German

• Students who place directly into, and complete, a course higher than level 203 may count the retroactive credit they earn for 203, but no other retroactive credit, toward the minor.
• Students who enroll in and complete German 102 on the Valparaiso University campus may count it for 3 credits toward the German minor, so they will only need 6 additional credits beyond the 203 level after completing German 204.
• Students who plan to teach German with an individualized major in German should consult the German faculty and the education department to discuss options.
• If you are taking an AP course, you may receive credit in German at Valpo. Whether you are in an AP course or not, you will still have the opportunity to earn retroactive credit for your high school work. All incoming freshmen take our German Placement Exam, which places you into the correct course. After you pass that course, you’ll earn four to eight retroactive credits, plus four credits for the Valpo course itself.

When you look through the student profiles, you’ll see that you can combine German with just about any major.

Students interested in earning a secondary teaching license can combine an individualized major in German with a minor in Education. Talk to German and Education faculty members for details.

Students in the College of Engineering can combine a German minor with an Engineering major in the VIEP-German program and gain experience studying and working in German, with the support of Valpo German scholarships.

Study Abroad can fit into almost any student’s schedule.

Valpo offers three distinct study abroad opportunities in Germany:

You can study for a full year at the university in Tübingen, where you take an orientation course and then launch right into real courses in German at the university.

You can spend a semester at our study center in Reutlingen. Check out the Reutlingen Study Abroad blog!  

If you are an organ student, you can study for a semester in Rottenburg at the Hochschule für Kirchenmusik.

You can take advantage of a wide variety of activities that will enhance your learning and are fun besides.

• German Club
• Trips to the Chicago Lyric Opera
• Theaterfest – hosting area high schools for theatrical presentations and performance
• Kaffeestunde (coffee, cookies, and conversation)
• Interaction with exchange students from Germany, including the Josef Eberle Exchange Students
• Exhibits, films and lectures, like those given by Josef Eberle Visiting Scholars

• New Scholarship: Josef Eberle Scholarships can be awarded annually to three incoming German minors. The award is $2,500 per year and is renewable each year, doubling in the fourth and final year (for a total of $12,500 over four years), as long as the student makes regular progress in the German minor and maintains a B- average in German and overall. This scholarship is added to existing financial aid and can be combined with the other Valpo scholarships for German students. Students who apply by March 1 will be notified of their status by March 10. However, the application will remain open until three scholarships have been awarded.
• Valpo’s Henry and June Giebel Study Abroad Scholarships are available to all German minors who study abroad in Germany for a semester or longer, as long as they have lived in the German House and maintain a B- average or higher. These scholarships are added to existing aid. They normally cover travel costs and additional expenses; they also cover housing costs on year-long programs. They can provide support as well for students before they go abroad and after they return.
• The John and Dorothea Helms Endowed Scholarship is awarded every year to a student minoring in German ($1,000, one time only, normally in the first or second year). Students are nominated for these scholarships.
• German House Residency Scholarships may be available to German minors who live in the German House while enrolled in a German course. They are added to existing aid.
• Valpo German students may apply for other scholarships through entities such as the state of Baden-Württemberg and Delta Phi Alpha (the National German Honor Society). Valpo German faculty members advise students about applying for these scholarships when they become eligible.