World Languages and Cultures, BA
Immerse yourself in language and culture to strengthen your potential as a global leader. A degree in world languages and cultures equips you with essential skills to communicate effectively across cultures, analyze information from multiple angles, and excel in today’s interconnected world. This professional DNA enables you to innovate, inspire change, and make a meaningful impact on a global scale.
Program Overview
The World Languages and Cultures, BA teaches reading, writing, and speaking, proficiency in a chosen language while also exploring literature and culture.
Our program offers 15+ language minors and concentrations, along with a unique concentration in language and world business. In this concentration, students specialize in a chosen language while also choosing a professional emphasis in international business, international retail and hospitality management, or international agricultural economics.
This program is a great fit for students who are passionate about mastering a foreign language, becoming culturally competent, and using their languages skills in real-world settings.
Concentrations
The World Languages and Cultures program at UT allows students to explore diverse pathways tailored to their academic and professional aspirations. Whether your interests lie in literature, linguistics, cultural studies, or practical applications in international business and hospitality, our flexible concentrations enable you to design a personalized educational journey.
Our language-related concentrations include:
- Asian Studies concentration
- Asian Studies/China concentration
- Asian Studies/Islamic World concentration
- Asian Studies/Japan concentration
- Asian Studies/South and Southeast Asia concentration
- French and Francophone Studies concentration
- German concentration
- Hispanic Studies concentration
- Italian concentration
- Japanese Studies concentration
- Russian Studies concentration
Our international business and language-related concentrations—ideal for students who want to use their linguistic and cultural knowledge in business settings—include:
- Language and World Business/Arabic concentration
- Language and World Business/Chinese concentration
- Language and World Business/French and Francophone Studies concentration
- Language and World Business/German concentration
- Language and World Business/Hispanic Studies concentration
- Language and World Business/Italian concentration
- Language and World Business/Japanese concentration
- Language and World Business/Russian Studies concentration
Honors
If you’re interested in pursuing more advanced, rigorous coursework, our Honors pathway would be a great fit. You will take Honors-specific courses and complete an Honors thesis under the guidance of a faculty mentor, all while receiving one-on-one mentorship. Students interested in Honors must maintain an overall GPA of 3.25 and a language GPA of 3.5.
Our program offers Honors for the following concentrations:
- Honors – French and Francophone Studies concentration
- Honors – German concentration
- Honors – Hispanic Studies concentration
- Honors – Russian Studies concentration
Minors
The World Languages and Cultures program also offers 12 minors for students interested in additional coursework.
Our current available minors include:
- Arab Studies minor
- Asian Studies minor
- Chinese minor
- German minor
- Hebrew minor
- Hispanic Studies minor
- Italian minor
- Japanese minor
- Russian Studies minor
- French and Francophone Studies minor
- Global and Popular Cultural Studies minor
- Russian Literature in Translation minor
Accelerated Combined BA/MA Programs
Our program also offers an accelerated combined BA/MA program that allows students to earn a bachelor’s and master’s degree in five years. Undergraduate students take up to 9 credit hours of graduate coursework in their senior year that counts towards both their BA and MA degrees.
Our current selection of BA/MA offerings includes options for studying French and Francophone Studies, German, or Hispanic Studies:
- French and Francophone Studies
- World Languages and Cultures, BA – French and Francophone Studies Concentration with a French, MA
- World Languages and Cultures, BA – Language and World Business/French and Francophone Studies Concentration with a French, MA
- German
- World Languages and Cultures, BA – German Concentration with a German, MA
- World Languages and Cultures, BA – Language and World Business/German Concentration with a German, MA
- Hispanic Studies
- World Languages and Cultures, BA – Hispanic Studies Concentration with a Spanish, MA
- World Languages and Cultures, BA – Language and World Business/Hispanic Studies Concentration with a Spanish, MA
Learn About MA Offerings
Why Study World Languages and Cultures?
A World Languages and Cultures degree won’t just teach you a new language; you’ll immerse yourself in new cultures and broaden your perspectives. With study abroad opportunities through the department and university, you can visit countries like Brazil, Chile, China, Costa Rica, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, or Spain, participating in life-changing student experiences.
For students seeking additional research opportunities, the department also offers Honors programs that provide advanced coursework and faculty mentorship.
Plus, with knowledge of a foreign language and cultural competency being two skills that are highly desired by employers, you will graduate with skills that prepare you for any career field or job pivot.
Whatever your interests, a degree in world languages and cultures lets you tailor your academic journey to something unique to you.
What Can You Do with an BA in World Languages and Cultures After Graduation?
A World Languages and Cultures degree provides you with skills in language, cultural competency, and adaptability that are highly valued across several industries, including education, government, and business.
A Bachelor of Arts in World Languages and Cultures opens pathways anywhere. While several of our graduate go on to graduate school to become professors, researchers, and leaders in higher education, industry opportunities are also available. With fluency in any of our offered languages and cultures, you can work as a translator or interpreter, become an intelligence analyst for the government, or work as a foreign language teacher in K-12 education.
Other opportunities might include becoming a localization specialist—translating website and document content for audiences in specific countries and regions— teaching English as a Second Language (ESL), or even using your language skills in international business and marketing.
No matter your career aspirations, the World Languages and Cultures, BA equips you with the skills necessary to make an impact wherever your career leads.
Featured Courses
POLS 454 Politics in China and Japan: Culture, Power and Competition
This course discusses topics such as Chinese authoritarian resilience, implications of a rising China for the rest of the world, interactions between economic development and political development, political culture in China and Japan, and Japanese-style democracy.
SPAN 350 Spanish for Medical & Healthcare Professions
This is a language for special purposes course that offers a practical approach to meet the ever-increasing needs of medical and other healthcare professions to serve the Hispanic population in the USA and abroad. It will provide the students with a solid foundation in the vocabulary and discourse used in Spanish, as well as cross-cultural awareness when dealing with different types of medical and healthcare scenarios.
ITAL 314 Highlights of Italian Civilization, Culture, and Identity
This course includes an examination of past and present Italian culture and identity as shaped by its political, religious, artistic, literary, and historical contexts. Taught in English.
RUSS 222 Heaven or Hell: Utopias and Dystopias in 20th-Century Russian Literature
In this course, students will read English-translated Russian literature with a focus on utopias and dystopias in the 20th century.
Complementary Majors, Minors, and Certificates
Looking to enhance your degree? Consider these programs as a complement to your primary major.
Looking For More Options?
The College of Arts and Sciences offers students the broadest range of academic programs and opportunities for research and creative activities at the University of Tennessee, powered by faculty expertise across every discipline.
Admissions and Aid
Are you ready to become a Vol? Learn how to apply and explore tuition, cost, and aid below.
Request Information
Want to join us in creating what’s next? Learn more about the World Languages and Cultures, BA program and become a Vol-in-Progress!