Course details

Summary

The German language is a leading world language, mother tongue of almost 100 million speakers. The German-speaking countries - Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Liechtenstein - form the largest language area in Central Europe. It is an important language of trade, with Germany being the third largest economy in the world. Germany's influence has been growing steadily since the fall of the Iron Curtain in 1989. German is a commonly used language in Eastern European countries and its influence has increased since the enlargement of the EU. There are about 17 million learners of German in the world - you could be one of them.

Knowledge of German can be vital to international work in the areas of science, engineering, business and tourism. German also holds the key to a deeper understanding of where our modern world has come from and where it might be going. Through its authors, philosophers, composers, painters and scientists, German-speaking Europe has not only been at the crossroads of history for the past 800 years, but promises to remain one of the most important world cultures in the future.

Why study German at UC?

The German programme at UC has a distinctive focus on embedding German culture and language in a context of European studies. German language courses are based on an interesting mix of distance and on-campus studies. The latest e-learning tools are used in German language courses.

Recommended preparation

The German programme offers courses for both beginners and those who have prior knowledge of the German language.

Over the three years of your degree, you will gain critical thinking, creative problem solving, and communication skills that employers want. Unique practical experiences such as internships are on offer too.

The Bachelor of Arts requires a minimum total of 360 points:

• at least 255 points from Arts courses
• the remaining 105 points can be from either Arts courses or courses from other degrees.
• A minimum of 225 points must be from courses above 100-level, with at least 90 points at 300-level.

Double Degrees

It is possible to combine an Arts degree with other degrees such as the Bachelor of Commerce, Bachelor of Criminal Justice, Bachelor of Health Sciences, Bachelor of Laws or Bachelor of Science.

Further study

The College of Arts has a wide range of options for postgraduate and graduate study with excellent research facilities. These include specialised research centres such as the Macmillan Brown Centre for Pacific Studies, Social Science Research Centre, New Zealand Centre for Human-Animal Studies, Te Awatea Violence Research Centre and National Centre for Research on Europe.

Career opportunities

A knowledge of German and a familiarity with the cultures of Austria, Germany and Switzerland can enhance a wide range of career options. People who demonstrate an open and informed attitude to the world are rightly preferred for many business and governmental positions, and skills in German are likely to prove particularly attractive as New Zealand's trade and tourism relations with Europe continue to grow.

Diplomatic service, teaching, journalism and library and information services are further areas in which German has proved to be a highly useful course of study.

The exchange programmes with the universities of Konstanz and Freiburg provide an excellent opportunity to study at a German university and to plan ahead for a career in a German-speaking country.

Entry criteria

Admission to UC with University Entrance, or equivalent, is required to enrol for a Bachelor's degree. Applicants must have completed New Zealand University Entrance through NCEA; or Cambridge International Examinations (CIE); or International Baccalaureate Diploma (IB) or any other equivalent overseas qualification.

Other English language requirements: TOEFL PBT with a minimum score of 550 and TWE with a minimum score of 4.5; CCEL EAP Level 2 with a minimum C+ grade; CAE or CPE minimum score of 169 with at least 162 in reading, writing, listening and speaking; Pearson Test of English (Academic) - PTE with an overall score of 57 and no PTE communicative skills score below 50.