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Are you Interested in leveraging your foreign language skills to pursue a professional career? Are you a senior looking for a graduate program in which foreign languages are essential? In this post, I will highlight several undergraduate and graduate programs designed to enhance language learning and assist students in launching their professional careers.
Undergraduate Programs:
Critical Language Scholarship Program
The Critical Language Scholarship Program (CLS) offers fully-funded and intensive language institutes to US college students in learning 13 critical languages overseas. Sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, all program costs are covered for all participants.
"Formal classroom language instruction is provided for a minimum of 20 hours per week. Extracurricular activities are designed to supplement the formal curriculum, including regular one-on-one meetings with native speaker language partners for conversational practice, as well as cultural activities and excursions designed to expand students’ understanding of the history, politics, culture and daily life of their host country."
Languages offered:
•Azerbaijani, Bangla/Bengali, Hindi, Indonesian, Korean, Punjabi, Turkish, and Urdu: Beginning, advanced beginning, intermediate and advanced levels
•Arabic and Persian: Advanced beginning, intermediate and advanced levels
•Chinese, Japanese, and Russian: Intermediate and advanced levels
Middlebury Language Schools
Middlebury Language Schools offer 24/7 language immersion by requiring participants to communicate solely in the targeted language and by signing a language pledge. The 7-8 week intensive language program equals a year of language learning at MHC. Participants acquire cultural sensitivity and fluency by living in the language and interacting with international faculty on a daily basis. More importantly, you are able to expand your network through connecting with not only college/graduate students, but also scholars, artists, entrepreneurs and political leaders that are well into their professional careers. The diverse participant body of Middlebury Language Schools creates an invaluable opportunity to connect with scholars and professionals in numerous fields.
Graduate Programs
Fluency in one or multiple foreign languages undeniably equips you with a vital asset--language and inter-cultural communication skills. Common career options for a multilingual includes being an interpreter, language instructor, or diplomat. Combining foreign languages fluency with professional knowledge such as business, politics, law and journalism provides you with an edge in the competitive job market.If you are a rising junior or senior who is interested in launching a career in international relations, foreign services, international law and diplomacy, the following graduate programs in international studies may help you as you pursue an international career:
