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Deutsch als Fremdsprache / German as a foreign language (Master of Arts)

Program: Deutsch als Fremdsprache / German as a foreign language
Degree: Master of Arts (M.A.)
Program length: 2 years / 4 semesters (120 ECTS points)
Start: winter semester

The primarily application-oriented Deutsch als Fremdsprache / German as a foreign language master's program prepares students for the profession of "German as a foreign language" instructor for adults in Germany and abroad. It is directed to students pursing this chosen profession and has the additional goal of educating and supporting new scientific talent in the fields of foreign language didactics and language instruction research. The program was designed for students who have obtained a German or foreign bachelor's degree or an equivalent in German studies or a related program and demonstrate sufficient German language skills for the profession of a "German as a foreign language" instructor.

The contents required for this profession and conveyed in this program are particularly:

  • Comprehensive skills in the German language which is to be taught, in its linguistic description and in one's own linguistic mastery
  • Good knowledge of linguistic, literary and regional studies didactics for the German as a foreign language instruction
  • Comprehensive knowledge of teaching and learning principles for learning languages, including the methods and outcomes of language instruction research
  • Reflected practice of language instruction acquired in supervised internships.

The program imparts the necessary theoretical, methodological and practical knowledge and skills for communication in teaching and for teamwork.

Major topics

  • Linguistic studies
  • Regional studies and mediation of literature
  • Studies in language instruction research, psycholinguistics and didactics

You can select an additional major topic yourself from the elective modules. You can chose between a more intensive analysis of practical teaching aspects, a deepening of teaching material analysis and a thorough deepening of the methods and projects of language instruction research and psycholinguistics. The later is particularly of interest if you plan to pursue a doctorate after the master's. It is very common that a dissertation with related content follows the master's thesis.

Objectives

In Germany

With a master's in Deutsch als Fremdsprache / German as a foreign language, you can work for various educational institutions as a freelance instructor, particularly in the field of adult education. These include adult education centers, private language schools, language centers and preparatory colleges at universities or other German course providers. As a result of modifications to the Immigration Act, there has been increased demand for qualified instructors of German as a foreign language and German as a second language in the field of integration courses in recent years. An academic career is also a possibility, depending on your interest and aptitude.

Abroad

Many students complete the Deutsch als Fremdsprache / German as a foreign language master's program in order to teach abroad. This is a possibility in language courses of private language schools, as an independent employee at Goethe Institutes, as a language assistant at schools, as an instructor at German schools abroad or as a lecturer at universities.

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