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Arabic is the official language of 21 countries with over 422 million speakers. There is high demand and low supply of Arabic-speakers in the Western world. The U.S. government identified Arabic as a critical language. There are financial incentives for learning Arabic. Arabic-speaking nations are a fast growing market for trade. With a GDP of over $2.501 trillion dollars annually, the region also has much to offer the world market. There are 1.8 billion Muslims in the world who study and use Arabic.

Chinese is spoken by one out of every five people in the world and is the most-spoken language on the planet. It’s one of the six official languages for the United Nations. It’s the second most-used language on the Internet. And, it will make your resume much more competitive in the future job market.

Learning Chinese is the key to understanding a 5000-year-old civilization. At the heart of Chinese civilization is its fascinating and multifaceted cultural traditions such as gourmet food, literary masterpieces, visual and performing arts, historical sites and modern films.

With more than 300 million speakers, French is the second most widely learned foreign language after English, and the fifth most widely spoken language in the world. It is also the only language, alongside English, that is taught in every country in the world. 

French is an important part of international relations as both a working language and an official language of the United Nations, the European Union, UNESCO, NATO, the International Olympic Committee, the International Red Cross and international courts. It's also a critical to understanding culture as the international language of cooking, fashion, theatre, the visual arts, dance and architecture.

Many great minds thought and wrote in German, among them Goethe, Freud, Marx, Nietzsche, Einstein, Walter Benjamin and Thomas Mann. German-speaking countries are famous for their music and art. Germany is the largest economy in Europe and fourth largest in the world. It plays a significant role in international business. German companies account for 700,000 jobs in the U.S. Germany is an economic and political power house in the EU. It is a leading science, engineering, and research nation.

Hebrew has had an incredible amount of influence on religion and customs. Economically, it's the language of Israel, which is a global leader in science and technology.

Italian is spoken by almost 60 million people in Italy and over 62 million around the world.

Italy has the seventh largest economy in the world and is the fifth largest industrial producer of goods; indeed, six of the world's biggest global companies have headquarters in Italy. This means that jobs in Italian business can be lucrative. There are many job opportunities related to Italian business.

Italy is also a major political force in Europe and in the world. For this reason, knowledge of Italian can lead to jobs in diplomacy and trade.

Italy is at the heart of Western civilization (think Rome, Renaissance, Galileo, Michelangelo, Verdi, Fermi…) and the Made in Italy brand is synonymous with craftsmanship, design, beauty and tradition. Italian language and knowledge is often useful, if not necessary, for research and study in many fields, including art, business, design, music and sciences.

Japan has the third largest economy in the world. Learning Japanese opens new paths for global business and communication. It is one of the closest allies of the United States and Japanese is a language deemed critical to U.S. national security and economic prosperity. Japan is one of the major contributors to globalization, including religion, entertainment, technology and manufacturing. Make yourself more competitive for the Japan Exchange and Teaching Program and other professional working opportunities in Japan. Japan has one of the oldest and richest literary traditions, producing what is generally considered to be the world’s first novel, also composed by a woman: The Tale of Genji (ca.11th century). Learning Japanese allows you to develop a deeper connection to Japanese traditions and modernity.

Linguistics is the scientific study of language. In our everyday lives, we are surrounded by language (and sometimes more than one). Linguists seek to understand the underlying properties of all human language by using ‘language’ as data. They conduct their research with monolinguals and bilinguals in laboratory settings or in the field. Linguists investigate how language is acquired in children and adults, how language is processed in the mind and brain, and how language is used in different social settings by individuals and groups. Students majoring in linguistics acquire valuable skills in empirical research design, data analysis, and written and oral communication, all essentials skills that will transfer well to a variety of graduate-level and professional contexts.

Around 400 million people speak Slavic languages worldwide, some 260 million of whom speak Russian and 45 million—Ukrainian. U.S. federal agencies have identified Russian as a priority language of national need. At the same time, Ukraine has applied to join Western structures such as the EU and NATO. Today, the study of Slavic languages is more important than ever.

The State of Florida enjoys a long-standing relationship with the Spanish-speaking world. Florida was part of the Spanish Empire (1565-1763 and 1784-1821) longer than it has been part of the United States, and due to its proximity to the Caribbean and Latin America, Florida has maintained important social and economic ties with the Spanish-speaking world for nearly 500 years. Today, over 25 percent of Florida's population is of Hispanic origin, and the U.S. Hispanic population has recently risen to more than 65 million (2023 U.S. Census Bureau). The United States now has the second largest Spanish-speaking population in the world. Considering Florida's past and recent history, coupled with the growing need for bilingual professionals in all areas, Florida State University is an ideal location to begin or to continue your study of the Spanish language and Hispanic literatures, cultures and linguistics.