German Language and Culture for the Professions Major and Minor
Study the German language and learn about the social and cultural history of the German-speaking world. As you become fluent, you’ll not only understand the connections between language and culture, you’ll begin to open a wide range of career opportunities.
Why Study German Language and Culture for the Professions at Albion?
Our German Languages and Cultures for the Professions major is intended for pre-professionals who want to learn the language and attain cultural knowledge of a particular country of interest. The communication skills you’ll learn and cultural insights you’ll gain will help you thrive across many professions in a global economy.
Students who bring German language skills with them to Albion, and who successfully complete an interview with a professor, may choose a “fast track” language program at an approved summer institution domestically or language/internship program abroad during the summer after their first year. Contact the Department of Modern Languages and Cultures for more information.
What Will You Learn as a German Language and Culture for the Professions Major?
In your first courses you will develop the four skills—listening, speaking, reading and writing—you’ll need to effectively function within a German-speaking environment. As you practice with more sophisticated dialogues and readings, you’ll expand your cross-cultural understanding through more enhanced interpersonal, interpretive and presentational communication.
Upper-level courses will enable you to explore selected global issues and develop communication skills that are vital for any professional in a German-speaking work setting.
Program Highlights
Experience Opportunities
Fluency in more than one language and understanding other cultures are essential skills for living and working in our increasingly internationalized world. While practicing and mastering your German outside of the classroom–weekly meetings with Native Speaker Teaching Assistants, living in the I-Space, studying abroad–you will discover how people in other parts of the world think and express their ideas and beliefs.
Internship
A specific requirement for the German Language and Culture for the Professions major, an internship abroad or a documented internship-like experience abroad, approved by faculty, provides a fantastic opportunity to put your German to everyday use in a professional setting.
Scholarships and Awards
Interested in German and engineering or science? The Research Internships in Science and Engineering (RISE) program is an academic exchange service program sponsored by the German government to fund English-speaking undergraduate students to work as interns for German doctoral degree candidates. Contact the Department of Modern Languages and Cultures to learn more.
Honors Thesis
Students majoring in German Language and Culture for the Professions who are also members of the College’s Prentiss M. Brown Honors Program can construct an original research project as a capstone to their undergraduate studies at Albion. Eighty percent of Honors students go on to graduate or professional school after graduation.
