Undergraduate Programs in Modern Languages

Our competitive-entry Arabic Language Flagship is one of only three federally-funded, intensive Arabic language flagship programs in the country. The program starts with an intensive summer of study at UM before the freshman year. The five-year program includes multiple opportunities to study abroad in Jordan and Morocco. The capstone or 5th year is in Morocco, which includes an internship. 

As one of only eight Chinese Language Flagship programs in the nation, the five-year program has multiple study abroad summers and a capstone year in Taiwan. The program starts with an intensive summer of study at UM before the freshman year. Our graduates gain a deep level of cultural understanding for working with Chinese language counterparts around the world. 

Arabic is spoken by 422 million people and it is the fifth most spoken language in the world. Learn about the Arabic major or minor. UM also offers a 5-year Arabic Language Flagship program - one of only 3 in the nation - that has competitive entry. 

Chinese is the world's second most spoken language (over 1.3 billion). Learn about the major and minor. UM also offers a 5-year Chinese Language Flagship program - one of only 8 in the nation - that has competitive entry. 

With more than 310 million people in over 40 different countries speaking French, it is the 5^th most spoken language. It is a major language for international diplomacy, business, and communication. Learn about the French major and minor.

German is the native language of over 130 million people, which is an important community in the European Union. Learn more about the German major and minor as well as the paid summer internship in Germany. 

More than 62 million people across 16 different countries speak Italian. It is the 4th most studied language in the world! Learn about the Italian minor, including the Italian faculty-led study abroad program.

Japan is one of the most populous countries in the world with a population of about 122 million people and is the third largest nation in economic size. Learn about the Japanese minor.

Over 80 million people speak Korean, particularly across 6 Asian nations and the United States. The rising prominence of Korean cultural exports has dramatically increased interest in learning the Korean language. Learn about the Korean minor.

Language is composed of layers of intertwined systems - sound, meaning, organization, and context. Students learn about phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, and pragmatics while exploring how language relates to society. Learn about the linguistics major and minor.

With more than 264 million speakers, Portuguese is the 8th-most spoken language in the world. There are 9 countries in Europe, South America, Africa, and Asia where Portuguese as qan official language. Learn about the Portuguese minor.

With over 255 million speakers worldwide, Russian is the 9^th most spoken language in the world. It is widely spoken in 19 countries. Russia occupies a prominent place on the global stage for politics and the economy. Learn about the Russian minor.

Spanish is the 4^th most spoken language and is the mother tongue in 21 countries. There are ~560 million people who speak Spanish worldwide, with 43 million in the US. It is the most studied language in US schools. Learn about the Spanish major and minor.

Swahili—or Kiswahili to its speakers—is the most widely-used African language with over 140 million speakers. It is utilized across the African continent in media, commerce, education, and culture. Learn about the Swahili minor.