Do you want to know more about our German language program?
Our primary language placement tool in German at Macalester College is an online placement exam. Incoming students receive information about that exam in the summer information packet from the Academic Programs office. Transfer students or more advanced students with prior German who did not take the placement exam when entering Macalester but would like to do so now should contact Brenda Piatz in the Academic Programs office ([email protected] / x 6036).
Upon completion of the online exam, students are given a score, and the information packet from Academic Programs will indicate which course to register for based on that score. The German Studies faculty strongly recommends that students register for the indicated course; if they find upon attending that the course is too easy or too difficult, they should consult with the faculty member teaching that course about options.
Students who place into German 204 or 308 will be asked for an additional short oral interview and a writing sample (produced at the time of the interview) to confirm their placement in these courses. Likewise, students wishing to fulfill their foreign language requirement with German without taking further courses need to do the oral interview and the writing sample to complete the fulfillment of the requirement. Students entering Macalester with an AP (Advanced Placement) Score of 4 or 5 receive credit for completing German 204 and are encouraged to register for German 308. This placement will also be confirmed by an oral interview and writing sample when they arrive on campus.
Students wishing to make an appointment to do the oral interview and writing sample or who have any questions about placement in German should contact Rachael Huener in German Studies ([email protected]).