About the Department

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Why Germanic Studies?

Germanic languages, and the nations that speak them, are centred in the very heart of Europe. The ideas and cultures that originate there, from socialism to psychoanalysis, are some of the most influential on earth. Germany is, of course, also the economic powerhouse of Europe and a leading player in EU politics.

Study with us and you’ll come to grips with all aspects of the German language, both spoken and written. You’ll encounter a wide variety of cultural, political, historical and linguistic modules to deepen your knowledge of German Studies and to widen your vision of the world. You’ll also increase your chances in the jobs market with German being the foreign language most in demand in the European business world.

It is your degree

We believe that you should have the freedom to put together your own degree in German, so in addition to our language modules you will get the opportunity to steer your degree with your choice of option modules.

But whether you specialise in politics, literature or linguistics or choose an eclectic mix, we want you to be ambitious, because so are we: we want to support you to perform to the best of your ability.

A unique Department

The Department of Germanic Studies at Sheffield is well known as an excellent department, with an established reputation for quality, diversity and innovation in both research and teaching, and at the same time as a sociable and lively place to study. We are large by the standards of British German Departments, with a total of nine academics (lecturers, senior lecturers and professors) working in the many areas of the subject, two full-time lectors, and numerous language and tutorial assistants and research associates.

Our Department is unique in Great Britain in the range of Germanic Languages other than German that can be studied here. We offer courses in Dutch and Luxembourgish, which are available as options within Germanic Studies degrees, or a BA Modern Languages and even as part of a named degree programme (for instance German with Dutch or German with Luxembourg Studies). Such a mix of languages and cultures gives the Department a diverse and distinctive atmosphere, and produces a particularly stimulating context for modern language studies.

Check out the details

Germanic Studies for undergraduates
Degree programmes within Germanic Studies
Course Structure
Graduate Profiles
Postgraduate Study