About

No matter how you say it, URI is BIG in Languages. About 3,600 students, around 28% of the undergraduate population, take a language class each semester. The reason? Our faculty get to know their students, and help them learn language in a way that complements their chosen field of study.

Facts

  • One of the largest language departments in the country, with 732 majoring students
  • Six signature interdisciplinary programs, offering study and internship opportunities abroad
  • 16 tenure-stream, 11 full-time lecturers, and 29 part-time faculty
  • Average class size: 20 to 25 students
  • Top producer of Boren and Gilman scholarship recipients
16thNational rank for long-term study abroad
100+Gilman recipients
#1Largest Italian program in the US
119%Increase in Majors since 2006
“Within a national context, the number of Department of Language majors (at URI) is at least 50-60% higher than majors in world language programs at comparable departments and universities.”
Dr. Mark Rectanus Iowa State University

The Global Experience

Sandra Deeb, French IEP '20

Sandra Deeb ’20

“When you study another culture, you share their perspective, and it helps you treat the world with an equal level of respect.”

read sandra’s story
Alison Otto

Alison Otto ’18

“It is always important to have that cultural component to your education as the world becomes more globalized.”

read Alison’s story
read more student profiles

Academic Programs

Signature Interdisciplinary Programs

  • International Engineering Program
  • International Business Program
  • Chinese Language Flagship Program
  • International Computer Science Program
  • International Studies and Diplomacy Program
  • International Pharmaceutical Sciences Program

Summer Study

  • German Summer School
  • Chinese Summer School
  • URI Summer in Greece
  • URI Summer in Calabria, Italy
  • URI Summer Salamanca, Spain

Bachelor of Arts

  • Chinese
  • Classical Studies
  • French
  • German
  • Italian
  • Spanish

Minors and Courses

  • Arabic
  • Hebrew
  • Japanese
  • Modern Greek
  • Portuguese
  • Russian

J-Term Winter Programs

  • Chinese J-term abroad, Zhejiang University
  • Classics J-term abroad, Rome
  • German IEP J-Term, Germany
  • Spanish J-Term, Chile

The Great Wall, China
Photograph by Christopher Andraka