First-year classroom work emphasizes listening skills and encourages active student participation. Both Spanish and French teacher certification programs require that students successfully complete a departmental qualifying examination prior to student teaching.
Scholarships are available for outstanding foreign language majors and minors.
Advanced level Spanish students may be eligible for membership in Sigma Delta Pi, a national honorary society. Spanish, French, and German clubs are also available for interested students. A summer exchange program with the Instituto Tecnologico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey in Chihuahua, Mexico, allows MSU students to complete introductory through advanced courses under the supervision of MSU faculty. Study abroad programs are also available in French and German. Career opportunities for foreign language specialists have expanded far beyond the fields of teaching and research to include multinational business, educational administration, and govemment, the latter including, but not limited to, translation and interpreting.