CIS Abroad Blog

Top programs in World Languages

Language learners rejoice! CIS Abroad has a plethora of opportunities to take courses towards a foreign language major or minor. Immersion is one of the most effective ways to learn a language and is a key component to our programs. Students will find that each campus provides support for international students, engaging community activities, and opportunities to use their language of interest in a practical way, branching out from the classroom setting.

While language courses are available on nearly all of our programs, some host institutions are better than others at offering language instruction at a variety of levels in the local language, or in some cases, that of another country. Below we have broken down the best choices for students of Spanish, Italian, Japanese, Korean, and more.

Top semester programs for World Languages

When it comes to semester study abroad for World Language students, we recommend the following programs:

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The Sant’Anna Institute is a beautiful Mediterranean setting to spend a semester learning the Italian language. Students have the opportunity to take classes in either English or Italian, and have the added benefit of a more intimate community in the city of Sorrento, where they can practice their Italian with the locals and get involved with community service programs outside the classroom.

This program is based in the heart of Tokyo, the capital of Japan and the world's most populous city You'll be able to take intensive Japanese language courses to study one of the world’s top in-demand languages. Also enjoy Japanese cultural events and interactions with Japanese students organized by the university, as well as a variety of courses taught in English that combine local, regional, and global contexts.

Ranking as the top university in Thailand, Mahidol University offers a high caliber curriculum, as well as a rich surrounding culture for any student interested in exploring Southeast Asian history, tradition, and delicious cuisine! Mahidol offers a wide range of courses in a variety of subjects, but is especially ideal for foreign language students interested in either Thai or Chinese language.

Sogang University is known around the world as one of the authorities on Korean language instruction. In fact, this is where many of the textbooks used to teach Korean are developed. At Sogang’s Korean Language Center students can take part in an intensive language program focused on speaking ability. There is also a Korean for General Purpose Course designed for students who are not Korean Language majors but who would still like to improve their Korean ability.

Other semester options to consider

Top summer programs for World Languages

Language is one of the easiest subjects to find on summer study abroad programs, and many students participate in our programs during the summer months specifically to take language classes towards a major or minor, or simply to improve their speaking ability. Here are a few of our top recommendations for summer language programs:

Top short-term programs for World Languages

J.F. Oberlin is a private institution located in the heart of Tokyo. Whether students are beginners or well into their Japanese language learning, this program offers 2 intensive weeks of both spoken and written language instruction with a focus on practical use and observation.

World Language is one of the easiest and best-suited subjects for finding study abroad programs, especially because of the great immersive experiences that many of our partner universities are eager to offer incoming students. To look more closely at the courses available on a particular program, take a look at the program pages that you are interested in, and scroll down to Academics. There, under “Choose your courses” you will find information about course offerings and availability. For intern programs, sample placements can be found on each program page as well.