Languages and Cultures
Language is about more than speaking and teaching. It's about communicating across cultures in a Christ-like manner to form life-long connections.
The Department of Languages and Cultures prepares graduates to use their language and skills and intercultural awareness to understand, interact with, and serve with people from other contexts. You'll become a globally aware graduate prepared to culturally engage with communities from a thoughtful, Christian perspective.
Majors, Minors, and Programs
| Spanish | Major | Minor |
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Language Programs Focus on Compassionate Communication
The languages and cultures programs at Bethel give students the global perspective they need to communicate with Christ-like compassion and be learners and explorers of God’s diverse world. By stepping out of your comfort zone through service learning projects, classroom interactions, and study abroad programs, you’ll be prepared to take your place in the global community of the 21st century. We take our faith in Christ and integrate it into everything we learn, into everything we do, and to everywhere we go, so that we can accomplish incredible things—in our careers, in our communities, and in our world.
Photo provided by campus partner Urban Ventures, which supports the ActSix Program at Bethel and in the Twin Cities.
Program Highlights
Study abroad
Live with a host family, serve, take classes abroad, or learn about community development across the globe. Internships are built into our study abroad and other off-campus programs so you can gain real-world experience in your future professional field.
Prepare for the global marketplace
Students who speak multiple languages and have extended immersion experiences are desired in any field, and many of our language education students find jobs in their field upon or before graduation.
Diverse faculty
You’ll learn from professors who bring real experience to the classroom and are experts in their field. They are culturally competent instructors who integrate Christian principles and cultural experiences into their courses. Classes are typically small, allowing for individual attention and mentorship.
Unique partnerships
Bethel partners with the Centro de Estudios Hispánicos in Segovia, Spain, for study abroad opportunities along with local organizations like Urban Ventures, One Reason Dance Studio, and Open Door in Minneapolis.
Internships and service learning
Get involved in local multicultural communities and interact with native and heritage speakers of the languages you’re studying. You'll have transformative experiences that feed your love for people from other cultures and help you understand both the challenges faced by language learners and the strength of their communities.
Practical experience
The rich and diverse educational scene in the Twin Cities offers students valuable practicum and student teaching opportunities in bilingual and immersion schools and in community programs with immigrants. You can also get paid to serve as a teaching/research assistant and a language tutor at Bethel.
What can I do with a degree in languages and cultures?
Our students prepare for professional careers in a variety of industries and graduate programs in fields ranging from teaching to missions.
Careers
Our graduates are:
- Business people
- College professors
- Educational leaders at the local and state level
- Healthcare workers (doctors, nurses, therapists, physician assistants)
- Legal assistants
- Missionaries
- Nonprofit employees
- Social workers
- Speech therapists
- Speech writers
Graduate Fields
Our alumni study:
- Business
- Education
- Healthcare
- Leadership
- Theology
Graduate Schools
Our alumni have attended:
- Baylor
- Bethel University Graduate School or Seminary
- Hamline University
- Harvard University
- Middlebury College (Vermont and Madrid, Spain)
- Mitchell School of Law
- New York University (New York and Madrid, Spain)
- University of Minnesota (Duluth and Twin Cities)
- University of Wisconsin-Madison
- University of California-San Diego
- University of Texas-Austin
