Applicants must have completed a Bachelor of Arts degree in German to be accepted into the M.A. program. Graduates of institutions in the United States must have a grade point average of at least 2.5 (or 3.0 in their senior year) and those with undergraduate degrees from institutions outside the United States should have a grade point average of at least 3.0. Consideration also will be given to applicants who do not have an undergraduate degree in German but do have the equivalent of an undergraduate major. Applicants whose native language is not English must demonstrate proficiency in English by achieving a score of at least 525 on the Test Of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) examination and by passing an English proficiency examination administered at the University before classes begin. Before being allowed to teach, candidates must pass the SPEAK Test administered at the University or present a score of 55 on the Test of Spoken English (TSE).
Admission requirements for the Ph.D. program are the same, except that a minimum grade point average of 3.0 is required to be accepted directly into the Ph.D. track. A college minor or the equivalent in a second language is recommended for prospective Ph.D. students who will choose that language as their area of second concentration.
Candidates must fulfill the general requirements for the M.A. as established by the Graduate School and described in the Graduate Catalog. They must complete a minimum of 30 semester hours of work beyond the bachelor's degree: 24 hours of approved course work, including 15 hours in courses numbered 500 and above, and 6 hours of independent and approved research, leading to a master's thesis in the area of German language or literature. The 500-level courses will generally include Literary Theory and Criticism and Bibliography and Methods.
The Ph.D. in Modern Foreign Languages with German as a first concentration is offered jointly by the Department of Germanic and Slavic Languages and the Department of Romance and Asian Languages. The purpose of the program is to meet the demand for college teachers who are qualified to teach more than one foreign language. Students who complete the program with a second concentration in another foreign language will be prepared to teach two foreign languages: German at the undergraduate and graduate levels, and either French, Italian, Russian, or Spanish at the elementary and intermediate levels. They also will be competent to conduct research and to direct programs in German, and in many cases they will be able to teach in the areas of comparative linguistics and comparative literature. Students who choose Applied Linguistics as a Second Concentration will be able to teach lower division introductory courses in linguistics.
In the Ph.D. program, Graduate Teaching Assistants are normally expected to enroll in 9 hours of graduate course work in language and literature per term and are expected to take at least 6 of the 9 hours in their first concentration. The remaining 3 hours may be taken in the second concentration or in some other area of secondary interest.
As a rule, Graduate Teaching Assistants studying for the M.A. and making normal progress toward a degree receive support for two years. Ph.D. level students can count on support for two years while completing course work and preparing for the preliminary examinations and two more years as they work on their dissertation. Support is often available to graduate students for attendance at professional meetings at which they will be reading papers.
The University's John C. Hodges Library, one of the nation's most technologically advanced facilities for scholarly research, acquires and services all necessary recorded information, both print and non-print, to meet the needs of the University's teaching, research, and service programs. Included among the holdings in Knoxville are more than two million books, approximately two million microforms, audio tapes, slides, video tapes, and more than 2.7 million documents. More than 18,000 periodical and serial titles are received annually. Included in the collection are the Faber du Faur Baroque collection (on microfilm), the Deutsche Bibliothek holdings (on microfiche), virtually all of the most important historical-critical editions of works and letters, and all important bibliographical studies.
A student must demonstrate competence in both German and the language of second concentration by taking a test in each language. The test will include reading, writing, listening, and speaking, and should be completed by the time the student reaches 40 hours of study beyond the bachelor's degree. Standardized examinations that may be used for this purpose include applicable portions of either the National Teachers Examination, or the proficiency standards for the United States Foreign Service Institute (FSI).
Basic competence (determined by a reading examination for translation into English administered by the department concerned) in a language other than that of the first and second concentration is required.
A comprehensive examination on German language and literature and on the second concentration must be passed before the student may be admitted to candidacy. The candidate will be required to defend his or her dissertation in an oral examination. Central emphasis is put on the doctoral dissertation as a final test of the candidate's scholarly qualifications.
