Why Study German?

German is the native language of over 100 million people. It is one of the 10 major languages of the world. It is spoken not only in Germany and Austria, but in Switzerland, Lichtenstein, Luxembourg, and parts of northern Italy, eastern Belgium, and eastern France. German speakers have made major and lasting contributions to commerce, science, technology, religion, psychology, music, literature, and many other fields.

Students who pursue the German track of the foreign language major obtain jobs not only in teaching and translating, but also in many other fields of business and government. There are over 1200 German companies in the Southeastern United States, and many actively recruit German speakers. Recent and ongoing German investment in Alabama alone totals more than $4 billion. Because of this, many of our students pursue a double major in German and Business. Many graduates also can and do pursue graduate degrees; they also attend law school, business school, and medical school.