Languages & Academic Programs

Learn a Language

The University of Virginia offers courses in more than twenty languages, ranging from Latin to Sanskrit and Modern Hebrew. Most recently, U.Va. unveiled new courses in Bengali, the official language of Bangladesh. In addition to offering traditional, semester-long courses, U.Va. also offers nine-week courses in its Summer Language Institute in French, German, Italian, Latin, Russian, Spanish, Tibetan, and Chinese.

• Arabic (Department of Middle Eastern and South Asian Languages and Cultures)
• Bengali (Department of Middle Eastern and South Asian Languages and Cultures)
• Chinese (Department of East Asian Languages, Literatures and Cultures)
• English (ESL) (Center for American English Language & Culture)
• French (Department of French Language and Literature)
• German (Germanic Languages & Literatures)
• Greek (Attic) (Department of Classics)
• Hebrew (Modern) (Department of Middle Eastern and South Asian Languages and Cultures)
• Hindi (Department of Middle Eastern and South Asian Languages and Cultures)
• Italian (Department of Spanish, Italian & Portuguese)
• Japanese (Department of East Asian Languages, Literatures and Cultures)
• Korean (Department of East Asian Languages, Literatures and Cultures)
• Latin (Department of Classics)
• Persian (Department of Middle Eastern and South Asian Languages and Cultures)
• Polish (Slavic Languages and Literatures)
• Portuguese (Department of Spanish, Italian & Portuguese)
• Russian (Slavic Languages and Literatures)
• Sanskrit (Department of Middle Eastern and South Asian Languages and Cultures)
• Spanish (Department of Spanish, Italian & Portuguese)
• Swahili
• Tibetan (Department of East Asian Languages, Literatures and Cultures)
• Urdu (Department of Middle Eastern and South Asian Languages and Cultures)

The Summer Language Institute

Nine-week courses in Arabic, French, German, Hebrew, Italian, Latin, Russian, Spanish, Tibetan, Chinese and English. Students attend classes five days a week, seven and a half hours a day. Listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills are developed in a student-centered environment.

Center for American English Language and Culture

English as a Second Language (ESL) services at U.Va. are offered through the Center for American English Language and Culture (CAELC).

Academic Programs

Undergraduate - Majors

• African-American and African Studies
• Classics
• East Asian Languages & Literatures
• East Asian Studies
• French
• German
• Global Development Studies
• Italian
• Jewish Studies
  
• Latin American Studies
• Middle Eastern and South Asian Languages and Literatures
• Middle Eastern and South Asian Studies
• Slavic Languages & Literatures
• Spanish

Undergraduate - Minors

• African-American and African Studies
• Classics
• French
• German
• Global Culture and Commerce
• Global Public Health
• Global Sustainability
• Latin American Studies
• Portuguese

Graduate

• Classics MA
• Classics PHD
• Contemporary Russian Studies MA
• East Asian Studies MA
• Foreign Affairs MA
• Foreign Affairs PHD
• French Language & Literature MA
• French Language & Literature PHD
• German Languages & Literatures MA
• German Languages & Literatures PHD
• Italian MA
• Middle Eastern and South Asian Studies MA
• Slavic Languages and Literatures MA
• Slavic Languages and Literatures PHD
• Spanish MA
• Spanish PHD

Related Graduate Programs

Graduate students with an interest in international studies can pursue MA and PhD programs in the following departments:

• Anthropology
• Art History
• History
• Religious Studies
• Politics

Foreign Language Education: Degrees

• Master of Teaching: Earned by students in the Five-Year or Post-Graduate teaching licensure programs
• Master of Education: Graduate-level studies beyond initial licensure