Curriculum

Programs of Study

Students interested in pursuing a foreign language degree may major in French, German or Spanish. The Bachelor of Arts degree program requires the completion of 27 hours of upper-level courses selected from a wide range of offerings in advanced language, literature, culture and civilization. A minor consists of 18 hours of course work at the advanced level. Students interested in teaching a foreign language have the option of pursuing their licensure.

When the need arises or when there is sufficient community interest, elementary and intermediate courses in a language other than the standard departmental tracks are offered. In recent years, Japanese, Italian and Russian have been included in the curriculum.

The department offers a wide range of activities to enhance formal language study, and actively encourages travel and study abroad through summer programs sponsored by UNC Asheville and other universities. Students have studied in Europe and South America and, in almost all cases, have received academic credit for their experience. They are regularly sent for a semester or summer study to Ecuador and France, where UNC Asheville has formal exchange relationships with universities in Cuenca, Ecuador and Angers, France.

Faculty members are either native speakers of the language they teach or have extensive experience abroad, and most travel regularly overseas. A favorable teacher-student ratio facilitates small classes and provides students with personalized instruction. There are no teaching assistants.

A bachelor's degree in any foreign language offered at UNC Asheville is excellent preparation for teaching positions and careers in business and industry. One of our graduates has found employment with the Federal Bureau of Investigations. Several Foreign Languages majors have won Fulbright Scholarships for study abroad. Many others have gone on to graduate school. Double majors such as management and Spanish, chemistry and German, and political science and French are excellent preparatory programs for graduate work in medicine and law.