Italian Undergraduate Program

Italian is spoken by more than 60 million people, mainly in Italy but also in Switzerland where it is one of the four official languages (Canton Ticino). Italian is also spoken by the large Italian communities in the United States, Canada, Germany, Australia, and South America (specifically in Argentina and in the south of Brazil where almost half of the population is of Italian origin). Our program develops an appreciation of world cultures through the study of language, literature, and film.

The Program

Students who study Italian at the advanced level acquire language proficiency, explore various aspects of Italian culture, and obtain knowledge of Italian literature. Students who choose to major in Italian take eight courses at the 300-400 level. The Department strongly encourages Italian majors to study art history, music, history, English, classics, and Women's Studies.

Students frequently combine a program in Italian with concentrations in other humanities programs, such as another language, or history. Others concentrate in unrelated fields, such as management or science. Requirements for the Italian part of a joint major include acceptance as an Italian major and completion of five courses at the 300-400 level.

For study abroad options, see the Study Abroad section on page 6 or contact the Study Abroad Programs Office at (716) 645-3912.

Students wishing to satisfy the requirements for teacher certification should plan their programs with particular care in order to accommodate the required semester of the professional sequence during their senior year. For certification rerequirements, students should contact the Teacher Education Institute, Graduate School of Education, 379 Baldy Hall.

Career Opportunities

Some graduates with a degree in Italian have pursued doctorates and master of arts degrees in the humanities. Others have followed careers in community service, business, law, government, and so forth. Students frequently combine a program in Italian with concentrations in other humanities programs, such as another language, or history. Others concentrate in unrelated fields, such as management.

Preparatory sequence:

• Italian 101 and 102 OR equivalent preparation

Prerequisites:

• Italian 151 (previously 203) and 152 (previously 206) OR equivalent preparation

Upper-level courses:

• Italian 321 AND Italian 322 AND EITHER
  • six courses at the 400 level (for a major)
  • five courses at the 400 level (for a joint major)
  • two courses at the 400 level (for a minor)

Other information:

Students must maintain a 2.5 average in courses counted towards the major or minor.

Next steps:

Go to the Advisors page and send e-mail to the undergraduate advisor in Italian. To apply, click on the "Apply Now" link at the top of this page or from the home page.