The department of modern languages and literatures offers students the opportunity to develop a high degree of competence in a foreign language and to examine and understand values, beliefs, and practices different from their own through the study of language, literature, and culture. Students may study intensively French, German, or Spanish, and, to a lesser degree, Chinese and Italian. The department actively encourages students to engage in collaborative scholarship with faculty members in the fields of language, literature, or culture. To facilitate the study of language in an interdisciplinary context the department participates in international studies, Latin American studies and international management and economics. The department also participates in the interdisciplinary minor in linguistics offered by Hamline.

To provide students with direct experience in their chosen language, the department helps students choose appropriate study abroad programs, facilitates interaction with Amity Scholars and other native speakers, and offers interested students the possibility of living in the Spanish House.
If you have never taken a language class at Hamline University, click here for the required placement exam.

In addition to the major, the teaching major, and the minor in French, German, and Spanish, the department offers the "certificate of proficiency" to students who wish to acquire communication skills and cultural awareness for basic professional purposes.

Certificate for Proficiency in Chinese

Certificate for Proficiency in French

Certificate for Proficiency in German

Certificate for Proficiency in Spanish