German Minor Available. Benefits All Students.

The University of Michigan-Flint has reinstated the German minor!

This is exciting news for any student, from any of UM-Flint’s schools, who foresees international experiences or connections in their career. Or for students who think their careers will touch business, finance, medicine, science, philosophy, technology, art . . . any of the major sectors, both domestically and globally, in which the German culture is entwined.

Through the minor, students will gain knowledge of German language, communication, and culture. Whether a foreign language is a requirement in your program or not, learning a second language is invaluable in its practical applications and is an impressive show of a focus on diversity, globalism, and motivation for future employers.

According to an article by The Economist on the “worth” of foreign language, learning German has the highest return on investment for students, yielding $128,000 more in lifetime earnings bonuses.

UM-Flint students with a German minor won’t have to look far to find industries that will value their knowledge. According to German Language instructor Elke Kramer, “southeast Michigan’s second largest group of international companies is German, behind Japanese. Over 280 companies in the area are German subsidiaries.” Many of these companies focus on the automotive and science industries. Recent job searches turned up listings in Troy, Auburn Hills, Brighton, Plymouth, and Kalamazoo—all indicating that German language skills would be a bonus!

While enrolled, students can also find a bevy of opportunities that would be complemented by a German minor. In 2013, UM-Flint signed two memoranda-of-understanding with Germany’s University of Wuppertal (BUW). These memoranda serve to establish a program of undergraduate exchange between the two schools, expanding opportunities for students from both to travel abroad. Participating schools at BUW include Humanities, Mathematics & Natural Science, and Business & Economics. To learn more about this partnership, read the story from UM-Flint News.

UM-Flint’s winter 2015 semester will feature several German courses, including German 111: Beginning German I, German 112: Beginning German II, and German 205: Reading German. Other courses in the catalog include Reading German, German Conversation, Business German,  and Understanding the German-Speaking World.

For more information on learning German at UM-Flint, contact the Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures or Elke Kramer at 810.762.3370 or [email protected].