Introduction
Studying for a European language alongside your chosen degree subject is a great way of enhancing your learning and opening up a much broader range of careers upon graduation. Language skills remain a major benefit.
Study Information
At a Glance
- Learning Mode
- On Campus Learning
- Degree Qualification
- MA
- Duration
- 60 months
- Study Mode
- Full Time
- Start Month
- September
- UCAS Code
- LR72
At Aberdeen, you can study German as a complete beginner, or build on prior knowledge of the language, and both streams can lead to either a single German MA Honours degree or a with a large number of possible combinations.
Studying German in Aberdeen will provide you with a very solid grounding in the German language. Amongst our staff are native speakers from German and Austria, who will introduce you to the cultures of the German-speaking world. You will encounter the world of German artistic expression in the form of literature, film and art. And you will gain a deeper understanding of Germany’s complex history.
This is a five-year programme with an academic term spent studying in a German-speaking country.
This particular degree programme covers the core courses as set out in the standard Geography degree. Geography is the study of the Earth's surface, with particular emphasis on the relationships between people and their environment. Few other subjects cover such a diversity of phenomena, combining elements of the natural sciences, the social sciences and the humanities.
What You'll Study
- Year 1
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Year 1: Compulsory Courses
- Academic Writing for Language & Literature (AW1008)
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This compulsory evaluation is designed to find out if your academic writing is of a sufficient standard to enable you to succeed at university and, if you need it, to provide support to improve. It is completed on-line via MyAberdeen with clear instructions to guide you through it. If you pass the evaluation at the first assessment it will not take much of your time. If you do not, you will be provided with resources to help you improve. This evaluation does not carry credits but if you do not complete it this will be recorded on your degree transcript.
- Getting Started at the ºÚÁÏÍø (PD1002)
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This course, which is prescribed for level 1 undergraduate students and articulating students who are in their first year at the University, is studied entirely online, takes approximately 2-3 hours to complete and can be taken in one sitting, or spread across the first 4 weeks of term.
Topics include University orientation overview, equality & diversity, MySkills, health, safety and cyber security, and academic integrity.
Successful completion of this course will be recorded on your Transcript as ‘Achieved’.
- The UN Sustainable Development Goals: Transforming Our World (GG1512)
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15 Credit Points
This course interrogates the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals. These encompass contemporary global challenges such as responsible consumption and production, no poverty, clean water and climate action (challenges whose emergence is introduced in GG1010 Creating the Anthropocene). Drawing upon Human and Physical Geography perspectives, a ‘strong’ interpretation of sustainability, one where social and economic dimensions fundamentally rely on ecological foundations, underpins the course.
- The Flow of Time: Introductory Field Trip (GO1001)
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This course involves a one-day introductory local field trip for all first year single and joint honours students in the School of Geosciences. During the trip, students will be introduced to Geoscience as an integrated discipline that explores the relationships between nature and people. Lecturers from Archaeology, Geography and Geology will guide hands-on learning activities. The course is designed to be inclusive and provides an opportunity to meet fellow students and staff from across the school.
Year 1: Optional Courses
Select one of the following options:
Beginner - for absolute beginners and those who have studied German for up to 3 years
- German for Beginners 1 (GM1054)
- German for Beginners 2 (GM1554)
- Background to German Beginners 1 (GM1049) AND/OR The Global City (LA1501)
Advanced - for post-Higher candidates and those who have studied German for more than 4 years
- German Language 1 (GM1050)
- German Language 2 (GM1550)
- Modern German Culture 1 (GM1052) AND/OR The Global City (LA1501)
Plus select further credit points from courses of choice to reach 120 credit points.
- German for Beginners 1 (GM1054)
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15 Credit Points
This interactive language course provides students with a foundation in German. It enables students to understand the gist of authentic spoken and written German and to speak and write about everyday topics with a degree of accuracy and fluency.
No previous knowledge of German is required, but this course can also be taken by students who took German at school before, on any level lower than Higher or A-level.
With 3 Language Classes and 1 Language Practical per week this course provides students with ample opportunities to develop their language skills in class, as well as supporting them to refine their personal self-study strategies.
After completion of German for Beginners 1, students can continue with German for Beginners 2 in the second term of each year.
Upon registration for this course, you are asked to complete a short online language placement to ensure that you are registered for the most appropriate course for your language ability.
It is recommended (subject to individual placement results) that:• Students who have no experience of German register for GM1054: German for Beginners 1• Students who have studied German to National 5/ GCSE level (or equivalent) typically register for GM1054: German for Beginners 1• Students who have studied German to Higher level (or equivalent) register for GM1050 German Language 1
- German for Beginners 2 (GM1554)
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15 Credit Points
This interactive language course provides students with a sound foundation in German. It is designed for students who completed GM1054 (German for Beginners 1) during term 1.
