Graduate Studies

Learn. Create. Discover. Think and Do. With a graduate degree in World Languages and Cultures, you can open new doors or take your career to the next level.

Diverse Students, Diverse Studies

Our department offers a Master of Arts degree in Foreign Languages and Literatures with concentrations in French, Spanish, or the Teaching of English as a Second Language (TESOL). We offer a rigorous, flexible program that combines innovative coursework with hands-on research. Courses are offered in literature, culture, linguistics, second-language acquisition and teaching methodology. Students can focus on one particular area (e.g. literature/culture) or take courses in a variety of areas.

French & Francophone Literature & Cultural Studies Concentration

Spanish Concentration (Linguistics, Literature & Cultural Studies)

TESOL Concentration

Plans of Study

We offer support (stipend, tuition and health insurance) for up to 13 new full-time students each year. Our diverse and accomplished graduate students boast an incoming average GPA of 3.5, and 33 percent of them are international students. Our graduates teach at colleges and high schools, enter top Ph.D. programs or join the workforce equipped with superior language proficiency and cultural awareness.

Graduate Student Manual - must be signed into NCSU account to access

Up to 90% of Graduate Students Seeking Financial Support Received It

Featured Alumni

Jessie Feudale, Trade Operations Coordinator at PS International

"The broad curriculum in literature, linguistics, culture and foreign language pedagogy, allowed me to engage in multiple disciplines that were of interest without having to narrow down coursework to a single concentration - a huge advantage of the program."

Charly Verstraet, Ph.D. student at Emory University

"Opportunity, diversity and quality: these three words define my two-year program at NC State. The Masters Program offers a rich variety of courses that explore linguistics, literature and culture while providing its students with valuable teaching experiences. I came to NC State wondering what I would do with a degree and I left persuaded I would want to be a teacher and researcher."

Graduate Student Research

Getting a Master’s in Foreign Languages and Literatures doesn’t confine you to textbooks. Our graduate students conduct creative, impactful research and engage in unique experiential learning. They collaborate in the community and with leading international scholars.

See What's New in Graduate Studies