German Master of Arts
The Department of Modern Languages offers an M.A. degree in Spanish that can be customized to a student's interests in areas ranging from:
- German Literature and Cultural Studies
- Second Language Acquisition (SLA) and Linguistics
- Foreign Language Pedagogy
- Language Acquisition with Graduate Certificate in Teaching and Learning
For more information about graduate degrees in German, please contact Dr. Derek Hillard (dhillard@k-state.edu).
M.A. in German
The program is designed to help students attain a high level of proficiency in all aspects of the German language; how to read, analyze, interpret, and discuss a wide selection of texts in German, in an intelligent manner; how to synthesize the material read into an accurate and coherent picture of German literary and cultural developments; how to integrate the teaching of language, culture, and literature at all curriculum levels in the language classroom.
The MA degree in German is recommended for those students who wish to teach at the secondary level or to continue graduate work elsewhere with the intention of teaching at the secondary or university level. It is also ideal for students who prefer to develop advanced skills in language and literature in preparation for other professional careers.
Select classes are available in the afternoon or evening for practicing teachers, and we occasionally offer hybrid courses to allow students to take MA-level German courses at a distance.
The program is designed to:
- Strengthen the language skills and cultural awareness of future or practicing teachers
- Develop new patterns and techniques of teacher preparation and teacher/student interaction in the target language
- Offer graduate-level study in German Literature & Cultural Studies, as well as the methods of teaching this content in the second-language classroom
- Encourage professional development in fields like education, translation, or communications
- Allow practicing teachers to complete graduate studies within a reasonable time (2-3 years)
M.A. in Language Acquisition Degree Requirement:
With approval of the MA committee, each student chooses one of the following options:
- 30 hours of course work (10 classes), with a minimum of 18 hours (6 classes) taught in German (GRMN)
- 27 hours of course work (9 classes) plus a master’s report (3 credit hours for research and writing)
- 24 hours of course work (8 classes) and a master’s thesis (6 credit hours for original research and writing)
Coursework:
Below is a sample of additional Modern Languages Electives (taught in English, but students' focus on their language of expertise and study):
- MLANG 710 Foreign Language Pedagogy (3 hours) - required of all Graduate Teaching Assistants (GTAs)
- MLANG 770 Theories of Second Language Acquisition (3 hours)
- MLANG 600 Principles of Linguistics (3 hours)
- Master’s report (3 hours) or thesis (6 hours)
Candidate’s committee must approve program of study (all chosen electives, substitute courses for courses not offered during student’s tenure, report, thesis, etc.)
M.A. in Language Acquisition with Graduate Certificate in Teaching and Learning
The Department of Modern Languages at Kansas State University has developed a unique M.A. program specifically designed to meet the needs of practicing and potential language teachers at the secondary level. The program integrates the teaching of language, culture, and literature at all curriculum levels.
It is recommended that students wishing to apply for the Master’s degree in Language Acquisition in French with a Graduate Certificate in Teaching and Learning, meet with both Dr. Derek Hillard, German Graduate Advisor and Dr. Amanda Morales, Graduate Program Advisor in the Department of Curriculum & Instruction prior to applying. Please refer to the Graduate Certificate in Teaching and Learning, Student Handbook for further information regarding the education component for this degree.
This program is intended for practicing and aspiring foreign language teachers, to offer them a Master’s degree in Language Acquisition in French with a Graduate Certificate in Teaching and Learning from the Department of Curriculum & Instruction which gives our graduates a K-12 licensure from the State of Kansas Department of Education.
The program is designed to:
- Strengthen the language skills and cultural awareness of practicing teachers
- Develop new patterns and techniques of teacher preparation and teacher/student interaction in the target language
- Narrow the traditional gap in graduate study between the methods of teaching and the content areas of literature and culture
- Encourage the professional development of the field
- Allow practicing teachers to complete graduate studies within a reasonable time (two to three years)
Sample curriculum for German:
| Classes in Modern Languages (18 hours) | Classes in Education (18 hours) |
|
MLANG 710 (3) Intro to FL Pedagogy |
FSHS 506 Middle Childhood & Adolescence (3) |
Program of study for the Master’s degree in Language Acquisition in German with a Graduate Certificate in Teaching and Learning needs to be approved by the student's committee in Modern Languages and Dr. Amanda Morales, Graduate Program Advisor in the Department of Curriculum & Instruction.
Sample List of Additional Electives (3-6 hours)
This is a sample list of courses that will fulfill elective requirements. Speak with your committee about other possibilities.
| LING 600 ANTH 600 ART 545 ART 550 ART 612 ART 642 ENGL 515 HIST 533 HIST 560 HIST 562 HIST 583 HIST 584 HIST 585 HIST 587 HIST 588 HIST 589 HIST 589 HIST 595 PSYCH 650 MLANG 7++ |
Principles of Linguistics Cultural Dynamics Twentieth Century Art History I Twentieth Century Art History II Renaissance Art History Baroque Art History Nineteenth Century Art History Literature and Society Topics in the History of the Americas Latin American Nations Modern Mexico History of France, 1400 - 1715 History of France, 1715 - present Topics in French History Modern Germany, 1789-1914 Modern Germany, 1914-1945 Topics in German History Modern European Culture Psychology of Language Modern Languages 700 -level course |