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German Languages Program

German courses at COD provide students with the foundation they need to learn the culture, speak fluently, increase knowledge and enhance job opportunities. 

Students can choose to earn an Associate in Arts and follow the German Transfer Pathway or take German courses to meet general education requirements.

COD offers German courses in a traditional and online format to meet the needs of its diverse student population:

  • Traditional: Classes meet weekly and students have the opportunity to interact with an instructor and their peers.
  • Online: Internet-based courses offer independent study and flexible learning. Classes are offered online with instructor and student web camera meetings.

Students will take German courses in civilization and culture, elementary and intermediate German, and conversation and composition.

Studying German also offers the opportunity to live and study abroad in Berlin, Germany.

Find a German Course

Determine Your Path

Become familiar with German culture and language to increase your job prospects.

College of DuPage offers a world of educational opportunities in your own backyard. At COD, you'll find:

  •  Dedicated instructors with years of professional experience.
  • Instruction utilizing our state-of-the-art facilities.
  • Affordable courses to help you achieve success without creating overwhelming debt or draining your savings account.
  • Small class sizes to ensure you receive personalized attention.

German Transfer Pathway

The German Transfer Pathway, Associate in Arts represents a typical course schedule or sequence for a student planning to complete the Associate in Arts degree within two years, then transfer and major in a specific discipline.

The study of German offers many benefits including:

  1. Widely Spoken Language 
    German is the most widely spoken language in Europe. More people speak German as their native language than any other language. With a population of 83 million, Germany is the most populous European nation. German is the third most popular world language taught worldwide and the second most popular in Europe and Japan after English.
  2. Business Opportunities
    The German language has the 4th highest number of job postings in the U.S.A., and the U.S. jobs requiring German proficiency pay more than those for any other language.
  3. Science and Research
    German is the 2nd most commonly used scientific language. Germany is the 3rd largest contributor to research and development and offers research fellowships to scientists abroad. Germany leads the world in environmental awareness and application.
  4. World Leaders
    Germany offers many fellowships and internship opportunities to foreigners. Many leading U.S. universities offer internship opportunities with partnering German engineering firms.
  5. Communication
    Germany maintains a dominant Internet presence with over eight million Internet domains. Multilingual communicators are required for developments in media, information and communication technology.
  6. Culture
    German is the language of famous authors, musicians and artists: Goethe, Schiller, Kafka, Mozart, Bach, Beethoven, Dürer and Franz Marc. Some of the most revered filmmakers of the 20th century come from the German-speaking world: Fritz Lang, Rainer Werner Fassbinder, Wim Wenders and Volker Schlöndorff.
  7. Academic Performance
    German enhances academic performance. Students who study German perform better on standardized tests because so much of the English language stems from German.

Get Started Today

The first step to getting started in the German Languages program is to apply for admission.

Academic and Career Pathways give you a roadmap to achieving your career goals. Follow a pathway based on your degree that outlines which classes you need to take and when so you graduate on time or move on to the next phase in your career.

Students who complete courses in any of the Foreign Languages disciplines will:

  • Communicate effectively in more than one language in order to function in a variety of situations and for multiple purposes
  • Interact with cultural competence and understanding
  • Connect with other disciplines and acquire information and diverse perspectives in order to use the language to function in academic and career-related situations
  • Develop insight into the nature of language and culture in order to interact with cultural competence
  • Communicate and interact with cultural competence in order to participate in multilingual communities at home and around the world

College of DuPage has several languages transfer agreements in place with four-year colleges and universities to save you time, money and make the transfer process easier.

Many of these agreements with other colleges and universities have specific course requirements and a pre-determined course plan that needs to be followed to be eligible to transfer. Contact a program faculty member or academic advisor to learn more as course requirements vary by institution.

 

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