Languages Open Doors
In addition to fulfilling a General Education requirement for many majors, studying another language provides rich life and career opportunities. The knowledge you gain from your study of a global language can make you a more skilled communicator in English, and the greater sensitivity to other cultures that comes from studying a language is invaluable in the job market and beyond.
Whatever your degree, knowledge of another language will give you a leg up on the competition, providing you with some of the skills many employers seek. In addition, speaking, reading, and writing even a bit of another language can open new doors, allowing you to make friends overseas, experience another culture from the inside, and reimagine your own life and career choices.
At Penn State Behrend, you will receive personalized instruction from expert teachers. Class sizes are kept low, and professors are of the highest caliber. Employing the most current instruction methods, they travel frequently and bring to the classroom their experiences in France, Germany, Austria, Spain, and Latin America.
Penn State Behrend offers world language courses in French, German, and Spanish and a class on Italian culture. Once you complete your language requirement, you can continue to build your skills by pursuing a German Studies certificate or Spanish minor.
Students from Behrend French classes visit the Erie Art Museum.
Get Involved
If you enjoy languages and want to learn more about other cultures, join the German Club, the French and Francophone Club, International Student Organization, or Multi-Cultural Council. Or study abroad. Penn State Behrend offers a variety of study abroad opportunities, including courses with an embedded trip overseas, such as IT 130 Italian Culture and Civilization and PL ET 499 International Plastics Experience.
The Global Languages and Cultures department also offers many events throughout the year. See some of our events, such as National Foreign Language Week.