The course enables students to understand the gist of authentic written and spoken German and to speak and write about everyday topics with a degree of accuracy and fluency.
No previous knowledge of German is required, but this course can also be taken by students who took German at school before, on any level lower than Higher or A-level. With 3 Language Classes and 1 Language Practical per week this course provides students with ample opportunities to develop their language skills in class, as well as supporting them to refine their personal self-study strategies.
- The Global City in Text and Film (LA1501)
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15 Credit Points
Focusing on major cities in Europe and the Americas, this course unit uses a range of texts, including films, poetry and fiction, to investigate urban spaces as sites of promise, power and loss. Representations of global cities, and experiences of urban dwellers, highlight themes such as empire, identity, leisure, labour and love. Set amid glittering facades and gritty back streets, the texts studied in this course explore the many meanings of the urban experience across place and time. These urban encounters also provide a way of understanding key social, political and cultural moments in the past and present.
- German Language 1 (GM1050)
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15 Credit Points
This interactive, skill-based course is designed for students with prior knowledge of German. It builds on previously acquired German communication skills to further develop students’ reading, writing, listening, and speaking abilities in German. Additionally, the course provides a deeper understanding of various cultural aspects of German-speaking countries.
Students who are considering applying for entry to German Honours must take this course.
Upon registration for this course, you are asked to complete a short online language placement to ensure that you are registered for the most appropriate course for your language ability.
• Students who have no experience of German register for GM1054: German for Beginners 1• Students who have studied German to National 5/GCSE level (or equivalent) typically register for GM1054: German for Beginners 1• Students who have studied German to Higher (or equivalent) register for GM1050 German Language 1
- German Language 2 (GM1550)
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15 Credit Points
The course is designed for students who successfully completed GM1050 (semester 1)The course builds on previously acquired German communication skills to further develop students’ reading, writing, listening, and speaking abilities in German. Additionally, the course provides a deeper understanding of various cultural aspects of German-speaking countries.
Students who are considering applying for entry to German Honours must take this course
- Year 2
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Year 2: Compulsory Courses
- GM2543 Modern German Culture 4
- Space, Economy and Society (GG2014)
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15 Credit Points
GG2014 examines political, economic, social and cultural change from a geographical perspective. The course consists of five distinct blocks, each of which introduces a specific sub-field of human geography – economic, urban, tourism, cultural and social geography. As a team-taught course, it makes use of a range of concepts and uses case studies drawn from the staff’s own fields of research. As well as geography, the course is designed to be accessible and relevant to students from other arts and social science disciplines such as anthropology, business, economics, history, international relations and sociology.
- Residence Abroad Preparation for Mlti Students (LA10RP)
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This course is restricted to MLTI (Modern Languages / Translation and Interpreting) students.
This course is for students preparing their residence abroad, as part of their degree requirements on Modern Languages (Mode A and Mode B) or Translation and Interpreting programmes. This course carries no credits in itself, but provides essential support and guidance as MLTI students organise their residence abroad to meet their degree requirements.
Year 2: Optional Courses
Select one of the following options:
Beginner
- German Language (Advanced Introductory) 1 (GM2040)
- German Language (Advanced Introductory) 2 (GM2540)
Advanced
- German Language 3 (GM2042)
- German Language 4 (GM2542)
Plus select at least two of the following:
- Physical Environments (GG2013)
- Environment and Society (GG2509)
- Mapping and Monitoring the Environment (GG2510)
- German Language (Advanced Introductory) 1 (GM2040)
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15 Credit Points
The course consists of language classes leading to advanced communicative competence in German and it will include the analysis of contemporary texts drawn from a variety of contexts. This course may be taken only by students who have completed the German for Beginners courses.
- German Language (Advanced Introductory) 2 (GM2540)
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15 Credit Points
The intention of the course is to extend and reinforce further students' command of German grammar, vocabulary and syntactic structures, and to introduce various styles of written and spoken German. The course builds on the work done in GM2040 and is intended only for continuing beginners.
- German Language 3 (GM2042)
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15 Credit Points
This level two language course will build on and extend students' fluency and written skills in German.
- German Language 4 (GM2542)
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15 Credit Points
Building on work done in GM 2042, the course will develop further language skills.
- Physical Environments (GG2013)
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15 Credit Points
This course provides an understanding of environmental processes and landscape change through time and space. The course places Physical Geography as an integral component of Earth System Science. The first half of the course explores physical environmental processes, whilst the second focuses on evidence of environmental change across a range of temporal and spatial scales. Three themes of glaciology, hydrology and palaeoecology will be explored to illustrate the linkages and interactions between process and form over a range of temporal and spatial scales. The course is team-taught by staff with an emphasis on using examples from recent research projects.
