Department of German

About us

About us

Welcome to the Department of German! – Willkommen!

German Matters!

German is the most widely spoken language in the EU; and the German-speaking countries are a multi-faceted cultural hub in the middle of Europe. As Europe’s largest economy, Germany is one of the most important trading partners for Malta and there are many German companies on the Maltese islands; a significant share of tourists in Malta is also German-speaking. Generally, there are many aspects of scientific, political and cultural exchange between Malta and the German-speaking countries.

Why German?

There are, of course, plenty of reasons for learning German: every language is a ‘world’ of its own, and being able to understand German opens up the world of many writers, philosophers and scientists, of different cultures and several countries with impressive scenery as well as vibrant metropolises.

Graduates of German Studies are able to tap a wide range of working opportunities: they can pursue a career in teaching (with a Master in Teaching and Learning), as translator or interpreter, in the civil service in Malta or with the European institutions. Alternatively, they can choose from a wide range of interdisciplinary Master programmes both at the University of Malta and abroad. Moreover, they can find employment in tourism or in one of the many companies in Malta with close connections to the German-speaking countries.

Why German at UM?

At the Department of German, we are a highly committed team of lecturers, whose research and teaching interests span a broad range of areas in German Studies. We are passionate about teaching, and a communicative and interactive approach in our classes supports students in improving their language skills efficiently and encourages debate and critical thought. Beside the special knowledge about German language, literature and culture, we aim at developing general communication skills, analytic abilities and creative thinking – highly important transferable skills in modern job markets.

How can you study German at UM?

The Department of German offers a B.A. and an M.A. Programme with a wide variety of study-units ranging from German literature, history and cultural studies to linguistics; the course also has a strong focus on practical language use. Get to know more information on the B.A. General/B.A.(Hons.) in German.

We offer language courses to all UM students and staff. Get to know about our part-time day course Certificate/Diploma in Language Proficiency (German). You can follow this course concurrently with any main area of studies.

We run a part-time evening course for members of the general public too: click here for more information on the Certificate/Diploma in German. This course focuses on general and business communication as well as more specialised topics, tailored to the students’ needs, such as German language use in technology, the health sector, and law.

The DAAD Language Assistant at the Department of German provides information about scholarships, language exchange programmes and studying in Germany. More information about the scholarship programmes of the DAAD can be found here.

With the Erasmus+ programme financed by the European Union students have the unique opportunity to study one or two semesters abroad and choose from a range of German-speaking universities in Germany and Austria. At the host university, they follow study-units which will be recognised for their studies in Malta and, in addition, have great exposure to the language and the culture in the country itself.

Erasmus+ incoming students, spending a semester or two at UM, are welcome to attend study-units at the Department of German! Get to know about the study-units that we offer.

International students interested in following a degree course at UM are very welcome too. Get to know more.


https://www.um.edu.mt/arts/german/aboutus/