The Department of Foreign Languages is home to a wide variety of quality programs and exciting opportunities. With offerings in Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Latin, Russian, and Spanish, the department plays a crucial role in providing the basic foreign language component for the bachelor of arts degree in the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences. Both the major and the minor in foreign languages include advanced course work in language, literature, culture, and linguistics, as well as innovative capstone experiences in French, German, Russian, or Spanish. Students in the Department of Foreign Languages often participate in one or more of its internationally recognized study abroad programs. They spend a summer, a semester, or even a year earning credits and gaining experience in countries like France, Germany, Spain, and Mexico. In addition to regular courses and study abroad, students off campus enroll in increasing numbers in the Department’s online and distance-learning courses. The wealth of cultures and languages in the Department of Foreign Languages allows it to assist students in broadening their cultural horizons and honing their communication skills. Since the kind of learning this involves is easily transferable to a host of fields and occupations, Foreign Language majors go on to success in a wide variety of professional endeavors. Small class sizes and an array of student groups, honor societies, and language clubs all contribute to a congenial atmosphere. Majors in the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences Biochemistry B Biology B, M, D Chemistry B, M, D Communications Studies B, M, D Computer Science B Creative Writing M Criminology & Investigations B Economics B English B, M, D Environmental Geoscience B Foreign Languages B, M Forensic & Investigative Science B Geography B, M, D Geology B, M, D History B, M, D Individualized Major B Industrial Mathematics and Statistics B International Studies B Legal Studies M Liberal Arts and Sciences B Liberal Studies M Mathematics B, M, D Multidisciplinary Studies B Philosophy B Physics B, M, D Political Science B, M, D Professional Writing and Editing M Psychology B, M, D Public Administration M Regents Bachelor of Arts B Religious Studies B Slavic Studies B Social Work B, M Sociology M Sociology and Anthropology B Statistics M Women's Studies B B=Bachelor's; M=Master's; D=Doctorate For more information, please phone (304) 293-5121, or contact: forlanginfo.forlanginfo@mail.wvu.edu You can also visit the Web site at: www.as.wvu.edu/forlang

The WVU Eberly College of Arts and Sciences
The Eberly College of Arts and Sciences is the largest and most diverse academic unit within West Virginia University. A faculty of 450 and a staff of 125 are involved in educating and supporting the efforts of more than 6,700 students (nearly one-fourth of the WVU student body) who are majoring in one or more of 63 undergraduate and graduate programs offered by the College’s 16 academic departments and divisions. The College’s academic units and research facilities are housed in 14 buildings on the WVU campus. The Dean’s Office is in historic Woodburn Hall. The College and its Department of Biology also maintain the Core Arboretum, a 75-acre wooded tract adjacent to the Monongahela River.

The College provides the majority of the curriculum for all WVU undergraduates and a wide variety of required and elective courses for the entire student body. Arts and Sciences majors may, with permission, elect to major in more than one discipline, and when appropriate, design highly individualized degree programs.

Eberly College undergraduate degree programs prepare students for many specific professions, while also providing a broad-based education that remains relevant beyond the first job after graduation. Many Eberly College alumni go on to complete graduate and professional degrees. By providing students with analytic and communication skills, reasoning abilities, and a broad knowledge of the humanities and the behavioral and natural sciences, the Eberly College equips graduates for lifelong learning and prepares them to meet the challenges of an ever-changing world and an increasingly volatile job market.

Admission
If University admission requirements are met, a student may be accepted as a Pre-Foreign Languages major. Upon completion of 58 credit hours, which must include elementary and intermediate course sequences in a given language, with at least a 2.0 cumulative grade point average, a student may apply for admission to the Foreign Languages Program.

Curriculum
Within the degree program, a major can be selected from the following topics: French, German, Russian, and Spanish. Students must complete a minimum of 33 credit hours of upper-division course work beyond the intermediate level of the targeted language. The 33 hours include 24 hours of prescribed courses in language, literature, culture, and linguistics, as well as a capstone course in the targeted field.

Students may combine this degree with courses in business administration to obtain a business/foreign language (BFL) degree. Students interested in teaching may work in tandem with the College of Human Resources and Education to receive a bachelor’s degree in foreign languages and a master’s degree in education in only five years.

Course Work
*Please see the current WVU Undergraduate Catalog for complete course descriptions.

Accreditation
West Virginia University is fully accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.

Career Opportunities
In today’s increasingly global economy, students of foreign languages use their skills in communication, critical thinking, and cross-cultural understanding in many areas, including teaching, business, government, foreign service, national security, journalism, public relations, law, medicine, computer science, Web design, and scientific research.

Graduate School Opportunities
IIn addition to continuing graduate study in foreign languages and linguistics, language majors go on to graduate programs in political science, journalism, business, history, geography, English, creative writing, international studies, communication, education, and law.

Salary Range
According to the National Association of Colleges and Employers Salary Survey, the average starting salary for a graduate with a bachelor’s degree in foreign language and literature was $35,375 nationwide.