The world is closer than ever to all of us. Citizens of every nation are online. American businesses operate abroad, while international businesses come to the US. International coalitions try to bring solutions to conflicts around the world.
Knowing another language and being able to understand different cultures are valuable skills — skills that you will gain if you study with us. We offer majors and minors in several languages, and classes in even more. We will teach you not only how to talk in another language but how to understand cultures on a deeper level by looking at their arts, histories, and philosophies. Our goal is to help you think critically and communicate effectively in local, national, and global communities.
Enhance Your Future
Being able to speak a world language can help you in almost any career field. Whether you're interested in a future in medicine, government, education, business, social work, tourism and hospitality, or many other fields, the ability to communicate with others will give you an advantage with many employers.
Mr. Larry Bachus was the first person to graduate from the department with a major. Learn how he used language in his career to open up opportunities for success.
Studying a world language leads to proficiency in reading, listening, writing, and speaking, while cultivating knowledge of the literature, philosophy, history, and cultures associated with a particular language. If you are considering a double major — something many of our students do — knowing a second language can enhance your study of English, finance, history, journalism and communications, law, marketing, political science, public administration, sociology, engineering, chemistry, and medicine.
Speaking more than one language has been linked to multiple cognitive benefits including better problem solving, improved critical thinking, a higher aptitude for learning, and delayed onset of cognitive issues later in life. Here is a TED Talk about the cognitive benefits of being bilingual.
Why Study at UAB?
We are dedicated to helping you not just learn grammar rules but instead fully understand the language you want to learn. We offer a full range of traditional language, culture, civilization, and literature classes. We also enroll students in such fields as literature in translation, film and cultural studies, world media and society, U.S. Latino topics, applied linguistics, and languages for the professions. You will be encouraged to study abroad, talk with your fellow students at conversation tables, participate in film series and cultural celebrations, and join one or more of our student groups.Earn the Global Seal of Biliteracy to demonstrate your language proficiency
Learn about the advantages of studying languages at UAB and earning the Global Seal of Biliteracy through our department to demonstrate your level of language proficiency to employers.