Romance Languages

Within the Department of Romance Languages, you will be welcomed into a spirited community that is committed to intellectual inquiry, social justice, and career development through language and culture. With class sizes that average under 25 students, you’ll get to know our faculty and enjoy the benefits of a program big enough to support a wide range of interests but small enough to form a real community. Our campus is “human scale”—just the right size for students to get personalized attention while also having access to extraordinary research resources.

A huge thank you to Portland real estate developer, philanthropist and UO alumnus Jordan Schnitzer and the Harold & Arlene Schnitzer CARE Foundation, for a landmark $25 million gift to CAS that will empower future global leaders and problem solvers! The School of Global Studies and Languages is now named the Schnitzer School of Global Studies and Languages, and we are truly excited to be a part of it!

Learn More about Schnitzer School

Schnitzer School of Global Studies and Languages Commencement Ceremony

Sunday, June 15th, 2025
10:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m.
East Campus Green

More Commencement information

31.5%
PERCENTAGE OF UNDERGRADUATE MAJORS WHO ARE FIRST-GENERATION COLLEGE STUDENTS
23
AVERAGE NUMBER OF STUDENTS IN AN UNDERGRADUATE CLASS
90%

PERCENTAGE OF SOPHOMORE STUDENTS WHO REMAIN IN THE MAJOR PROGRAM AFTER DECLARING

Romance Languages at the UO

Hundreds of University of Oregon students currently major or minor in French, Italian, Spanish, or major in Romance languages—a program that combines advanced study in two Romance languages (now including Portuguese). For graduate students, the Department of Romance Languages offers programs of study leading to an MA in Romance Languages, French, Italian, or Spanish and to a PhD in Romance languages or Spanish.

What You Can Do with a Degree in Romance Languages

What kind of career can you get with language skills? Studying Romance languages can take you just about anywhere! Our alumni are traveling the world, making an impact in their communities, and building careers in a broad range of fields such as:

  • International law and business
  • Communications
  • Education
  • Fine arts
  • Tourism
  • Diplomacy
Spanish major Melissa Torres-Duran

Making a Community Impact 

Since graduating I’ve had the opportunity to work at a few different ad agencies, but I pivoted to the non-profit sector to do social community impact work. I am able to use my background as a native Spanish speaker and the many skills I developed to help my community. Studying abroad opened up my horizons and gave me the opportunity of a lifetime! 

—Melissa Torres-Duran, Spanish major, '22 

Learn from Experts in the Field

Learn from Experts in the Field

Our Romance languages faculty includes specialists who work on all aspects of the Romance-speaking world, including North America, South America, Europe, Africa, and Asia. They are passionate scholars who inform and inspire, as well as dedicated mentors who help students build real-world skills and strong professional networks.

Get Real-World Experience

Immerse Yourself in Another Culture

Studying Romance languages abroad accelerates the development of speaking and comprehension skills while giving students a real-world experience within the culture they’re studying. The Department of Romance Languages offers numerous study abroad programs in Romance-speaking areas of the world, as well as other hands-on learning opportunities to help students develop their language proficiency.

Scholarships and Funding

The Department of Romance Languages awards multiple scholarships to current undergraduate and graduate students who are declared majors or minors within the department. Learn more about available scholarships and eligibility requirements.

Undergraduate Scholarships
Graduate Funding

Academic Support

Our academic advisors can help students talk through their major or minor requirements, plan their course of study, explore study abroad opportunities, and more.

Undergraduate Advising
Support for Graduate Students

Romance Languages News and Events

SPANISH - Alumna Kara Buckley works as a senior advisor to the US Olympic and Paralympic Team. She consults on sponsorship and marketing and is helping prepare for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina, Italy. She also serves on the Charles H. Lundquist College of Business’s Board of Advisors. What Buckley learned while studying Spanish—both the language itself and the process of learning a language—has helped her advance her career.
LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES — This year's Foreign Language and International Studies Day offered a vibrant celebration of languages, cultures and the arts for high school students. Attendees came from 19 Oregon high schools, some traveling from as far north as Seaside, as far south as Roseburg and as far east as Pendleton.
Through fellowships, the Oregon Humanities Center at the University of Oregon works to promote innovative humanities research produced by faculty members at the UO. The fellowships are for tenure-track faculty and are awarded on an annual basis. The 2025-26 fellows include CAS faculty members in the Divisions of Humanities and Social Sciences.

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UO Olympic Studies Week
May17
UO Olympic Studies Week May 17
UO Olympic Studies Week
May18
UO Olympic Studies Week May 18
Physical Chemistry Seminar - 3rd Year Talks
May19
Physical Chemistry Seminar - 3rd Year Talks May 19 Willie and Donald Tykeson Hall
Native American and Indigenous Studies Research Colloquium—A Shift from Indigenous Identities to Mainstream Western Culture Among Maya Indigenous Individuals in Guatemala
May19
Native American and Indigenous Studies Research Colloquium—A Shift from Indigenous Identities to Mainstream Western Culture Among Maya Indigenous Individuals in Guatemala May 19 Many Nations Longhouse
Department of History Coffee Hour
May20
Department of History Coffee Hour May 20 McKenzie Hall
gradCONNECT: Disabled and Neurodiverse Graduate Student Time Together
May20
gradCONNECT: Disabled and Neurodiverse Graduate Student Time Together May 20
Greg Marshall - "Leg" Memoir Reading and Q&A
May20
Greg Marshall - "Leg" Memoir Reading and Q&A May 20 Knight Library
Writing Lab Drop-In Workshop: Organization
May22
Writing Lab Drop-In Workshop: Organization May 22 Willie and Donald Tykeson Hall
Indigenous, Race, and Ethnic Studies Presents: A Talk with Author Dean Spade on “Love in a F*cked-Up World: How to Build Relationships, Hook Up, and Raise Hell Together"
May23
Indigenous, Race, and Ethnic Studies Presents: A Talk with Author Dean Spade on “Love in a F*cked-Up World: How to Build Relationships, Hook Up, and Raise Hell Together" May 23 Erb Memorial Union (EMU)
Spring Ring Lecture
May23
Spring Ring Lecture May 23 McKenzie Hall

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