Earn a minor in German online through Ecampus

The School of Language, Culture, and Society along with Ecampus invites you to discover the flexibility and ease of completing a German minor online as part of your undergraduate degree program. The German language and literature courses for the German minor are based on a tradition of dedicated teaching and personal contact between student and instructor and provide true multimedia instruction coupled with realistic learning objectives.

Before you begin the upper-division coursework for your minor, you must have completed first- and second-year college-level German. Students with non-college German should contact the German advisor for placement.

Why is German one of the most important languages today?

• 46 million Americans claim German ancestors, making it the largest heritage group in the United States. 
• 100 million European Union (EU) residents speak German as their native language, making German the most widely spoken mother tongue in Europe. Another 31 percent of EU residents speak German as a second language.
• Germany has the fourth strongest economy in the world (after the U.S., China and Japan).
• German exports constitute the largest share of total world trade (even ahead of the U.S.).
• Germany is the second most important import market in the world, and the third most important import partner of the United States.
• There are 1,200 German-owned companies in the United States, some of the largest of which are active in the state of Oregon (DaimlerChrysler, Freightliner, Wacker Chemie, Siltronic, Adidas, Reebok and SolarWorld AG).

In today’s world, knowing other languages is often a necessity for success. Developing language competence will give you a sense of world citizenry and prepare you for careers in internationally-related fields. In addition, language competence strengthens the credentials of students planning careers in any of the following fields: international business, foreign affairs, non-government organizations, environmental science, public health, law enforcement, education, social services, among many others.