Graduate Programs

The M.A. degree requires a minimum of 40 graduate credits (quarter system) in Scandinavian and related subjects approved by the Department; a reading knowledge of one non-Scandinavian foreign language (usually German or French); and a written 6-hour degree examination. At least 20 of the credits must be in seminars numbered 500 and above. Either a thesis or a non-thesis program may be selected. M.A. degrees may be taken in Scandinavian Languages and Literature or in Scandinavian Area Studies. Students who choose the Area Studies track can emphasize study in Scandinavian Folklore, History, or Politics.

Admission to the Graduate Program requires minimum language proficiency (ordinarily two years of study, or the equivalent) in at least one of the Nordic languages. Usually, this is acquired during the completion of a Scandinavian Studies undergraduate degree or by intensive language study.

The Ph.D. degree requires a minimum of 72 graduate credits (including M.A. credits, but excluding dissertation credits) in Scandinavian related subjects approved by the Department, including a course in literary theory and a sequence of two quarters of Old Icelandic (Old Norse).

Further requirements for all Ph.D. students include a reading knowledge of two non-Scandinavian foreign languages; General Examination for admission to candidacy consisting of three six-hour written examinations and an oral examination; an acceptable dissertation and a final examination on the dissertation.

Graduate Program Coordinator: Dr. Lotta Gavel Adams

Please visit the pages below to learn more about these programs.