The Language Studies Program prepares students for hundreds of career opportunities, enhances each student's resume, and increases salary potential. There is a high demand for individuals with advanced language proficiency in business and industry. In addition, teachers of languages, including English as a second language, are in high demand throughout the world.
The Department of Languages, Literature, and Linguistics at Indiana State University is unique within colleges in the Midwest in its extremely flexible undergraduate program that enables students to tailor an academic program to meet their individual career goals. The program is particularly suited for students seeking a functional knowledge of more than one language to enhance their careers and for students who plan to teach English overseas.
Languages and areas of study include:
- Arabic (elementary level)
- Chinese (elementary level)
- French
- German
- Japanese (elementary level)
- Latin and classical studies
- Linguistics
- Spanish
- Teaching English as a second language
Students have the option of selecting one language or area or combining several. This flexibility allows students to concentrate on one language, to switch languages, to study more than one language, or to include linguistic study without changing degrees.
Language proficiency is expanded through the University's extensive array of study abroad opportunities, which range from summer programs to a single semester or a full academic year in over 56 countries. Many cost only the equivalent of tuition, room, and board at ISU, making study abroad an affordable experience.
While the development of language and cultural competency skills is a primary focus, the program also provides a broad education in language, literature, linguistics, and cultures. In addition to sharpening communicative skills in one or more languages, the program provides students with the tools of general linguistic, cultural, and literary analysis.
The department sponsors a variety of activities such as conversation tables, international films, lectures, and field trips to museums, art exhibits, musical performances, restaurants, and cultural sites in Indiana and Illinois, including Indianapolis and Chicago.
Other opportunities include Phi Sigma Iota (the national foreign language honor society) and Eta Sigma Phi (the national classics honorary society). Students also may earn the 12-credit TESL/TEFL Certificate (opening opportunities for teaching abroad) or may volunteer as language instructors at local elementary schools, where they work with teachers and students in a specific language. They may also have opportunities for internships with practical experience.
Careers
A degree in language studies opens up career paths, such as teaching English as a foreign language, around the world - and is excellent preparation for graduate or advanced study.
In addition, our graduates frequently combine their degrees with a second major or minor and establish careers in a wide range of fields, including the following:
- U.S. federal government
- Law
- Military intelligence
- Health care
- Banking
- State and local government agencies
- U.S. and international business (particularly those completing an optional international studies minor offered through the Multidisciplinary Studies Department)
- Non-profit organizations