The Rutgers Ph.D. Program in German Studies offers a vibrant five-year program of study that supports cross-disciplinary work in the humanities. Students receive a strong grounding in the German, Austrian, and Swiss literary traditions, and are additionally encouraged to pursue literary theory, film studies, philosophy, women's and gender studies, history, and art history as these relate to German-language culture. The faculty, which has published widely in all periods from the 18th century to the present, seeks to guide students through the array of choices. Since Rutgers is part of the Inter-University Doctoral Consortium, students who have completed one year of coursework at Rutgers are also free to take up to two classes at a partner institution, including Princeton University, Columbia University, New York University, the CUNY Graduate Center, New School University, Fordham University, Stony Brook University, and Teachers College at Columbia University.