“`html
Florida State University has revamped and broadened its academic offerings for learners in languages and linguistics, enhancing graduates’ employment opportunities in sectors including international relations, entrepreneurship, language education, and the military.
This autumn, the Department of Modern Languages and Linguistics will launch two new majors and welcome its inaugural group of undergraduates into the freshly established modern languages, literatures, and cultures degree program. Rather than obtaining a bachelor’s in a specific language, students can now earn a bachelor’s in modern languages, literatures, and cultures with a concentration in the language of their choice. This rethinking of the conventional language degree responds to students’ changing preferences as they prepare for career options in a rapidly evolving global landscape.
“Engagement in foreign languages, literatures, and cultures among students remains robust; however, we have observed a shift in their interests from the ‘traditional’ language major to more personalized language proficiency and broader global cultural knowledge,” remarked Reinier Leushuis, chair of the department. “We are modifying our curriculum to a swiftly changing world, addressing the needs of contemporary students, and aligning with evolving job market requirements.”
To enhance the adaptability of individual students’ programs, those pursuing a bachelor’s degree in modern languages, literatures, and cultures will have the option to choose a major in Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Russian, Spanish, dual languages, or world literature and cultural studies to focus on their area of interest. Current students can complete their original academic track or switch to take advantage of the new offering.
The new major in world literature and cultural studies was specifically designed for FSU’s degree program and enables students to gain proficiency in one foreign language while concurrently exploring the cultural significance of artistic works and literary traditions in the countries where that language is spoken.
“In today’s interconnected world, linguistic abilities — combined with cultural awareness and intercultural communication skills — are highly sought after for positions in industries like tourism, international business, diplomacy, education, and the burgeoning field of AI-related careers,” Leushuis noted. “This new major embodies the program’s global cultural ethos and permits students to specialize in one primary language while developing a personalized set of electives that concentrate on acquiring global cultural expertise.”
Through the newly introduced dual languages major, students aiming to achieve proficiency in two languages will have the opportunity to enroll in advanced language courses tailored towards various career paths including translation, business, and healthcare.
“There is certainly a personal financial benefit to obtaining a degree in modern languages, literatures, and cultures,” stated Gretchen Sunderman, associate chair for undergraduate studies and a professor of Spanish and linguistics. “It has been a collaborative effort to develop this new program and enhance the curriculum. While the degree is valuable on its own, there is also significant merit in pairing it with a second major or degree in related areas, such as medical sciences, military science, or political science.”
In development since Fall 2022, the department’s restructured degree offerings have allowed FSU’s curriculum to mirror the requirements of a perpetually changing global workforce. According to a 2019 report by the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages, nine out of ten U.S. employers depend on workers with language skills besides English. Furthermore, research published in Forbes in 2023 indicates that multilingual employees earn, on average, 19 percent more than their monolingual peers, and 40 percent of multilingual individuals surveyed reported that their skills aided them in securing their full-time positions.
“Achieving proficiency in foreign languages, literatures, and cultures enhances students’ capabilities to navigate and thrive in professional settings,” Leushuis added. “Studying languages cultivates cross-cultural understanding, an invaluable asset for diverse careers in entrepreneurship, diplomacy, international relations, language teaching, translation, global commerce, multinational firms, the military, and the national security sector.”
To discover more about the new degree program and a comprehensive list of undergraduate offerings in the Department of Modern Languages and Linguistics, visit mll.fsu.edu.
The post Florida State University unveils new modern languages, literatures, and cultures degree for Fall 2025 appeared first on Florida State University News.
“`