Knowing another language enriches your personal life, expands the range of professional opportunities open to you, and increases your power to act as a citizen of the world. At the college level you can begin a new language or build on your knowledge of a language that you have already studied.*

Niagara University offers major degree programs in French and Spanish, and minor programs in Italian Studies and Latin American Studies, as well as language and culture courses in Chinese, Japanese, Latin, Arabic ,

Classical Greek, and American Sign Language. All our language programs can be doubled with a major or minor in another discipline or a pre-professional degree, such as business, hotel and recreation, criminal justice, and education. We also offer courses in Business French and Business Spanish, which are excellent complements to just about any other major or minor program of study.

Courses in English

Not all courses in the language department are taught in a foreign language. We offer a number of courses in English, on the culture and literature of China, Japan, France, Spain, and Italy, which do not require any previous study of a foreign language. Most of our courses in English bear the "200" designation; but check with your adviser, or with the chair of the Department of Modern and Classical Languages to find which courses are best for you.

  Spanish and French are the official languages of our two 

  closest international neighbors, Canada and Mexico,

  which are also two of our largest trading partners. 

  Spanish is the official language of over a dozen nations

  in Central and South America.  French is the official

  language of the European Union, as well as of a large

  number of countries in Africa and the Caribbean.

 Study Abroad

  Niagara University offers a number of opportunities to 

  spend a summer, a semester, or an academic year

  abroad. You do not have to be a language major to spend

  a semester in France, Italy, Spain, or Latin America--

  most study abroad programs do not require a previous

  knowledge of the language, and many programs offer

  courses in English.

  Language Conversation Tables

  Come join fellow speakers of French, Italian, and

  Spanish for casual conversation, games, and free

  food at our weekly language tables; or learn how to

  salsa, merengue, rumba, and cha-cha at our weekly

  free Latin Dance lessons! Click on "upcoming events"

  to find out about these and other great activities.

  Jobs, jobs, jobs!

  Competition for the best jobs and for admission to top-

  rated graduate and professional schools is intense.

  Directly and indirectly the study of languages and their

  cultures and literatures will provide you with important

   job-related knowledge and skills that can give you a

  competitive edge. These include the ability to solve

  problems and to think analytically and creatively, to

  communicate effectively and confidently in writing and

  in person, and to act with versatility and flexibility.*

* from Language Study in the Age of Globalization by the Office of Foreign Language Programs at the Modern Language Association.