The department offers a program leading to the Master of Arts degree in German Studies. Courses train students in literary and cultural studies as well as in applied linguistics and second-language acquisition methodologies in both German and English. There are several tracks available for the M.A. in German Studies: 1) Literature and Culture, 2) Literature, Culture, and Pedagogy, 3) Literature, Culture, and Pedagogy with Secondary Teaching Certification, 4) Literature and Culture, and Translation Studies, and 5) joint professional degrees with a concentration in Journalism, Business Management, Marketing, Management Information Systems, and Collaborative Governance.

Students working toward the Master of Arts degree must complete a minimum of 33 units of graduate work, including at least 30 units in courses offered by the Department of German Studies. GER 508 is required of all master's candidates; GER 579 is required of all graduate teaching assistants in their first semester of teaching. M.A. Thesis Option: Students may be permitted to write a thesis upon application to and consultation with the departmental Graduate Committee. No more than 3 units may be earned for writing the thesis; thesis students enroll in GER 910.