The Institute of German and Dutch Languages and Literatures is one of the largest institutes for Germanic studies within Germany. The Institute is dedicated to both literature and language and pursues an aesthetic approach to the study of literary forms, media, and texts, including aspects of interculturalism, the history of knowledge, and gender research.

German Languages and Literatures includes Linguistics, Modern German Literature, and Medieval German Literature and Language, which are all defined by a close connection between research and teaching.

The Institute also houses several practice-oriented fields including Didactics of German Language and Literature and German as a Foreign Language: Cultural Studies.

The Dutch Language and Literature department focuses on Dutch language and culture as well as the literature of the Netherlands and Belgium.

Freie Universität Berlin offers both bachelor’s and master’s degree programs in German Languages and Literatures as well as Dutch Language and Literature. German Languages and Literatures also offers a bachelor’s program with a teacher training option as well as a Master of Education program.