Modern & Classical Languages

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 an interdisciplinary major in Romance Languages. There are minor programs in American Sign Language / Deaf Studies, Italian Studies and Latin American Studies, as well as language and culture courses in Chinese, Japanese, Latin, Arabic, and Classical Greek. All our language programs can be doubled with a major or minor in another discipline or a preprofessional 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, Italy, Latin America and the Arabic World, 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 advisor, or with the chair of the Department of Modern and Classical Languages to find which courses are best for you.

Study Abroad

Whatever your major, we encourage all students to spend a semester or a summer at one of our affiliate campuses abroad. Not only is this an excellent way to perfect your fluency in a second language, but the time you spend abroad  will be  a life-changing cultural experience. Many programs abroad offer language courses at the beginner level, and a number of programs are taught entirely in English. Check out our Study Abroad site for more information.