Graduate Teaching Assistants in the program should have the opportunity and will be strongly encouraged to instruct in at least two foreign languages, subject to staffing needs and students' preparation.
Doctoral students will be strongly encouraged to reside and study abroad and will be assisted in identifying potential sources of financial support (e.g., Fulbright, McClure, Rotary Fellowships.)
Graduate Teaching Assistantships are available to both M.A. and Ph.D. candidates. The assistantships carry a stipend, plus remission of tuition and maintenance fees. Awards are based on merit; applications received before February 1 are given priority.
Graduate Teaching Assistants are expected to teach one to two courses per term during the regular academic year. Teaching loads depend on the needs of the departments, the level of study of the assistant, and the assistant's needs. Graduate Teaching Assistants in the Ph.D. program will be afforded the opportunity to instruct in both German and their second concentration language. The Department often invites Graduate Teaching Assistants to teach during the summer session for extra pay; whether they teach or not, summer tuition and maintenance fees are waived.
Candidates must fulfill the general requirements for the Ph.D. as established by the Graduate School and described in the Graduate Catalog. They must complete a minimum of 63 semester hours of course work beyond the bachelor's degree in addition to 24 hours of independent and approved doctoral research leading to a dissertation. The course work must be distributed as follows: (1) at least 39 hours in German (2) at least 18 hours in the second concentration; and (3) at least 6 hours in a cognate field.
First Concentration. It will consist of a minimum of 39 semester hours in German beyond the bachelor's degree, distributed as follows:
1) A maximum of 6 hours of 400-level classes taken for the M.A. may be applied.
2) A minimum of 21 hours at the 500 level (exclusive of thesis hours) including 3 hours of Literary Criticism (German 560); 3 hours of Teaching a Foreign Language (German 512); 3 hours of Bibliography and Methods of Research (German 519 and 520).
3) At least 12 hours at the 600 level (exclusive of dissertation hours).
Second Concentration. French, Italian, Russian, Spanish, or Applied Linguistics. It will consist of at least 18 hours of courses beyond the bachelor's degree, at least 12 of which must be at the 500 or 600 level.
Cognate Field. The 6 hours must be in courses numbered 400 and above and in a field outside the candidate's first concentration but related to his or her principal area of research. Students choosing Applied Linguistics as a second concentration are strongly urged to take their cognate work in a second language.
The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, does not discriminate on the basis of race, sex, color, religion, national origin, age, handicap, or veteran status in provision of educational opportunities or employment opportunities and benefits.
UT Knoxville does not discriminate on the basis of sex or handicap in its educational programs and activities, pursuant to requirements of Title IX of the Educational Amendments of 1972, Public Law 92-318, and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Public Law 93-112, and the Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990, Public Law 101-336, respectively. This policy extends to both employment by and admission to the University.
Inquiries concerningTitle IX, Section 504, and the Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990 should be directed to the Office of Diversity Resources & Educational Services (DRES), 1818 Lake Avenue, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee 37996-3650; or telephone (423) 974-2498. Charges of violation of the above policy should also be directed to the Office of Diversity Resources & Educational Services (DRES).
An application form for admission to the Graduate School is included in the Graduate Catalog, which also contains all pertinent information concerning the policies of the University of Tennessee, Knoxville Graduate School. To receive a copy of the Graduate Catalog, please write to:
Graduate Admissions and Records
218 Student Service Building
The University of Tennessee, Knoxville
Knoxville, TN 37996-0220
Telephone: (423) 974-3251
To apply for a Graduate Teaching Assistantship, please write to:
Prof. David Lee, Department Head
Germanic and Slavic Languages
701 McClung Tower
The University of Tennessee, Knoxville
Knoxville, TN 37996-0470
Telephone: (423) 974-3421
Telefax: (423) 974-7096
Internet: DLEE@UTKVX.UTK.EDU
Further information on financial aid may be obtained by writing to:
Financial Aid
115 Student Service Building
The University of Tennessee, Knoxville
Knoxville, TN 37996-0210
Telephone: (423) 974-3131