Message from the Chair

Why study . . .

German Studies?

Not only a language of philosophy, literature and the arts and sciences, German is also advantageous in business, enineering, communications, international relations and technology. German is the second most widely spoken language in Europe, Germany is the financial and economic powerhouse of the European Union (and America’s largest European trade partner!), and German is the most common language of scientific publication outside of English. A nation of travelers, Germans spend $37 billion annually world wide.

South Carolina boasts over 200 German companies directly responsible for over 42,000 jobs, while close to 700 German businesses have operations in the Southeastern United States. Most of these companies offer higher salaries to employees with German language skills.

In 2022, the German Studies program at the College of Charleston was recognized as a national Center of Excellence by the American Association of Teachers of German. 

Russian Studies?

Russian is the most used Slavic language in the world with over 280 million speakers (native and non-native) and Russia is the world’s largest country (with eleven time zones!).

The language of Dostoevsky, Eisenstein, Trotsky and Gorbachev is recognized by the US State Department as a critical language and is an important language for businesses (Exxon Mobile, Microsoft, Price Waterhouse), law firms, government agencies (State Department, Department of Commerce, NASA) and consulting firms (aeronautics, engineering, foreign policy). Becoming proficient in Russian offers a tremendous advantage on the job market in a variety of fields.

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