German Studies, Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)

Doctoral students must complete 24 credits of coursework beyond the master's degree over a period of at least one year at the University of Maryland in addition to 12 credits of doctoral dissertation research. Other doctoral requirements include:

1. a reading skill examination in a language other than English or German, which may be another Germanic language or a language related to the candidate's research;
2. comprehensive written examinations;
3. presentation of the dissertation, an original study in the field of specialization on a topic approved by the adviser and the examining committee; and
4. the oral defense of the dissertation (one to two hours)