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Modern Languages
Do you long to learn a new language and experience a unique culture? Are you a high school student with prior language experience, such as four years of a specific language? Are you interested in teaching a foreign language? If any of these describe you, earning a degree from one of the Modern Languages programs at the University of Central Missouri is an ideal path for you to achieve your dreams and find a rewarding career. Choose from French, Spanish and German and delve into a new culture — and career.
Modern Languages offers three fields of study
- Language and Culture: Rise above monolingual candidates and peers by mastering a foreign language. Whether you want to study foreign music, film or literature, focusing in this area will introduce you to nearly every facet of a new culture. Demonstrate to employers and graduate programs your dedication to cultural diversity while making lasting connections.
- Professional Applications: Unlike other language programs, we offer chances for you to prepare for specific professional careers in which a foreign language can significantly help you stand out. From criminal justice to marketing to public relations, we’ll provide you with the experience and expertise to enter the job market with confidence.
- Teacher Education: There’s no better way to become a foreign language teacher than in a language program that boasts a 100% job placement rate. You’ll learn from native speakers and distinguished faculty, and you’ll even have opportunities to work with middle and high schoolers as a paid “ambassador” at our Modern Languages Foreign Film Festival.
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ContactDr. Kristy Boney College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences Department of Modern Languages and Interdisciplinary Studies |
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High job placement rates
Study-abroad opportunities
Broad professional application
Interdisciplinary approach
Flexible course delivery
Annual foreign film festival
Find your Modern Languages future at UCM
Join a Modern Languages program designed around students and with a focus on career preparation:
- Work with expert faculty: When you earn your degree in one of our programs, you’ll work with faculty mentors who are native speakers and leading scholars in their respective languages. Thanks to small class sizes, you’ll also receive the attention and support you need as you learn a new language and prepare for a career.
- Travel the world: One of the best things about studying a new language is learning about the cultures in which that language is spoken. That’s why we prioritize opportunities for students to travel abroad and earn credit. In the past, we’ve traveled to Leon, Jerusalem and Berlin. Students also regularly go to Europe. Even better, you can study at one of our sister universities around the world for a semester and pay UCM tuition.
- Make those classes count: Students with any foreign language experience, such as four years in high school, can earn credit for their experience — saving you time and money as you earn your degree. Students interested in earning credit for prior language experience need to take a placement exam for Spanish or German.
What can you do with a degree in one of UCM’s Modern Languages programs?
UWhile most university degrees prepare you for a specific career field with specialized skills, UCM’s Modern Languages programs give you a variety of skills that can help you in nearly every industry and discipline. Employers and graduate programs around the world seek out UCM graduates for their mastery of soft skills such as communication, collaboration and adaptability. Learning a foreign language shows others that you are aware of and appreciate diversity and meaningful interaction across cultures.
Our past graduates have found satisfying careers in a variety of industries, including:
- Business
- Criminal justice
- Education
- Health care
- Law
- Political science
- Public relations
- Social work
- Foreign service
Undergraduate Majors and Minors
The Modern Languages Foreign Film Festival
UCM’s Modern Languages programs host an annual Language and Culture Film Festival, in which students in grades 6–12 can submit short films that they have created in languages as diverse as Arabic, Chinese, French, German and Spanish.
Undergraduates in our Modern Languages programs act as paid “ambassadors” who talk to the high school students, work on the ground and judge submissions. The festival is a great opportunity for high schoolers to meet undergraduates and learn more about what life at UCM as a Modern Languages student is like.
Sawyer-Stevenson Scholarship for International Experiences Endowment
The International Studies and Modern Languages programs at UCM recently received a permanent study abroad scholarship endowment from Dean Michael Sawyer and Dr. Joy Stevenson, both of whom are committed to increasing student opportunities to study abroad. This scholarship will enable full-time students to pursue their academic goals in a foreign country and give them a chance to immerse themselves in a different culture. Your own experience as a student who studied abroad makes you a valuable advocate for the importance of international education. While this new scholarship will help students in both programs to go abroad every year, we would like to increase the number of students we can award annually and therefore ask if you are willing to make a gift to increase the endowment and impact more students.
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