German Studies (Graduate Diploma)

Modules and Teaching

• One year full-time or two years part-time, on campus, starting in October 2026

  Course structure

  You must complete modules worth a total of 120 credits, consisting of:

  • one compulsory German language module (30 credits)
  • three to six option modules (90 credits).

  Compulsory language module (choose one)

  • German 4 (Level 6)
  • German 5

  Indicative option modules

  • Berlin since 1945: History and Culture (Level 6)
  • Cities and Cultures: Urban Experience in Comparative Perspective (Level 6)
  • Culture in the Weimar Republic (Level 6)
  • German Film: Nation and Identity (level 6)
  • German Women's Writing (Level 6)
  • The German Novelle
  • The Nazi Regime (Level 6)
  • Wirtschaftsdeutsch (Level 6)

• Teaching

  We encourage innovative and engaging ways of teaching to help ensure you have the best learning experience and provide a range of different modes of learning to help you juggle study with work and other commitments.

  Find out more about our teaching and teaching hours.

  What are the methods of teaching?

  Small seminar groups.

• How will I be assessed?

  Language modules are assessed by oral and written examination and, in some cases, by coursework. All other modules are assessed by a mixture of coursework and examination.

  Please see individual modules for more details.

  Find out more about assessment at Birkbeck, including guidance on assessment, feedback and our assessment offences policy.

Entry requirements

Normally a second-class honours degree.

Language skills in German equivalent to A-level plus one year (also equivalent to a pass in German 3).

• What are the English language requirements?

  If English is not your first language or you have not previously studied in English, our usual requirement is the equivalent of an International English Language Testing System (IELTS Academic Test) score of 6.5, with not less than 6.0 in each of the sub-tests. We also accept other English language tests.

  If you don't meet the minimum English language requirements, please Global Recruitment at Birkbeck or see our international study skills page for more details about how we can help.

  Visit the International section of our website to find out more about our English language entry requirements and relevant requirements by country.

• What are the visa and funding requirements?

  If you are not from the UK and you do not already have residency here, you may need to apply for a visa.

  The visa you apply for varies according to the length of your course:

  • Courses of more than six months' duration: Student visa
  • Courses of less than six months' duration: Standard Visitor visa

  International students who require a Student visa should apply to study on our courses full-time as these qualify for Student visa sponsorship. If you are living in the UK on a Student visa, you will not be eligible to enrol to study part-time courses at Birkbeck (with the exception of some modules).

  As a Student visa student, you should also apply to study on campus only, as online and flexible options of study (if they are available for your course) may affect the conditions of your visa.

  For full information, read our visa information for international students page.

  Please also visit the international section of our website to find out more about relevant visa and funding requirements by country.

  Please note students receiving US Federal Aid are only able to apply for in-person, on-campus programmes which will have no elements of online study.

• Credits and accredited prior learning (APL)

  If you have studied at university (or have an HND or Foundation Degree), you may have accumulated credits. It may be possible to transfer these from your previous study to Birkbeck or another institution.

Fees

• Birkbeck's Lifelong Learning Guarantee

  If you've studied at Birkbeck before and successfully completed an award with us, take advantage of our Lifelong Learning Guarantee to gain a reduction on the tuition fee of this course.

• Can I apply for an international scholarship?

  We provide a range of scholarships for eligible international students, including our Global Future Scholarship. View Birkbeck's available scholarships.

Careers and employability

This Graduate Diploma in German provides you with excellent preparation for pursuing your studies further at postgraduate and later PhD level.

On successfully completing this course you will have gained important transferable skills, including:

• the ability to read and digest academic literature
• confidence in participating in group discussions on topics related to your studies
• the ability to express yourself succinctly
• independent research skills
• time-management and self-motivation.

Graduates can pursue career paths in international organisations or businesses, translating and teaching, research and journalism. Possible professions or fields of employment include:

• academia
• teaching
• working in cultural institutions such as museums
• journalism and publishing.

Graduates from this course have gone on to be employed at the Foreign Office, and in publishing houses, academic exchange institutions, secondary schools and IT companies.

Student support

How to apply

• When should I apply?

  You are strongly advised to apply now, to ensure there are still places left, and to give you enough time to complete the admissions process, to arrange funding and to enrol.

  You don't need to complete your current programme of study before you apply - Birkbeck can offer you a place that is conditional on your results.

• How can I get help with my application?

  Get all the information you need about the application, admission and enrolment process at Birkbeck.

  Our online personal statement tool will guide you through every step of writing the personal statement part of your application.

• International agents

  If you are an international agent applying to Birkbeck on behalf of an international student, please use Birkbeck's agent portal.