There are many colleges that will allow her to study German and science. Yes, make sure there are enough German courses offered, but honestly, as long as there are some advanced literature classes with some students majoring, she should be fine.
That’s because if she really wants to master German and truly explore the culture and history, she needs to go abroad for at least a semester, but preferably a year. That is how you learn a language - by living it. She can take some advanced language and also literature classes her first and second year in college, but really, the year abroad will allow her to become fluent in the language and gain a greater understanding of the culture. If she is at a liberal arts college, she can return senior year and do an independent study/thesis in German, even if she isn’t thrilled with the college’s literature course offerings her senior year. That’s the kind of thing LACs specialize in.
There are different ways she could study abroad:
- She could find a college that has its own program in Germany, like this one that Smith offers that actually focuses on science in Hamburg: https://www.smith.edu/german/studyabroad.php (My D is at Smith, so that’s why I picked this, but there are many other colleges that will have programs in Germany).
- She could go to most any college that will likely have an affiliated term abroad program in Germany through another college if they don’t have their own like in #1. Just check and confirm availability with the Study Abroad office of a college she is interested in.
- She could go to a college affiliated with this great scholarship program: http://www.vdac.de/en/student-exchange/partneruniversitaeten.html. I participated in this program myself years ago when I was in college and spent a year in Tuebingen. There may be other programs like this. This one has been around for awhile and offers a true immersion experience and it’s funded, too.
Some things to consider when deciding on her study abroad:
How connected will she be with other Americans during her study abroad? (may impact how much German she speaks on a daily basis)
Does she want to live with a host family or in a dorm?
Will the classes she take be at a German University or through the US college program? What will the focus of the classes be (German literature? Science classes with other Germans?)
She can do all of this - and end up truly fluent in German - and also be a science major if she likes. That’s the beauty of a liberal arts education. Good luck!