Modern Foreign Languages Major
The major is a part of the Department of Foreign Languages, Literatures and Cultures, an academic unit within the College of Arts and Letters.
Students can earn both a B.A. in Modern Foreign Languages and a minor in a specific language. Currently the department provides:
- Four years of instruction in Arabic, French, German, Italian and Spanish.
- Three years of instruction Chinese and Japanese.
- Two years of instruction in Ancient Greek, Latin, Korean, Persian, Portuguese, Russian and Swahili.
The minimum requirement for a major in languages is 33 upper-division credit hours in a specific language.
Degrees Offered
B.A.
Concentrations
Arabic
French
German
Italian
Russian (not available in 2020-21 academic year)
Spanish
Minors
Arabic
Business French
Business German
Business Italian
Business Spanish
Chinese
French
German
Italian
Law Enforcement Spanish
Legal Spanish
Medical Spanish
Russian
Spanish
Translation and Interpretation (Spanish)
Declaring the Major
New Freshmen and Transfer Students
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Currently Enrolled Major Changers
Current students wishing to declare or change a major, minor or pre-professional program must complete a request through MyMadison. Additional department specific information will be available when that academic plan is selected. Follow all directions and steps necessary to execute your request. Once all necessary steps are completed, the department will either approve or deny your request or contact you for additional information.
For additional assistance making this request, view the Change/Declare a Major/Minor tutorial in MyMadison or on the tutorials website.
Progressing in the Major
If students have had two or more years of language study in high school or at a previous institution and have not taken the SAT II in that language, students are required to take the JMU Foreign Language Placement exam if students plan to continue study in the same language at JMU.
Information about the foreign language placement exam can be found at: https://www.jmu.edu/forlang/flpe.htm
To progress in the major students should remain in good academic standing with a cumulative GPA of at least 2.0.
Career Planning
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