- Environment and Society (GG2509)
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15 Credit Points
This course explores the complex and dynamic relationship between the environment and human societies. It examines how social, economic, and political factors influence environmental policies and practices, and how environmental changes, in turn, affect human societies. Through case studies such as using environmental ethics to think about tuna fishing and whale conservation, or engaging with the idea of putting a price on nature through natural capital approaches, students will gain a comprehensive understanding of key concepts, theories, and case studies on socio-environmental issues.
- World - Changing Protests: History, Culture, Politics (LA2501)
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15 Credit Points
The course will span a century of protests across Europe, the Americas and North Africa, with causes including peace, democracy, human rights, anti-racism, labour rights, equality for women and LGBTI+ communities, climate change and decolonisation. Students will learn about the history, culture and politics of the countries where protests erupt, including of the social movements that lead protests. Approaches will include history, literary, film and media analysis, material and visual culture, music and social science methods.
- Year 3
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Year 3: Compulsory Courses
Academic year spent in a German-speaking country.
- Year 4
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Year 4: Compulsory Courses
- Approaches to Geography (GG3071)
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15 Credit Points
This core course is designed to introduce Honours students to key debates on the nature and scope of academic geography. Geographers past and present have studied a huge variety of phenomena using a variety of tools to investigate their subject. This course will help you understand this diversity. Topics include: the changing meaning of the 'environment'; the use and abuse of statistical analysis; the influence of left-wing and post-modern perspectives, and the role of technology. Students may specialise in particular aspects, or mix-and-match across the breadth of the discipline, as you wish.
- Research Design (GG3574)
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15 Credit Points
This core course builds on GG2508 to provide an introduction to the conduct of research in the Geosciences at an advanced level. It is intended to familiarise students with the skills necessary to design, implement and write up effective research. These skills will support work on undergraduate dissertations and other project work. The course also introduces careers research skills, and explores how you can best make use of your degree in the 'real world' after graduation: workshops run in partnership with the University's Career Service provide practical advice and training on how best to develop your career.
Year 4: Optional Courses
Select further 30 credit points from level 3 or 4 courses in Geography, plus 45 credit points from level 3 courses in German.
- Year 5
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Year 5: Compulsory Courses
- German Language Study for Senior Honours (GM4099)
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30 Credit Points
Building on the skills gained during the Junior Honours language course and before, this module expands and refines German language expertise in writing, reading, speaking and listening, to an advanced level, for their final exit written and oral exam in German.
Year 5: Optional Courses
Select one of the following dissertation options:
- Geography Dissertation (GG4023)
- Dissertation in German (GM4052) AND Geographical Issues (GG4537)
Plus select further credit points from level 3 or 4 courses in Geography and level 4 courses in German to gain a total of 60 credit points in each discipline.
If you choose to take GG4023 Geography Dissertation, you are not required to take GG4537 Geographical Issues but may take both courses if you wish.
NOTE: You are required to gain a minimum of 90 credit points from level 4 courses.
We will endeavour to make all course options available. However, these may be subject to change - see our Student Terms and Conditions page. In exceptional circumstances there may be additional fees associated with specialist courses, for example field trips.
How You'll Study
Learning Methods
- Individual Projects
- Lectures
- Research
- Tutorials
Assessment Methods
Students are assessed by any combination of three assessment methods:
- coursework such as essays and reports completed throughout the course;
- practical assessments of the skills and competencies they learn on the course; and
- written examinations at the end of each course.
The exact mix of these methods differs between subject areas, years of study and individual courses.
Honours projects are typically assessed on the basis of a written dissertation.
Why Study Geography and German (5 years)?
Why Geography
- Our Royal Geographical Society accredited degree in Geography includes extensive fieldwork options and is designed to provide you with key skills and knowledge – such as data analysis and GIS –often required by employers
- Our degree programmes focus upon key current environmental, economic, societal, and technological challenges including climate change, sustainable development, social inequalities, and environmental protection
- Human Geography at Aberdeen is ranked 1st in the UK for student satisfaction in the 2024 National Student Survey with an overall satisfaction score of 100%
- Study Geography from a social science/humanities perspective, a physical science perspective, or both. The region surrounding the University includes spectacular mountain and coastal areas, a vibrant city, and rural communities, providing perfect sites for field study
- Build your network, enhance your employability, and develop relationships with like-minded students through the engaging and very active Geography Society
Why German
- Join a vibrant international community on campus and across the region, with many German-speaking students, staff and activities to get involved in
- Get involved with the German Society, which is open to all students interested in German and the German-speaking countries and organises events such as Kaffee and Kuchen, a German Stammtisch, film showings, and visits by German speakers and writers
- Join the German Drama Group, which provides the opportunity to produce an annual play, widen your language skills, and meet other German students studying in Aberdeen
- Enjoy a packed campus programme of events, exhibitions, seminars, invited speakers and the popular annual WayWORD festival, welcoming international figures, experts, authors, and scientists to campus
- Enhance your period abroad as a language assistant or visiting student. We have exchange scholarships with the Universities of Zurich, Kiel and Greifswald, and Erasmus partners including Leipzig, Cologne, Bonn, Trier and Graz in Austria
- Access the spectacular, award-winning Sir Duncan Rice Library with fabulous study facilities, state-of-the-art technology, and an extensive German collection to inspire your studies
Interested in this programme?
Entry Requirements
Qualifications
The information below is provided as a guide only and does not guarantee entry to the ºÚÁÏÍø.
General Entry Requirements
- 2027 Entry
-
SQA Highers
Standard: BBBB
Applicants that present with BBBB will usually receive an unconditional offer.
Where we have more applicants than places we may need to ask for more than the minimum so continued engagement in school is recommended.
Widening Access: BBC
Applicants who meet one or more of our widening access metrics and present with BBC, are guaranteed an unconditional offer.
Foundation Apprenticeship: One FA is equivalent to a Higher at A. It cannot replace any required subjects.
Note: We do not double count a Higher and Advanced Higher in the same subject, but we do consider that a B grade at Advanced Higher is equivalent to an A grade at Higher.
National 5 English (or equivalent) is required at Grade C or above.
A LEVELS
Standard: BBC
Widening Access: CCC
GCSE English (or equivalent) is required at Grade C/4 or above.
BTEC LEVEL 3 EXTENDED DIPLOMA
DMM in related subjects.
Note: BTEC Level 3 Extended Certificate (Subsidiary Diploma) achieved at Distinction level, is normally acceptable in lieu of one A Level at grade B.)
GCSE English (or equivalent) is required at Grade C/4 or above. GCSE Mathematics at Grade C/4 is also required for Accountancy, Economics and Finance programmes.
IRISH LEAVING CERTIFICATE
Five subjects at Higher at H3.
INTERNATIONAL BACCALAUREATE
30 points including 5, 4, 4 at HL.
SL in English is also required.
The information displayed in this section shows a shortened summary of our entry requirements. For more information, or for full entry requirements for Arts and Social Sciences degrees, see our .
Fees and Funding
You will be classified as one of the fee categories below.
- EU / International students
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- Tuition Fees for 2027/28 Academic Year
- £20,800
- Tuition Fees for 2026/27 Academic Year
- £20,800
- Tuition Fees for 2026/27 Academic Year (Self-funded Students *)
- £14,800
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The above fee includes the £6,000 Aberdeen Global Scholarship provided to self-funded international students. Full terms and conditions apply.
- Tuition Fees for 2027/28 Academic Year (Self-funded Students *)
- £14,800
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The above fee includes the £6,000 Aberdeen Global Scholarship provided to self-funded international students. Full terms and conditions apply.
- Home Students
-
- Tuition Fees for 2026/27 Academic Year
- £1,820
- Tuition Fees for 2027/28 Academic Year
- £1,820
- England, Wales, Northern Ireland, and Republic of Ireland
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- Tuition Fees for 2027/28 Academic Year
- £10,050
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The UK Government has confirmed that the RUK fee cap will continue to increase each year to reflect inflation. Tuition fees will increase in line with the Government fee cap each year, and this should be taken into account when budgeting.
- Tuition Fees for 2026/27 Academic Year
- £9,790
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The UK Government has confirmed that the RUK fee cap will continue to increase each year to reflect inflation. Tuition fees will increase in line with the Government fee cap each year, and this should be taken into account when budgeting.
Scholarships and Funding
UK Scholarship
Students from England, Wales and Northern Ireland, who pay tuition fees may be eligible for specific scholarships allowing them to receive additional funding. These are designed to provide assistance to help students support themselves during their time at Aberdeen.
Aberdeen Global Scholarship
The ºÚÁÏÍø is delighted to offer eligible self-funded international on-campus undergraduate students a £6,000 scholarship for every year of their programme. More about this funding opportunity.
Funding Database
View all funding options in our Funding Database.
Careers
There are many opportunities at the ºÚÁÏÍø to develop your knowledge, gain experience and build a competitive set of skills to enhance your employability. This is essential for your future career success. The Careers and Employability Service can help you to plan your career and support your choices throughout your time with us, from first to final year – and beyond.
- More information on employability at the ºÚÁÏÍø
- More information on the Careers and Employability Service
Our Experts
Information ºÚÁÏÍø Staff Changes
You will be taught by a range of experts including professors, lecturers, teaching fellows and postgraduate tutors. However, these may be subject to change - see our Student Terms and Conditions page.
Features
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Get in Touch
Contact Details
- Address
-
Student Recruitment & Admissions
ºÚÁÏÍø
University Office
Regent Walk
Aberdeen
AB24 3FX