Program Overview

German is the most widely spoken language in Europe, with around 100 million native speakers in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. A minor is available.

The languages listed below count toward the Bachelor of Arts third semester language requirement:

• Majors in French, German, and Spanish
• Minors in Arabic, Chinese, French, German, and Spanish
• Three years of language and culture courses in Japanese
• Two years of language in Italian

Why Study Modern Languages and Literatures at Grand Valley?

• Study of the German language prepares students for multicultural career settings in the U.S. and abroad.
• German complements majors in many other fields, such as international relations, international business, history, political science, as well as the sciences and fine arts.
• The Department of Modern Languages and Literatures works closely with the Padnos International Center to make many opportunities for study abroad available.
• The study of the language and people of Germany broadens a student's knowledge and understanding of cross-cultural communication, intercultural competence, interpersonal skills, and analytical skills.
• German is the second most commonly used scientific language. Germany is the third-largest contributor to research and development and offers research fellowships to scientists from abroad.