Why Should Every UMES Student Have Critical Need Language Skills?
CNN Money says fluency in a foreign language is the hottest job skill!
STUDYING A CRITICAL-NEED LANGUAGE AT UMES OPENS THE DOORS TO CAREER, GRAD SCHOOL, MILITARY AND VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES!
UMES students register for these critical-need language courses through the HawkWeb registration system just as they would any other class. Many classes are small in size; students are encouraged to register early.
Please note special or new course numbers. You will find many foreign language courses under the ENGL prefix.
Beginning Arabic is ARAB 101
Intermediate Arabic is ARAB 102
Arabic for Heritage Speakers is ARAB 288G
Beginning Chinese* is CHIN101
Intermediate Chinese* is CHIN102
Beginning Japanese is JAPN101
Intermediate Japanese is JAPN102
*Chinese is defined as a less-commonly taught language.
What are critical need languages? These are languages that have been identified by the U.S. Department of State as critical to the United States’ economic, military or humanitarian aid mission and for which there are not enough speakers to meet the demand.
FOREIGN LANGUAGE OPENS DOORS! Click here for internship/scholarship/employment opportunities
Learning a foreign language leads to career and graduate school opportunities. Whatever your plans, consider adding a foreign language to your resume. Is engineering your goal? Why not be an engineer who speaks Arabic? Are you entering the medical field? Take Spanish with you! Will you become a teacher? Prepare to have Haitian students in your classroom. Going into business? China is one of the key players in the global economy. Are you planning overseas study? French is the official language in 33 countries! And if you’re planning a military career, opportunities abound for those who know a foreign language.
One thing is for sure: no matter what career path you take, you will meet people from all over the world. Understanding different cultures is of the utmost importance in today’s society. Learn more about global thinking here: Education Week article.
THE U.S. IS CALLING FOR MORE OF ITS CITIZENS TO BE TRAINED IN LANGUAGES
The United States has identified several languages as “critical need” or “super critical need”. The call has gone out for universities to train its students in these critical-need languages in order to meet the needs of the government for defense and humanitarian aid functions.
Read more at: U.S. Department of State
Like us on Facebook! Are you a UMES student with questions about foreign languages? Contact the Foreign Language Instructional Center at UMES at FLIC@umes.edu. We’re here to help! Looking for the Department of English & Modern Languages Web page? Click here: DEML.
