Studying a foreign language:
- Sharpens your logical and rational thinking
- Builds analytical and creative skills
- Improves your memory
- Increases your attention span
- Prepares you for an increasingly interconnected world
- Develops empathy and appreciation for other cultures
- Makes you more marketable
- Expands career opportunities
- Increases earnings potential
- Broadens travel opportunities
- Enhances research potential
Chart your course by building valuable skills through learning a language.
Demand for bilingual talent in major industries has more than doubled in the past 5 years — and high-prestige jobs are the fastest growing sector in need of foreign language speakers.
Employers with the largest percentage of job listings requiring bilingual skills include:
- Bank of America
- H&R Block
- Humana
- U.S. Bancorp
- Wells Fargo
- T- Mobile
- AT&T
- BB&T
Graduates with second-language fluency can expect a 10–15% pay increase.
— U.S. News & World Report
“Studying Arabic gave me the confidence I needed to move to Cairo and delve into a world full of opportunities here. I use the language daily, whether greeting legal aid clients in Arabic, reading social media posts, or simply buying fruit from my favorite produce stall. People in Egypt are eager to let visitors practice language, and I am grateful that I arrived with a foundation with which to learn colloquial Egyptian Arabic.”
— Erin Hayes ’18
- Political science and Arabic major
- Now: Refugee status determination legal advisor, St. Andrew’s Refugee Services, Digital and communication specialist, Education for Employment, Cairo, Egypt
“Studying languages can have unexpected benefits years into your career. My knowledge of French and Japanese ultimately allowed me to shift from a career in educational publishing to one in conversational artificial intelligence, where I focused on communication between machines and people.”
— Michelle Gaseor ’11
- Languages: French and Japanese
- History major
- Now: AI intent recognition designer, IPsoft
“Through international experiences in Arts & Letters, I garnered a rich variety of skills — data analysis, communication, cultural interaction, leadership, and calmness under pressure. Knowing a second language has really helped me in traveling to countries where Italian is spoken and in adjusting to Finnish.”
— Melchior F.R. Perella-Savarese IV ’17
- Language: Italian
- Italian and Program of Liberal Studies major
- Now: Application project manager, Epic, Helsinki, Finland
Completing Notre Dame’s Globally Engaged Citizens program will show employers, graduate and professional schools, and service programs that you’re ready to be a global citizen.
By taking just two classes and engaging in a wide range of cultural events, students in any college or school and demonstrate that they’re ready to thrive in our increasingly interconnected world.
Your four years at Notre Dame are the best chance you’ll have to approach fluency in another language.
Here are some ways to get started:
- Register for a 5-credit first-year course in your language of interest
Try other introductory courses, such as:
- Introduction to Russian (1 credit)
- Elementary Chinese or Japanese (3 credits)
- Spanish of Business or French of Business (3 credits)
Take a class (taught in English, with no prereq) to learn more about a culture
- European Culture and the Rise of Modern Capitalism (German and Russian)
- The Italian Cityscape
- Chinese Economy since 1800
- Modern Japanese Literature
- Folklore, Literature & Irish National Culture
- Introduction to Arabic Culture and Civilization
After you fulfill your language requirement, consider furthering your language proficiency — and enhancing your résumé — by majoring or minoring in that language.
Majors
- Arabic
- Chinese
- French
- German
- Italian
- Japanese
- Romance Languages & Literatures
- Russian
- Spanish
Supplementary majors
- Chinese
- French
- German
- Irish
- Italian
- Japanese
- Russian
- Spanish
Minors
- Chinese
- German
- Greek
- Irish
- Italian Studies
- Japanese
- Korean
- Latin
- Mediterranean/Middle Eastern Studies
- Portuguese & Brazilian Studies
- Russian
- Russian Studies
The Summer Language Abroad program offers funding to pursue coursework and cultural immersion in another country — hear what students took away from their unforgettable SLA experiences.
“Taking classes in the Irish department at Notre Dame gave me a framework for understanding the Ireland that I experience now. Even if I don’t need a specific fact to go about my day-to-day life, it’s great to be able to understand where people are coming from.”
— Rose Giglia ’17
- Language: Irish
- Neuroscience and behavior major
- Now: Neurology research assistant, Trinity College Dublin