BA Italian

The major offers training in the skills required for fluency in Italian and knowledge in Italian culture, civilization, and literature. Its aim is to open to the student both the traditions of one of the major formative components of the Western world and the continuing vitality of modern Italian and Italian-American life.

As one of the humanistic programs of the College of the Liberal Arts, the Italian major prepares students for rewarding and unique careers in business, media, travel, ministry, banking, and education. In addition, the federal government employs liberal arts graduates with world-language skills in organizations including the National Security Agency, the Central Intelligence Agency, the U.S. Information Agency, and the Department of Labor. The Italian major is also preparatory for graduate work directed to the Ph.D. degree required for teaching and research in colleges and universities. Students with degrees in the humanities are particularly successful applicants to professional schools, such as law and medicine.