The school of German Language and Literature of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki was founded in 1960 and is one of the eight schools that constitute the Faculty of Philosophy in the AUTh.

The main aims of the School are:

• To offer the foundation in acquiring scientific knowledge on the wide spectrum of Linguistics, as well as to instill the ability in students to employ this knowledge for theoretical and empirical linguistic research.
• To present and promote the German cultural approach to criticism, the methodology and the ideology pervading the analysis of literature and the diachronic overview of their culture, often by comparing the above with the Greek literature and culture as well as others.
• To provide graduates with the theoretical, practical and teaching tools; the German language as well as the translation process, is taught  both by means of conventional modes of instruction and also by employing Information Technology and audiovisual media.

The School aims to hatch young scientists with advanced and profound knowledge on the subjects taught, in order for them to have both the necessary credentials to teach German as a foreign language, but also a strong theoretical background, critical thought and the necessary methodological tools for research at a more advanced and/or cross-scientific level. The school also aims to help students become familiar with intercultural studies. The language employed throughout the courses (both during the instruction and for the assignments) is mainly German.

The School of German offers:

• A BA degree in German Language and Literature after the completion of four (4) academic years of study, with two specialisations: Linguistics-Teaching and Literature and Culture.
• The Postgraduate Studies Program is divided in two specialisations: in Linguistics-Teaching and in German Literature and Culture. The Postgraduate Studies Program is organised in two cycles: a. a Master’s Degree Program upon the successful completion of the (2) two-year cycle of postgraduate studies and b. a PhD degree awarded upon the successful completion of the doctoral thesis.

The School’s up-to-date library constitutes an essential tool for the modern and valid study and research of all the above. The duly constituted laboratory for “Educational Research and Language Applications” operating in our School, conducts systematic research on various scientific domains that spring from the School’s scientific interests but can also be approached cross-scientifically.

The School of German Language and Literature actively participates in interdepartmental postgraduate studies programs and other learning programs within the framework of its subject fields, collaborating with other educational institutions in Greece or abroad. Moreover, the School takes part in the Operational Program for the Education and the Basic Vocational Training/National Strategic Reference Framework (EPEAEK/ESPA), and it also collaborates with German universities and with scientists working for German scientific institutions in Greece and abroad, frequently exchanging students, instructors, researchers and inviting prominent scientists for lectures and seminars both at an undergraduate and a postgraduate level.