Getting Started

College: HFA

 (Revised Spring 2019)  

Information below is meant to guide first-year students in getting started with this major and choosing appropriate courses.  More advanced students interested in this major would also likely start with proposed foundation/pre-requisite courses.  Please refer to the Major page located in the left menu bar to learn about the full major requirements.

How to Explore the Major

Suggested General Education Courses

All Undergraduates are required to satisfy General Education Requirements. Guidelines for students are available at www.umass.edu/gened. The following courses, all of which are taught in English, fulfill program requirements:

  • GERMAN 260 (AT) – From Mozart to Rammstein
  • GERMAN 270 (AL) – From Grimms to Disney
  • GERMAN 304 (AT) – Film: Berlin to Hollywood
  • GERMAN 323 (HSDG) – Modern German History
  • GERMAN 363 (I) – Witches: Myth & Reality
  • GERMAN 365 (ALDG) – Berlin: Global City
  • GERMAN 370 (I) – Nineteenth-Century German Thought
  • GERMAN 371 (HS) – Crime & Criminals in Modern German Culture
  • GERMAN 372 (AL) – Vienna 1890-1914
  • GERMAN 376 (HSDG) – The Holocaust
  • GERMAN 379 (I) – Germany Today
  • HISTORY 323 (HSDG) – Modern German History
  • SCANDIN 250 (AL) – Hans Christian Andersen
  • SCANDIN 265 (AL) – Scandinavian Mythology
  • SCANDIN 376 (AL) – Vikings & their Stories: Saga Literature
  • SCANDIN 387H (AL) – Viking Revival (Honors, not recommended for first-year students)

Suggested Major and Pre-requisite Courses

GERMAN 110, 120, 230, 240 or SWEDISH 110, 120, 230, 240 (or their equivalents)

In general, four years of high school German or Swedish should guarantee proficiency through the 240-level. Students uncertain of their language level should contact the Chief Undergraduate Advisor about placement.

How to Declare/Change into the Major

For current & admitted students: This major is unrestricted, which means any student may declare the major.  Unrestricted majors may still have an entry process such as meeting with an advisor or attending an informational meeting.  It is recommended that students declare the major as soon as possible, so that language courses are taken in the proper sequence. To apply, meet with the Chief Undergraduate Advisor. 

Summary of Requirements for the Major

Refer to the Major page located in the left menu bar to learn more about the German or Scandinavian Concentrations.

NOTE: Majors are encouraged to spend one or two semesters, normally during their junior year, studying on the UMass IPO exchange in Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany, or at Linköping University in Sweden with one of several Scandinavian study-abroad programs.

Is there a minor? If so, what are the requirements?
Yes - A minor is available!  Refer to the Minor page located in the left menu bar to learn more.

For further information, contact the chief undergraduate advisors:
German: Professor Ela Gezen 517 Herter, 545-2350, egezen@german.umass.edu
Scandinavian: Professor Frank Hugus 506 Herter, 545-2350, hugus@german.umass.edu
-- or --
Dolkar Gyaltsen, Program Office Manager, 511 Herter, 545-2350, gyaltsen@german.umass.edu