Broaden your global perspective and enhance your language skills with immersive coursework and rich cultural experiences, empowering you to communicate fluently in languages like French, German, and Spanish, and more while deepening your understanding of diverse worldviews and cultural traditions.
Locations
- Statesboro Campus—BA and Minor, with Concentrations in Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Japanese, Spanish
- Armstrong Campus—BA and Minor with Concentration in Spanish
- Online—BA and Minor with Concentration in French, German, Japanese, Spanish; Minor in Comparative Literature
- Hybrid—Minor in Latin American Studies
Why Get your BA in World Languages and Cultures at Georgia Southern?
The World Languages and Cultures major offers more than just language proficiency—it provides a deep dive into the diverse cultures and perspectives that shape our world.
Our program emphasizes real-world application through immersive coursework, study abroad opportunities, and cultural engagement, giving you practical linguistic skills and cultural insights. With a curriculum that includes specialized language courses and interdisciplinary options, you’ll be well-equipped to understand and navigate global contexts, preparing you for success in international careers, graduate studies, or any field where second or multilingual language proficiency and cultural competency are valued.
The World Languages and Cultures program at Georgia Southern is designed with flexibility in mind, allowing you to choose from a range of concentrations in languages like Spanish, French, German, and more. Whether you aim to work in diplomacy, business, education, or the nonprofit sector, the program offers the tailored academic experience and practical skills needed to thrive in a globalized world.
Ready to Apply?
What Can You Do With a Bachelor’s Degree in World Languages and Cultures?
This degree equips you with valuable language proficiency, cultural competency, and critical thinking skills, giving you a competitive edge for roles requiring global communication and cultural awareness. You’ll open doors to a variety of career opportunities in fields like international business, diplomacy, education, translation, and tourism.
Whether you go on to work abroad, pursue advanced studies, or bring a global perspective to industries like marketing or nonprofit work, a degree in World Language and Cultures will prepare you for a dynamic and impactful career.
Where our graduates work:
- International Aid
- Education and Research
- Government and Military
- Airline Industry
- Human Resources
- Business
- Health Professions
- Law
What our graduates do:
- Translator
- Interpreter
- Intelligence Analyst
- Educator
- Politics
- International Aid
- International Business
What You’ll Learn
As a World Languages and Cultures major at Georgia Southern, you’ll hone advanced language skills while delving into the linguistic, cultural, historical, and social contexts that mold global societies.
Your studies will encompass language-specific courses, cultural analysis, and interdisciplinary electives—all designed to enhance your ability to communicate effectively across diverse cultural landscapes. Through immersive language training and study abroad opportunities, you’ll gain a deeper understanding of varied worldviews and traditions.
Our program will prepare you to confidently engage with international communities and pursue careers in fields like education, diplomacy, business, and cultural preservation.
Concentrations
In the Georgia Southern World Languages and Cultures program, you can choose from a variety of concentrations and minors that cater to your interests.
Concentrations include Arabic Studies, Chinese Studies, French Studies, German Studies, Japanese Studies, Spanish Studies, and Spanish for the Professions. You’ll also have the option to enhance your studies with minors in these languages or in comparative literature and Latin American studies, so you can tailor your educational experience to your unique interests and career goals.
Concentration in Arabic
In government, in the field, on social media and in the boardroom, the demand for Arabic-speaking professionals is greater than ever. Get ready to join the more than 300 million Arabic speakers in the world. You know learning Arabic not only opens up the world for your career, but it’s also crucial to understanding the social, political and economic dynamics in the world all around us.
Concentration in Chinese
You know learning Chinese is a gateway to immerse yourself in one of the oldest and most fascinating cultures in the world. But did you also know that in government, in the field, on social media and in the boardroom, the demand for Chinese-speaking professionals is greater than ever? Get ready to join the more than 1.3 billion Chinese speakers in the world. Studying Chinese opens up the world for your career and is crucial to understanding the social, political and economic dynamics all around us.
Concentration in French
Get ready to speak the international language of fine art, fashion, cuisine, and theatre.
French is the only other language besides English that’s spoken on all continents. French is truly a global language. That’s why French is the second most frequently taught language in the world after English. French is also one of the two official languages of the United Nations, the European Union, and Nato.
Concentration in German
German is the language of Goethe, Einstein, Mozart, Beethoven and Porsche. Spoken by about 130 million people worldwide as their mother language. The native tongue of the biggest economy in the European Union.
Concentration in Japanese
A country rooted in one of the world’s richest cultures and history. Studying Japanese opens a whole new world in art, technology, business, cuisine and so much more.
Concentration in Spanish
It’s the official language of 20 countries and nearly 560 million people around the world. In the United States alone, 13% of the population speaks Spanish at home – making it the second largest population of Spanish speakers in the world after Mexico. Spanish is also the language of some of the world’s best cuisine, fine art, sport, architecture and literature.
Take Action
Follow these steps to complete the Georgia Southern application:
- Create an application account.
- Complete our online application using the PIN you received after creating your application account.
- Once complete, pay the $30 application fee or upload a valid fee waiver. Previous Georgia Southern applicants and dual enrollment students do not need to pay the fee.
You can check your application status at My.GeorgiaSouthern.edu/admissions three days after completing your application. This page contains live information about your admission status, including a checklist of missing documents we need to make a decision.
