The German Program
Some interesting facts about Germany
- Germany has the third-largest economy in the world and is the world's largest exporter.
- One-fourth of all Europeans (120 million people) speak German as their mother tongue.
- More than 1,100 German-speaking companies have subsidiaries in the US, and over 750 US companies do business in Germany.
- One out of every ten books published in the world today is in German.
- German is the second most common language on the Internet after English.
- German is the language of great composers (Beethoven, Mozart, Bach, Schubert), philosophers (Kant, Nietzsche, Hegel), and authors (Goethe, Kafka, Brecht).
- Individuals from German-speaking countries have won over 100 Nobel Prizes.
- One in four Americans has German heritage.
- More Americans have lived and worked in Germany than any other country in the world.
Skidmore College offers students a variety of options to explore German studies. Courses in beginning, intermediate, and advanced German are complemented by courses on German film, literature, and culture. A business German class will prepare you to take the ZDfB exam. This is an international examination administered every spring at Skidmore that leads to a certificate testifying that your knowledge of German can be used in a professional job situation.
Fluency in German can enhance your study of international affairs, management and business, philosophy, history, music, or the natural sciences. Solid language and cross-cultural skills provide an important edge in today’s global market. If you want to be competitive, consider the benefit of choosing German as a foreign language, minor, major, or as part of an interdepartmental major connecting German with business, English, or government.
Skidmore offers exciting and affordable study-abroad programs in Berlin, Vienna, and Freiburg, which allow you to transfer credit easily and enjoy firsthand the history and culture of these great European cities.