MA Germanic Studies (Research Track)

About the course

1 year full-time/2 years part-time

The Research Track of the Germanic Studies MA will prepare you for doctoral research and improves your chances of obtaining funding from the AHRC and other funding bodies.

You'll develop a critical understanding of the most important current issues and controversies within Germanic studies.

You choose one specialised area within the general field of Germanic Studies (for instance German politics, 19th and 20th-century German and Dutch literature, German thought, German and Dutch linguistics or Luxembourg studies). Such focus will give you in-depth knowledge and the capacity for independent investigation and critical analysis.

Entry requirements

You'll need a good 2:1 degree or equivalent in an appropriate subject. We'll consider your application if you have other qualifications, as long as you can provide evidence of very strong motivation for research in Germanic Studies.

You should include a short written account of your academic interests and motivation in your application, along with samples of previous written work. You should expect to attend an interview.

English language requirements for overseas students

Overall IELTS grade of 7.0 with a minimum of 6.5 in each component, or equivalent.

Entry requirements for international students

Core modules

• Research Methods in Modern Languages
• Introduction to Research Methods in Germanic Studies
• Dissertation support (including PhD proposal and funding application, where appropriate)
• Dissertation

Optional modules

• Approaches to German Intellectual History
• Approaches to Nineteenth-Century German Literary Studies
• Approaches to Twentieth-Century German Literary Writing
• Approaches to Post-War German Politics
• Approaches to Spoken Language Analysis
• Approaches to Comparative Germanic Linguistics
• Approaches to Dutch Literature since 1945
• Approaches to Modern German Political Culture
• Approaches to Dutch Linguistics
• Directed reading

Teaching

• Small group seminars (on average two to three students)
• One-on-one supervisions

Assessment

Assessment depends on the module.

• Research Methods in Modern Languages is assessed by a 2,750-word review of a text in your chosen area, as if for publication in a suitable journal (including initial draft, revisions, adapting to journal house style and copy-editing).
• Introduction to Research Methods in Germanic Studies is assessed by a 3,000-word essay.
• Each optional module requires a 6,000-word essay.
• Dissertation support is assessed by a 3,000-word PhD or dissertation proposal and preliminary literature review.
• Your final dissertation will be 15,000–18,000 words.

Fees and funding

For information about funding opportunities for postgraduate study, please visit the department's website.

Fees and funding – Department of Germanic Studies

Financial information for postgraduate taught courses

Any questions?

If you'd like to know more about any aspect of our courses, contact us:

E: k.horner@sheffield.ac.uk
T: +44 (0)114 222 4909

Why your masters matters

You'll study in a lively, sociable and intellectually stimulating environment. We are a relatively large department, with nine permanent academics, a DAAD Lektor, an Österreich-Kooperation Lektor, and numerous language assistants and research associates. Our teaching is informed by new developments in the field and by our strong interdisciplinary outlook.

Your degree is rooted in our long and distinguished history of research. Our expertise spans Germanic languages, literature and society from the Enlightenment to the present day. Our research is world-leading and internationally recognised, and our teaching is excellent.

Fortnightly research seminars bring together students, Departmental staff and visiting academics from the UK and abroad.

First-class facilities

We're based in modern premises at the heart of the University campus. Shared with the School of Languages and Cultures, and the Schools of English and History, the building is designed with student needs in mind, and features modern flexible learning, teaching and research spaces.

There are designated postgraduate areas. You'll have access to laser printing and photocopying, book-ordering and research-travel support. Our library has a wide range of materials, including major collections in modern literary, cultural and social studies, nineteenth-century German studies, contemporary German theatre and drama, Germanic linguistics, Dutch studies and Luxembourg studies.

Our expertise spans Germanic languages, literature, society and thought from the Enlightenment to the present day.

Excellent training

Your course will train you in the techniques you need to prepare, write and present your work. You'll also learn about research principles and ethics, interview techniques, formulating professional applications and the academic job market.

Other Germanic Studies MA pathway

Programme Track

Apply now

You can apply for postgraduate study using our Postgraduate Online Application Form. It is a quick and easy process.

Postgraduate Online Application Form