Why Study Italian at the UO?
An estimated 180 million people worldwide speak Italian as their primary or secondary language. Almost 17 million North Americans identify as having Italian ancestry.
Italian culture is traditionally recognized for its rich contributions to art, architecture, music, literature, and philosophy. Today Italy attracts interest in a wide variety of areas, including tourism, its emigrant heritage, filmmaking, fashion industry, and gastronomy.
The Department offers an undergraduate major and minor in Italian as well as a major in Romance languages. And you can also double-major in hundreds of other UO degree programs. Recent undergraduate courses include offerings focused on food studies, Italian East Africa and Italian-American studies.
We offer M.A. programs in Italian and in Romance languages, which combines Italian with French or Spanish. Our Ph.D. program is in Romance languages. Students work in Italian as their primary language and take some coursework in either French or Spanish.
The Department of Romance Languages prepares students for the future of global citizenship and the workforce. We encourage students of Italian to enroll in one or more of our language and culture programs in the historic towns of Ferrara, Macerata, Pavia, Lecce, and Siena. Programs are as short as four weeks and as long as a full academic year. The Department offers several scholarships to help students pursue their studies. In addition, through the IE3 program, undergraduates can earn academic credit for doing a professional internship in Italy.
What kind of career will you pursue? Italian language study opens up a wide range of career opportunities—from non-profit work to high-tech, design, foreign service, university administration, and beyond! As our alumni profiles demonstrate, language study can take you just about anywhere!
Our department faculty is comprised of three Italian specialists who work on all aspects of the Italian-speaking world, including Ethiopia! They are passionate scholars who inform and inspire, and are dedicated mentors who help students build real-world skills and strong professional networks.
