Students studying Italian at Villanova, in addition to satisfying the core language requirement at the intermediate level (1121 -1122), can also minor and major in the language. In the cordial environment of the Italian Division of the Modern Languages Department, students are encouraged and assisted in discovering different aspects of the Italian Language, Literature and Culture.

Majors and minors can earn some of their credits by studying in Italy either through the six-week summer program in Urbino/Florence or through semester-long program held at various academic centers located in Urbino, Perugia, Rome, Milan, and Florence. Students can earn six credits in the summer and up to fifteen credits in a semester-long program. Majors and minors, however, need to take at least 50% of their required courses at Villanova in order to earn a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Italian from Villanova University. No A & S core requirements need be fulfilled by majors coming from Colleges other than Arts and Sciences.

Major in Italian

Majoring in Italian at Villanova provides undergraduate students with a strong background in the language, literature and culture of Italy.

Besides completing all the graduation requirements of their respective colleges, students must also complete 10 courses of Italian beyond the 1131/1132 level. All courses taken in fulfillment of the requirements must be approved by the coordinator of the Italian program.

Minor in Italian

The minor consists of four courses in Italian Beginning with the advanced level (Italian 1131/1132). At least one of these courses must be level 300 or higher. The student’s program must be approved by the coordinator of the Italian program.

Contact the Coordinator of the program for more information about the minor degree program.

Honors Program

To qualify for the Italian Honors Program, students are required to maintain an overall grade-point average of 3.0 and an average of 3.4 or higher in Italian. Prospective candidates must apply with the program director. Candidates for the Honors Program must complete a set of readings and write a short thesis on one or more of those readings. An oral examination by a faculty honors committee finalizes the process.

Note: The Department also offers literature courses in English translation. Such courses may be used to fulfill a Humanities elective; however, they may not be used toward credit requirements for a foreign language major or minor. An upper level literature course in any language taught in the Department may satisfy the advanced literature core requirement. At the same time, it may also count for the minor in a language.