• Students must be approved by the department for formal admission to the major. Language coursework may be waived if high school or other preparation warrants it. Placement will be made in consultation with a departmental advisor.
  • Coursework at World Languages and Cultures (WLC) at American University taught in the target language provides solid language skills and depth of cultural understanding in Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Hebrew, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish and Swahili. Instruction for individuals interested in teaching English to non-English speakers is provided through the TESOL Program (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages).
  • Many areas of business, industry, and government service consider a language background a career must. Recent graduates of the department have been employed in a variety of organizations and fields including the Department of State, Library of Congress, National Security Agency, Voice of America, and National Academy of Sciences, as well as international import and export firms, public and private schools and colleges, and research and development firms.