Master’s Program

According to UBC regulations, it is possible in extraordinary circumstances for students to proceed directly into the PhD in Germanic Studies program after a year in the MA program. In order to do so, you must obtain first-class marks, demonstrate advanced research potential, and meet other requirements for PhD admission, as outlined in the Academic Calendar.

All elective credits must come from GERN literary and cultural studies courses at the 500 level. When they are offered, we recommend taking the following courses in addition to any other electives, as they concentrate on linguistic and cultural exchange:

• GMST 505: The Acquisition of German as an Additional Language
• GMST 506: Intercultural Competence

With the approval of the Graduate Director, students may enrol in courses offered by other programs. As per Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies regulations, a maximum of 6 credits from undergraduate-level courses numbered between 300 to 499 may be counted toward the requirements of a master's degree.

Procedure: Students wishing to be granted credit toward their degree for undergraduate courses, or courses outside of the program must do the following:

1. Send a request to the Graduate Director to ask for the desired course to be counted for elective credit. Include a brief rationale as to why the course is related to the course of study/research interests.
2. If the request is approved, the Graduate Director will send the student written confirmation indicating official approval of the substitute course. A copy of the approval will also be sent to the Graduate Program Assistant for the student’s file.

Annual Progress Reports

Graduate students must submit an Annual Progress Report, which is due yearly on March 1. The report offers an opportunity for students to reflect on their progress and challenges within the past year, preferably in consultation with their supervisor, mentor, and/or the Graduate Director.

Language Competence

The student’s supervisor and/or the Graduate Director may recommend that additional work on German or English proficiency and/or competence in another area of expertise (e.g., a third language) is necessary for the student's program of research. With written notice from the Graduate Director, these additional stipulations can be considered criteria for a student’s satisfactory progress in the degree program. All graduate students are encouraged to dedicate effort toward maintaining and improving their language proficiencies.

Presentations

M.A. students are encouraged to propose presentations at the annual graduate student colloquium and/or conference. Master’s students are not required to present, unlike doctoral students.

Mandatory Workshops

Graduate Students are encouraged to become Teaching Assistants (TAs) as part of their program. All TAs must successfully complete one of the Instructional Skills Workshops (ISW) or an equivalent pedagogy course (e.g., GERN 505). 

The examination committee consists of three to four members from the CENES Graduate Faculty. Its mandate is to evaluate the comprehensive exam and the thesis defence.

Additionally, the exam committee chair (usually the Graduate Director) will oversee the exam procedures without a vote. If the exam committee chair is also the student's mentor, supervisor or another committee member, a different arm's-length Graduate Faculty member must act as exam or defence committee chair. The chair will submit a report to the graduate program office and communicate the results to the student.

Students who choose the courses-only stream normally take their comprehensive examination within six months of completing their course requirements. Other arrangements must be approved by the Graduate Director.

The student will present a draft reading list to the examinations committee at least four weeks prior to the scheduled exam. The reading list will include full bibliographic references of no fewer than 10 major texts in proper bibliographic style. Reading lists are to be drawn up in consultation with the student's supervisor and Examination Committee. The list should include literary and cultural works from different periods and critical works of literary and cultural theory.

The reading list is the bibliography and basis for the major essay written for GERN 548, which will also be one of the subjects of the MA oral exam. The major essay is an argumentative research paper of approximately 15-20 pages that engages with a topic developed by the student in consultation with the supervisor and other committee members.  

The oral exam lasts about one hour. The student will answer questions about the texts and theories chosen and explain their choice and focus of studies. The final grade for GERN 548 or the equivalent exam preparation course will be determined by the examination committee.

All elective credits must come from GERN literary and cultural studies courses at the 500 level. When they are offered, we recommend taking the following courses in addition to any other electives, as they concentrate on linguistic and cultural exchange:

• GMST 505: The Acquisition of German as an Additional Language
• GMST 506: Intercultural Competence

With the approval of the Graduate Director, students may enrol in courses offered by other programs. As per Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies regulations, a maximum of 6 credits from undergraduate-level courses numbered between 300 to 499 may be counted toward the requirements of a master's degree.

Procedure: Students wishing to be granted credit toward their degree for undergraduate courses, or courses outside of the program must do the following:

1. Send a request to the Graduate Director to ask for the desired course to be counted for elective credit. Include a brief rationale as to why the course is related to the course of study/research interests.
2. If the request is approved, the Graduate Director will send the student written confirmation indicating official approval of the substitute course. A copy of the approval will also be sent to the Graduate Program Assistant for the student’s file.

Topic and Prospectus

By no later than the beginning of the second year, you should formulate a topic and, in consultation with the Graduate Director, choose a supervisory committee consisting of a supervisor and two Graduate Faculty members. As soon as you have decided on a suitable topic, a thesis proposal should be submitted to the supervisory committee for approval. The thesis proposal (approximately 5-7 pages) introduces the main arguments of the thesis and includes a bibliography and a comprehensive list of relevant secondary sources. Current students: consult the thesis proposal guide for more information.  

The Thesis

The completed thesis, approximately 60-70 pages long (excluding bibliography and notes), should be submitted to the supervisory committee for evaluation. The student is expected to revise the thesis in accordance with the supervisory committee's feedback. The final thesis must be formatted in accordance with the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies guidelines for thesis preparation. References should follow the latest edition of the MLA style guide. Additionally, one copy must be electronically submitted to the Graduate Director and the Graduate Program Assistant.

Public Defence

Students normally defend their thesis within six months of completing their course requirements. All defence arrangements must be approved by the Graduate Director.

Once the thesis is approved and marked by the supervisory committee, and all other requirements for the MA degree have been fulfilled, a final one-hour oral examination on the thesis and its background will be conducted in the form of a public defence. The student will answer questions about the thesis and explain the research focus.

The defence committee consists of three members plus an arm's-length chair (usually the Graduate Director, unless already a part of the committee), selected from among the Graduate Faculty. At least one of the voting members of the defence committee must be from the Department’s appointed MA examination committee.

The final grade for the thesis and GERN 549 will be determined by the defence committee and entered administratively by the Graduate Program Assistant. The final version of the thesis, including all changes required by the defence committee, must be submitted electronically to cIRcle.

The MA examination committee consists of three to four members from the CENES Graduate Faculty, appointed by the Head. Its mandate is to evaluate the comprehensive exam, the thesis defence, and the MA thesis.

Additionally, the exam committee chair (usually the Graduate Director) will oversee the exam procedures without a vote. If the exam committee chair is also the student’s mentor, supervisor, or another committee member, a different arm’s-length Graduate Faculty member must act as exam or defence committee chair. The chair will submit a report to the graduate program office and communicate the results to the student.