One fifth of the planet speaks Chinese, making it the most widely spoken first language in the world. Our program emphasizes a deep exposure to Chinese language, literature and civilization, because understanding the culture behind the language is an important element in learning to write and speak Chinese effectively. Employers in business, education, government, finance and many other fields are looking for people who can speak Chinese and operate successfully in a Chinese cultural context.

The Japanese Program at UVM offers courses in Japanese language, literature, pop culture and a variety of courses such as history, religion, and art through the Asian Studies Program. Language courses range from elementary to advanced levels, using the four language skills: speaking, listening, reading and writing.

• Chinese (B.A.)
• Japanese (B.A.)
• Chinese Minor
• Japanese Minor

The UVM  Program in Classics offers the major in Classics with concentrations in either Classical Languages or Classical Studies. The Classical Languages concentration provides intensive training in Greek and Latin, and provides superb preparation for students interested in going to graduate school in Classics or a related field (like archaeology, linguistics, or ancient philosophy), or to become a secondary school teacher. The Classical Studies concentration also provides excellent all-around preparation, but offers students the chance to focus on ancient history, culture, literature and philosophy.

• Classics (B.A.)
• Classics Minor

We offer an undergraduate major and minor in French and a minor in Italian Studies. All of our language programs offer the chance to study abroad through one of UVM's exchange partner universities.

• French (B.A.)
• French Minor
• Italian Studies Minor

The Program in German at UVM provides comprehensive instruction in German language, culture and literature. The curriculum reflects a commitment to both the traditions of literary studies in German and to new developments in the field. Small classes emphasize student participation and use of the target language.

Students of the Program in Russian at UVM pursue courses in the language, literature, and culture over four years of campus study. UVM's  Program in German and Russian  boasts an outstanding teaching reputation and a dedication to scholarship, as measured by numerous publications and teaching awards.

• German (B.A.)
• Russian (B.A.)
• German Minor
• Russian Minor

Linguistics is the study of language: its structure and how it is used on a day-to-day basis. Since most fields require a working knowledge of language in oral and written communication, a major or minor in Linguistics offers an excellent combination with many other concentrations at UVM, including Foreign Languages, Psychology, Anthropology, and English.

• Linguistics (B.A.)
• Linguistics Minor
• TESOL Certificate

We offer a wide range of classes on the literatures and cultures of Spain and Latin America in addition to language courses at all levels. Sample upper-level electives include Modern Latin American Cultures, The Language of Social Justice, Petroculture: Exraction and Latin America, Latin American Poetry in Resistance, Cuban Cinema, and Writing and Speaking Creatively.

• Spanish (B.A.)
• Spanish Minor

The Program in Classics offers an M.A. in Greek and Latin with a thesis and non-thesis option, and an MAT in Latin in conjunction with the College of Education. (For details about these programs click on the appropriate link in the sidebar.) We usually enroll 3-4 new students each year, and typically are able to offer some assistance to the most qualified applicants in the form of a Graduate Teaching Assistantship and/or through the Department's Prindle-Myrick-Kidder scholarship.

Classics applicants have also fared well in the competition for graduate fellowships from the College of Arts and Sciences. Our program is strongly philological and geared toward students who want excellent preparation in Greek and Latin language and in the craft of scholarship.

Recent graduates of our program have gone on fully-funded to Ph.D. programs. Grads have gone on to obtain Ph.D.s at institutions including the University of Chicago, University College London, Indiana University, NYU, Johns Hopkins, Berkeley, Princeton, Yale, Duke, Cornell, University College Dublin, and Florida State. Other graduates are employed as secondary school teachers across the country, with several right here in Vermont.

• Classics

The Program in German, Russian, and Hebrew  offers a small but excellent graduate program in German leading to the M.A. degree. It is one of the few German M.A. programs available in the Northeastern United States, and generally draws students from Vermont, New Hampshire, and New York, but attracts students from other areas as well.

All major areas of German literature and philology from the Middle Ages to the present are covered, and we are particularly strong in the Age of Goethe and Romanticism, the 19th and 20th centuries, German Folklore, Proverbs, Exile Literature, and Austrian Literature. A thesis is required for completion of the M.A. degree in German.