Foreign Language Studies

USAC offers language courses for most proficiency levels from beginning to advanced. Studying abroad is the perfect way to learn or become proficient in a language.

Specialty Programs offer you the opportunity to study a language in a city or country where it is traditionally spoken. This allows you to engage in language instruction both formally in the classroom, and informally with locals as you go about your daily life. Specialty Programs offer both intensive and less intensive course offerings in locally spoken languages. The amount of credits you can complete in your chosen term will vary by location, but in many instances you can complete up to 2 years of instruction in just one semester! Intensive language courses are grouped into tracks to allow you to progress through your instruction quickly, and many programs also offer elective language and literature courses.

Language courses sections are kept to a maximum enrollment of 15 students each to facilitate student success.

On USAC’s Partnership Programs, you are often able to choose from the majority of courses offered at the host university. This means you can study both the native language of your host country, as well as languages not traditionally spoken by the locals. For example, you can take Russian in Scotland or German in South Africa.

Specialty Programs

Language classes are available at the following USAC Specialty Program locations. Check the program's course page for the most current offerings by term.

Intensive Language Study

Options vary by USAC program location, but in general, students will enroll in a series of sequential (back to back) courses taught within one semester while simultaneously enrolling in other elective courses taught throughout the entire semester. Intensive language study can allow students to complete a series of courses that would take up to two years to complete on a university campus. In the examples given below, you will see that two, three, or four courses can be finished in one semester (4-in-1, 3-in-1, or 2-in-1). USAC refers to these sequential courses as "tracks." Check your program's Courses section for more details about that program's language track options.

Summer and winter courses can be considered intensive in that one language course can be completed in a 3- to 5-week session. Depending on location and session duration, students can complete six to eight foreign language credits (plus electives) within two summer sessions.

Semester durations also vary by location. The 16-week semester is used as an example in order to help explain the track formats. Dates are listed in the Calendars section for each offering. Students taking a language course may enroll in electives to earn additional credits up to 18 per semester.

Please note "credits" in USAC materials are semester-credits. The USAC Enrollment Department is prepared and happy to assist students and staff from quarter-system schools calculate their needs.

Example 16-Week, Semester Intensive Language Tracks

Partnership Programs

Language classes are available for the following Partnership Programs. Check the program's corresponding course page for most current offerings by term.