World Languages & Culture

Prerequisite Course(s) for the French or Spanish Emphasis:

• Completion of French or Spanish Intermediate II (FR 2023 or SPAN 2023) or equivalent

Students with previous language experience in French or Spanish are encouraged to take a placement test or consult with an advisor to determine which of the courses leading up to and including Intermediate II they need to complete or may bypass based on their language skills.  Students are only required to take those courses whose skills they do not yet master.

Students without previous language experience in French or Spanish will need to obtain the skills associated with the first four language courses prior to entering the bachelor degree program in World Languages and Cultures.  The prerequisite language sequence consists in the following courses in consecutive order:

• FR / SPAN 1013: French or Spanish Elementary I
• FR / SPAN 1023: French or Spanish Elementary II
• FR / SPAN 2013: French or Spanish Intermediate I
• FR / SPAN 2023: French or Spanish Intermediate II

Degree Requirements

• Study Abroad 
• The BA in World Languages and Cultures requires a minimum of six credit hours of study abroad.
• Arkansas State University and the Department of World Languages and Cultures offer a variety of short term (3+ credit hours, faculty-led group study abroad programs) as well as long term (semester or year, independent study abroad programs) to destinations across the world.  Current study abroad destinations related to French and Spanish languages include but are not limited to France, Spain, Costa Rica, Mexico, and several other Latin American destinations.

• Professional Internship (Spanish)
• The BA in World Languages and Cultures with emphasis in Spanish requires completion of a professional internship (3 credit hours).  The professional internship can be completed locally or abroad.

• Minimum of 12 credit hours at the 4000 (senior) level

• Minimum of “C-grade” in any course to apply to the degree emphasis

• Outcome Assessment Exam (Written and Oral)

Co-Curricular Support Program

The Department of World Languages and Cultures provides a solid support structure for students pursuing a BA in World Languages and Cultures with emphasis in French or Spanish.

The Department offers tutoring support services free of charge in French and Spanish, and invites students to participate in weekly conversation gatherings and in the many intercultural activities offered on campus and in the community throughout the year. 

The BA in World Languages and Cultures prepares you for a wide variety of career and employment opportunities as advanced level communication skills in French and Spanish complemented with international experience and global citizen skills are of essence in every career field in the 21st century.

Graduates of the BA in World Languages and Cultures program have successfully continued their academic education at the post-graduate level in disciplines directly associated with the degree, such as 

• Spanish or Latin American Languages and Literatures
• Francophone Languages and Literatures
• Translation / Interpretation

Furthermore, graduates of the BA in World Languages and Cultures program who have complemented their second language studies with a second degree in another discipline have successfully found employment or continued their academic education at the post-graduate level in career fields in which second language skills and global experience and competence matter:

• Health and Medical Professions
• Business including International Business, Business Administration, Management, Marketing, Finance, etc.
• Humanities and Social Sciences, including Criminology, Sociology, Geography, Political Science, Public Administration, History, Philosophy, etc.
• Biological and Physical Sciences
• Communication Sciences including Radio & Television, Journalism
• Engineering
• Behavioral Sciences including Social Work, Psychology
• Military Science
• among others