Foreign Language

Career potential

A bachelor's degree with a foreign language major will provide you with the background many businesses desire.

A foreign language major will prepare you for a career as an interpreter, perhaps working for a publisher, hospital or clinic, foreign business, nonprofit organization, government agency, foreign embassy or the United Nations. UNT alumni have worked internationally for EuroDisney, Johnson & Johnson and many other companies.

You could teach a foreign language in public and private schools or businesses. Your bachelor's degree could lead to a career in the travel industry or administration. If you plan to teach at a junior college or university, you will need to earn a master's and possibly a doctoral degree.

UNT's Career Center can prepare you to pursue your career. The center has information about jobs and employers, and the staff can help you with resume and letter writing, job search strategies, and interview preparation.

Majoring in a foreign language

UNT's foreign language program offers majors in French, German or Spanish as well as a Certificate in Professional French. You must become proficient in speaking, reading and writing the language you choose. You may spread your beginning and intermediate requirements over four semesters or accelerate your schedule.

The Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures also offers minors in Arabic, Chinese, Italian, Japanese, and Russian, and courses in Hebrew, Latin, and Portuguese. Some of these courses satisfy part of the UNT Core Curriculum.

The beginning courses in all languages will require you to practice the language in a laboratory one hour each week. These laboratories feature tapes of native speakers, computers for doing practice exercises and a satellite television system for viewing programs from around the world. In addition to studying a particular language, you will learn about other nations where the language is spoken.

The foreign language faculty members include native speakers of the languages offered and many award-winning teachers. Faculty members have received the UNT Shelton Excellence in Teaching Award, the UNT Citation for Distinguished Service in International Education, and national and international teaching awards.

Getting hands-on experience

The Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures will offer you many opportunities to study in the countries where your chosen language is spoken. You may study French at the Université de Caen Basse-Normandie (spring or summer only), the Université François-Rabelais, Tours (semester or academic year) or Ecole Supérieure de Commerce International du Pas-de-Calais (ESCIP) in Longuenesse (academic year only). If you study German, you may participate in a five-week summer program to Germany after completing GERM 1020 or the equivalent. If you are a Spanish student and have completed SPAN 2050 or its equivalent by the end of the spring semester, you may participate in a five-week summer program to Spain or Mexico. There is also a summer and year-long program in Japan, as well as opportunities in China. More information is available through UNT's Study Abroad Center, international.unt.edu/study-abroad.

Upon completion of 12 semester hours at UNT with at least a 2.5 GPA, you may work in a job related to your major through UNT's Cooperative Education and Internships office. You may earn academic credit and money, and gain valuable work experience.

Preparing for UNT: High school students

If you are a high school student, we suggest you prepare for college by becoming computer proficient and taking:

• English … 4 years
• Math … 4 years
• Social science — economics, geography, government, history … 4 years
• Science … 3 years
• Foreign language … 3 years
• Fine arts … 1 year

You will need to take courses in most of these subjects under the university core curriculum required of all undergraduates, in addition to your major courses. Talk with your high school counselor about preparing for college, including the entrance exams (SAT Reasoning Test or ACT) that you should take during your junior year.

Preparing for UNT: Transfer students

As a benefit for transfer students, UNT participates in the Texas Common Course Numbering System. This system makes it easier to transfer credits for general academic courses from one Texas institution to another.

If you're attending a Texas community college, you should consult the UNT Transfer Guide, the UNT Undergraduate Catalog and an academic advisor/ counselor to discuss your degree plan. Proper planning will help you receive the maximum amount of transfer credits.

Charting your path through academic advising

Faculty members in the Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures will provide information about career opportunities and help you each semester to select courses necessary to earn your degree. The department office is in the Language Building, Room 101.

Curious about courses and other features of this major?
See the current catalog.