Program Overview

German Studies BA

Overview

Guten Tag! Learning German at school may have meant a lot of vocab and navigating tricky tenses, but at uni we go beyond that. This course will allow you to bring your German up to a professional level (even those who start as beginners) while immersing yourself in German culture, history and society.

Qualification and Entry Requirements

• Qualification: BA Hons
• Entry Requirements: ABB
• UCAS code: R220
• Duration: 4 years full-time
• Start Date: September 2026

Fees

• Fees: £9,535*
• For full details including fees for part-time students and reduced fees during your time studying abroad or on placement (where applicable), see our fees page.

Course Overview

You can study German at Nottingham as a beginner or as someone who has already gained an A-level in the language. Over the first two years, you’ll follow either the ‘beginner’ or ‘advanced’ pathway, but everyone reaches the same level of professional proficiency by the end of the course.

Why Choose This Course?

• Top ten for German in the UK in The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2025
• Beginners welcome! – Start learning a language from scratch on our beginners' pathway.
• 85% of students graduated with either a 1st or 2:1 from the Department of Modern Languages and Cultures in 2023
• Access job opportunities in one of Europe's largest national economies by studying German
• Spend a year abroad immersing yourself in the German language and culture
• Great teaching - 91% of students from the Department of Modern Languages and Cultures said the teaching staff were good at explaining things (NSS 2024)
• Tailor the course to your personal interests or career aspirations through our wide selection of modules
• Work with our dedicated Faculty of Arts Placements Team to assist with your employability skills development via a range of placements, internships and volunteering opportunities

Language Study

• You may be able to choose to study another language as part of this degree.
• Learning another language can open career opportunities around the globe and enriches your CV.
• It could also help you in your studies by being able to access learning materials in other languages.

Indicative Modules

• Year one:
  • German language learning pathways
  • Language, Communication, and Society
  • Introduction to Translation and Interpreting
  • Twentieth-Century Germany
  • Germany in the Global Age
  • German Screen Cultures
  • Lifestyles and Cultures in the German-speaking World
• Year two:
  • German language learning pathways
  • Cultural Horizons: Exploring Language, Power, Identity
  • Berlin - Past, Present and Future
  • Exploring the German Language
  • The Making of Modern Germany: Self and Society
  • Contemporary Translation Studies
  • Traces of the Real: Documentary Fact and Fiction in Russian
  • Travel, Exploration and Imperialism in Eastern Europe and Eurasia
  • Iron Curtain, Silver Screen: Cinema in the Other Europe
  • Abolitionism and Anticolonialism in the Transatlantic World
  • New World(s): Contacts, Conquest and Conflict
• Year three:
  • Year Abroad
• Year four:
  • German 3
  • Independent Project in Modern Languages and Cultures
  • Contested Futures - Contested Legacies: History and Memory in Modern Germany
  • German Special Subject
  • “Make it New”: Experimental Forms, Radical Ideas

Teaching and Learning

• Lectures - provide an overview of what you are studying, using a variety of audio and visual materials to support your learning.
• Seminars - give you the chance to explore and interact with the material presented in lectures in a friendly and informal environment.
• Workshops - are more practical, perhaps through exploring texts, working with digital materials, or developing presentations.
• Tutorials - individual and small-group tutorials let you explore your work with your module tutor, perhaps discussing plans for an essay or presentation, or following up on an area of a module which has interested you.
• eLearning - our virtual-learning system, Moodle, offers 24-hour access to teaching materials and resources.

Careers

• Careers overview: Studying languages can open up a world of opportunities. From banking to charities and from teaching to MI5, businesses and organisations across the globe seek to employ language specialists.
• Job prospects: 78.8% of undergraduates from the Faculty of Arts secured graduate level employment or further study within 15 months of graduation. The average annual starting salary for these graduates was £23,974.
• Careers advice: Studying for a degree at the University of Nottingham will provide you with the type of skills and experiences that will prove invaluable in any career, whichever direction you decide to take.