The following are suggestions to help students and advisors know which level of a FL course the student should register for initially (students should compare their abilities with the descriptions below and plan to sign up for the course that most closely matches their proficiency).
Students should send an email to languages@georgiasouthern.edu to request an appointment for a placement interview and to obtain override authorization into the course.
Note that, because courses are sequenced, it is a huge advantage to students to take a FL class their very first semester or as soon as possible.
Choose…
- FL 1001: If you have no previous language-learning experience all the way to the ability to say and write a few words/phrases.
- FL 1002: If you can say and write simple sentences confidently in the present tense; can ask and answer simple questions; have an awareness of past-tense verbs.
- FL 2001: If you can speak and write in the present tense with relative ease, have an awareness of past-tense narration and can utilize some past-tense verbs accurately; can ask and answer questions related to daily life; can manage a simple conversation, albeit with difficulty.
- FL 2002: If you can speak in the present tense with ease and can successfully attempt some past-tense narration (tell a story in the past); can confidently ask and answer questions related to daily life; can conduct a simple conversation with relative ease.
- FL 3000 level: If you can narrate completely (beginning, middle, end) an experience in the past, although perhaps with grammatical errors and lexical gaps.
Note: You may place out of 1001, 1002, 1060, 2001, 2002, and/or 2060 courses and still get credit for them. If you have taken an offered language previously, you should attempt to take the course that best fits your current abilities—you do not need to and should not start in 1001, if you don’t need to. If you take a higher course and receive a C or better (must be a Georgia Southern course; cannot be an eCore or transfer course from another institution or AP/IB/CLEP credit), you may petition to get credit for the lower course(s) through Credit by Proficiency. For more information about the process click here and/or talk to Department of World Languages and Cultures staff for more information
- Program Map – all Concentrations
- Curriculum Sheet – most Concentrations
- Curriculum Sheet 2024-2025 – Most concentrations
- Curriculum Sheet – Spanish
- Program Map – Spanish for the Professions
- Curriculum Sheet – Spanish for the Professions
- Curriculum Sheet 2024-2025 – Spanish for the Professions
We allow undergraduate students to get credit for lower-division courses (1000s/2000s) upon passing a higher course with a C or better (must be a Georgia Southern course; cannot be an eCore or transfer course from another institution or AP/IB/CLEP credit). This is in accordance with the University’s Credit by Proficiency Examination policy. For example, if students pass FREN 2001, they can receive credit for FREN 1001 and 1002 (or 1060). The credit is “K” credit, the same as if the students had passed an AP/IB/CLEP exam.
If you are an undergraduate student, here’s the petition process you should follow:
Do not pay the test fee before receiving approval from the Office of the Registrar and the department chair.
- Take a foreign language course at your level of current proficiency at Georgia Southern.
- If you have not taken a foreign language course yet, and you need to estimate your level of proficiency, use this Placement Guide. If you believe your proficiency level is at 1002 or above, send an email to languages@georgiasouthern.edu to request an appointment for a placement interview and to obtain override authorization into the course.
- Take the recommended course and pass it with a C or better.
- Click on Proficiency Examination Form, complete the information within the form, and click ‘Submit’. (You will need to submit one form for each course that you are requesting proficiency credit for.)
- The form will then go to the Office of the Registrar and the Department Chair of World Languages and Cultures for necessary approvals.
- If your proficiency request is approved by both offices, you will receive an email requesting that you pay a test fee of $15 for each course requested.
- Once the test fee is paid, please attach the receipt of payment to the form noted in the email. Do not pay the test fee before receiving approval from the Office of the Registrar and the department chair. The approval will be sent within this form.
- Once the examiner submits ‘Satisfactory’ examination results, credit should be posted to the student’s academic record by the Office of the Registrar within 5-7 business days.
The Exit Exam (EE) is a graduation requirement for undergraduate majors (B.A. in World Languages and Cultures with a concentration in one or more of the following: Arabic Studies, Chinese Studies, French Studies, German Studies, Japanese Studies, Spanish Studies, Spanish for the Professions). It is a part of the B.A. degree assessment.
- Your advisor will enroll you in the 0-credit-hour course FORL 4500: Foreign Language Exit Exam. The exam components will be administered in this course through Folio on the day of the exam. The purpose of this Folio course is simply to register, and to administer the exam; consider this page its syllabus and schedule. You will see a score for each component of the exam in Folio, but a course grade will not show on your transcript. A passing result is not required for graduation.
- Online, via Zoom
- Follow the links to read about each component and what to expect, and to know how to prepare. Links are to DOCs or PDFs (and open in new windows/tabs). The B.A. in World Languages and Cultures Exit Exam features two components (measures): a Speaking Proficiency Assessment (SPA) for SLO 1 Speaking and a Writing Proficiency Assessment (WPA) for SLO 2 Writing. Here are the corresponding Ratings Rubrics used for evaluation.
Take the Next Step
Ready to broaden your global perspective and enhance your language skills? Learn more about getting your Bachelor’s Degree in World Languages and Cultures at Georgia Southern University.
Contact Us
Department of World Languages and Cultures
P.O. Box 8081
Statesboro, GA 30460-8081
Phone: 912-478-5281
languages@georgiasouthern.edu