Top 7 Colleges For Foreign Language Majors
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According to Omniglot.com, those that learn to speak a second language are at an advantage than those that don’t. Being able to speak a second language gives you many job opportunities and you will have a deeper understanding of the world. You may be wondering, “Well, where do I start?”. College is a great place to learn and achieve something new! Many colleges provide amazing foreign language courses. Here are some of the top colleges in the United States for Foreign Language majors.
Middlebury College started off with their German Summer Language School in 1915. Now, they offer undergraduate programs and degrees in Arabic, Chinese, French, Hebrew, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish. Also, those that are studying a language at Middlebury are required to take a pledge stating that they will talk only in the language that they’re studying; that way, students are able to become fluent in the language and culture.
If you’re looking for a public, state school, then the University of Wisconsin-Madison (UW-Madison) is for you. UW-Madison offers over 40 foreign languages during the academic school year; also, they offer both modern and ancient-styled languages. Those aiming for their undergraduate degree in a language will be able to form strong relationships with their peers and instructors, develop analytical and communication skills, and gain knowledge about a new culture. UW-Madison offers study abroad programs and students will be able to find an advisor for whatever language they’re studying.
Columbia University offers over 45 different ancient and modern languages. Columbia University and New York University has been under agreement since 1998 about their foreign language majors and programs; students are able to take languages courses on either NYU or Columbia and still get credit for their “base” college. Columbia offers immersion programs at their other partner schools in China, France, Italy, Germany, and Japan; while taking languages courses, their languages are incorporated into their humanities, economics, science, and engineering classes. Lastly, Columbia offers a Language Resource Center in which they have classes and facilities for students to enhance their language learning experience.
Michigan State University’s (MSU) Department of Linguistics and German, Slavic, Asian and African Languages concentrates on linguistics, culture, and langue through research and teaching. MSU offers Arabic, Chinese, German, Japanese, and Russian for their degree programs. Also, MSU offers additional programs ranging from Swahili languages to Hebrew.
Washington State University’s (WSU) Department of Foreign Languages and Cultures has been running since 1890. WSU has specialized language courses for those also studying business, social science, engineering, and science; their curriculum is continuing to expand and incorporate other areas of study into their languages. Some languages WSU has to offer are Chinese, French, and Spanish as majors and Chinese, French, German, Japanese, and Spanish as minors.
The University of Florida (UF) currently offers 15 different languages for their Language programs. UF allows students to be flexible with their education because students are allowed to major is one language or participate in a dual language course. For students that want to major in specifically one language, UF has a program called “Critical Concentration.” These concentrations include Intensive Area Studies, Comparative Cultural Studies, Film and Visual Culture, Literary Studies, and Medieval and Early Modern Studies. UF encourages participation in these concentrations if the student wants to gain higher knowledge of the language they’re studying.
University of Massachusetts’ (UMass) Department of Languages, Literatures, and Cultures happen to be their largest department on the Amherst campus. What makes UMass’ foreign language program unique is their Thatcher Language House. Each floor of the house has it’s own classroom and lounge area and is reserved for a specific language; that way, students are able to live with other students learning that specific language and learn more about that culture together. UMass offers a variety of languages and is part of the Five College Consortium; in other words, students are able to take classes on the other four participating colleges and receive credit for their “base” college. All in all, UMass offers small classes, study abroad programs, and one-on-one faculty relationships.
