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The German Studies Ph.D. Program at Vanderbilt University equips a carefully chosen cohort of exceptional students from diverse academic backgrounds for thriving professional paths in the Humanities—as researchers, educators, and beyond conventional academic settings. Our graduate students engage with broad intellectual opportunities, whether their focus lies in literary studies, historical research, visual culture, media arts and aesthetics, sound studies, or the history of ideas. Vanderbilt's German Studies faculty, celebrated globally for their groundbreaking research and cross-disciplinary approach, create vibrant scholarly networks that transcend traditional academic divisions.
Admission to the program does not imply acceptance for candidacy in the Ph.D. program. Performance well above the minimum Graduate School requirement of a B is expected for admission to the Ph.D. program. Candidates normally obtain the M.A. before going on for the Ph.D.
The minimum acceptable score on the paper-based TOEFL is 570, and for the Internet-based test, 88. Many programs, however, require a considerably higher level of proficiency.
For IELTS, the minimum acceptable score will vary by program. In many cases, a score of at least 7.0 is desirable.