Major/Minor in German
Associate of Arts in German at AVC:
In spring 2015, AVC submitted an application to grant an Association of Arts in German to the California Community College Chancellor’s Office. We are waiting for approval.
German courses are not restricted to majors, so students who want to learn German can, of course, take any and all of our German courses as long as the student meets the prerequisite!
Students who wish to continue their study of German, either as a major or as a minor, when they transfer to a university should complete the transfer requirements of that university and complete all four German courses here at AVC. Most programs require students to show proficiency in the language equal to the intermediate level. Successful completion of German 101 and German 102 (Beginning German) and German 201 and 202 (Intermediate German) should prepare students for upper division/third year level courses at their transfer university.
An Associate of Arts degree is not required in order to transfer to a university. However, students do need to meet the transfer requirements. Also, when students apply to transfer to a university, they transfer with a specific major. Even though AVC does not have an AA in German, the transfer university will want students to have completed the lower division requirements the German BA as well as the general education requirements.
Bachelor of Arts in German:
Students who want to pursue a BA in a German should complete the lower division requirements for the German major at the university to which they wish to transfer (generally our German 101, 102, 201 and 202) as well as the university’s general education/transfer requirements. Students can find out these requirements online or by visiting the AVC Transfer Center.
For information about a Bachelor’s in German at CSUs and UCs, go to www.assist.org. Start by researching “Majors.” Select “Languages and Literature” and then select German to see which campuses have a program. Clicking on the university links you to the college catalog of that institution. There you will find information on the lower division requirements for the major as well as contact information for the department.
Teaching German
Students planning to teach should achieve at least advanced mid level of proficiency in German (see ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines). Advanced proficiency is difficult to achieve from classroom study alone. Students who have not learned German from either speaking it at home (i.e., a heritage learner) or from living abroad are strongly advised to seek opportunities outside the classroom and/or to live and/or study aboard to achieve advanced proficiency in the language. Most universities offer study abroad programs. There are also several universities that offer summer immersion programs here in the US. Students wishing to teach a foreign language should decide early the university to which they will transfer and find out about and begin planning on spending a semester or year abroad or attending an immersion summer program.
Study Abroad as Part of a BA Program
Most foreign language programs either require or strongly encourage study abroad, usually at the upper division level through the home university. However, high levels of language proficiency and travel or study abroad before transfer will make students more prepared and more competitive when seeking to transfer.
Also, since students often study abroad in their junior year, students who transfer from a community college need to consult with the language department of the university to which they plan to transfer during their sophomore year at AVC. Study abroad in the junior year requires careful planning for transfer students.
Minor in German/Major in a discipline such as International Business or Global Studies
German and other foreign languages are an excellent field of study in combination with other majors. Students should work with their counselor to complete the transfer requirements to the university of their choice as well as the lower division requirements for their major. Students should try to complete the four semester language sequence in German here at AVC if possible since intermediate level proficieny is required before students can take third year courses at their transfer institution.
Information about a minor in German at CSUs and UCs is a bit tricky to find. Many universities that offer and BA a German also offer a minor, so start by going to www.assist.org and researching “Majors.” Select “Languages and Literature” and then select German to see which campuses have a Bachelor’s program and check the department information to see if a minor is offered. For example, CSU Long Beach offers both a Bachelor’s and a minor in German.
The Assist program is designed to help find majors, so it takes a bit of hunting to find which CSUs/UCs offer a minor only. Students need to find the foreign language department website of those universities that do not list an BA in German. For example, CSU Sacramento no longer offers a Bachelors, but does still offer a minor. However, CSU Monterey Bay offers only Japanese and Spanish. The AVC Transfer Center can also help students track down universities with a German minor.
Students with Knowledge of German
Students with knowledge of German as a heritage learner or from previous study are encouraged to consult German faculty or the department chair regarding placement in the language sequence. (See Placement on the Foreign Languages Department webpage.) Students who begin the language sequence above German 101 who wish to major in German are encouraged to take additional courses in British or American literature, European history and/or culture studies (e.g., Intercultural Communication or Cultural Anthropology) to complete their transfer requirement.