

The three degree options

The department presents the M.A. and Ph.D. as its two graduate-level tracks, with the joint degree as an additional route. It does not publish degree-specific course lists, credit counts, or timelines on the pages summarized here, so anyone comparing the three should go to the graduate program requirements page for the actual structure.

What shapes the graduate experience

Two features of the department apply across all graduate degrees and are worth weighing before you apply:

• Interdisciplinary scope. The department describes its work as a comprehensive, interdisciplinary exploration of the German-speaking world, covering language alongside literature and culture. Faculty research areas listed by the department include gender and performance, notions of belonging and Heimat, visual culture and digital humanities, cultural negotiations of economic concepts, globalization, and multiple literacies in Second Language Acquisition.
• Intellectual life beyond coursework. The department invites speakers and hosts an annual Max Kade professor from a German-speaking country, alternating between a visiting scholar and a writer-in-residence. This is a department-level activity rather than a degree-specific one, so it applies to graduate students generally.

The joint MAGES/Ph.D. is the option that most directly reflects the department's stated aim of preparing students to engage with the German-speaking world "both academically and professionally" — it pairs the German doctorate with the BMW Center's European studies curriculum.

How to check requirements and get answers

The department points to a dedicated M.A. & Ph.D. Requirements page for the specifics of each degree, and to the BMW Center for German and European Studies for the joint program. Those are the authoritative sources for coursework, milestones, and application expectations; the department's overview pages do not carry that detail.

For questions, the department names two contacts:

• Professor Mary Helen Dupree, Department Chair and Director of Undergraduate Studies — general matters and undergraduate concerns.
• Professor Joe Cunningham, Director of Graduate Studies — M.A. and Ph.D. studies, as well as general matters and undergraduate concerns.

The department also maintains an email list for information on events and activities related to the study of German language and literature, which you can subscribe to if you want to follow the department before or during the application process.

A practical way to decide

If your goal is a research career in German studies, the Ph.D. is the direct route. If you want a master's-level grounding in the field without committing to a doctorate, the M.A. is the standalone option. If your interests sit at the intersection of German studies and European policy or institutions, the MAGES/Ph.D. is the one to investigate first — but confirm the current requirements and application process with the BMW Center, since the joint degree is administered across two units. In every case, start with the M.A. & Ph.D. Requirements page and, if anything is unclear, email Professor Cunningham as Director of Graduate Studies.