Kent State University Board establishes nation’s first dual master’s degree program in language translation June 27, 2008
Posted by Jill (@bonnjill) in Random musings, Translation Sites.trackback
If you have read my “A little bit about my background” tab, you are probably aware that I graduated with a master’s degree in translation from Kent State University and am an adjunct instructor in the graduate program (I have primarily taught the first-year computer courses as well as a first semester German translation course and an undergraduate course in German translation). I am very proud of my affiliation with Kent State University.
Kent State University is one of only four or five universities in the United States that offers master’s degrees in translation. There are numerous translation certificates and programs out there, but only a couple master’s degrees programs. Getting my master’s in German translation was the best decision I have ever made. It literally changed my life. I would have never lived overseas had it not been for Kent. That said, I have always wished I had studied business or another specialized field at the same time. Well, now you can!
From the Kent State web site:
In its May 28 meeting, the Kent State University Board of Trustees established a dual-degree program that combines master’s-level study in language translation and business administration, effective fall 2009. The program is the first of its kind at a public or private university in the United States. Students who complete the new program will earn a Master of Arts degree in translation through the department of Modern and Classical Language Studies (under the leadership of the university’s Institute for Applied Linguistics) and a Master of Business Administration.
The program was established to give Kent State students a unique, competitive edge in today’s global economy and to help provide Ohio with business professionals who can work effectively across countries and cultures. The new program builds on Kent State’s internationally recognized leadership in language-translation education, which includes the nation’s only comprehensive sequence of bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degree programs in translation and translation studies. The dual-degree program was approved by the appropriate faculty councils, the university’s Educational Policies Council and the Faculty Senate, and by the president and the senior vice president for academic affairs and provost.
Musings from an overworked translator 
Hi, this is great for me to read, because I am a current undergraduate (junior year) hoping to get an advanced degree in German translation. My roommate’s mother is the director of the IAL at Kent State, so she was recommending that I consider that school.
I have only just started thinking about graduate school, so I have a lot of questions. First of all, are there any requirements I should make sure to cover before I get my BA (it’s going to be in German Studies)? I’ve taken a few German-language courses so far plus one translation course and am currently doing a private translation tutorial, as well as planning to spend the spring semester studying abroad in Berlin.
And on a more practical note, is it possible for an incoming German-translation student to get any sort of scholarship to help cover tuition?
I would greatly appreciate any advice you could give me – thank you very much in advance!
@Jinx,
Since I don’t work for Kent I really can’t answer your questions with any certainty. The best person to contact with your questions would be Dr. Koby (gkoby@kent.edu, http://dept.kent.edu/mcls/faculty/koby.html). He is the undergraduate coordinator and can definitely help you target your studies to the graduate program. As far as I know you must be fluent in German in order to be considered. You will have to submit an audio cassette of you speaking. The study abroad would probably help that. Kent does offer scholarships and graduate assistantships, but competition is pretty fierce. Good luck! It is a great program. I learned a lot there.