THE FACULTY OF LANGUAGES AND LINGUISTICS

IV. ACADEMIC ADVISING

The faculty advising system was developed to assist students in planning their academic programs. Students select their advisor within their major department during the early registration process in the summer prior to their arrival at Georgetown. In addition, the Deans and Academic Counselors assist students with their academic program.

Students should discuss coursework selection with their faculty advisor each semester and seek advice regularly. An advisor who becomes well acquainted with a student can counsel perceptively and structure coursework to prepare for a desired career and/or postgraduate study.

A student may change the faculty advisor at any time by obtaining consent of a faculty member in the major department to serve in this capacity and informing the Dean’s office, or by requesting to be reassigned to another available faculty advisor.

(See the section on this topic in the Bulletin.)

Language and linguistics majors pursue many and varied careers in areas such as business, investment banking, law, international affairs, communications, the arts, education, and medicine. The Business Coursework concentration, Business minor, and language-specific business courses are organized to prepare students for the corporate world.

In order to complement academic work with practical experience, the FLL maintains a network of internship sponsors. Many organizations in Washington participate in internship programs, allowing students to learn about certain fields before seeking employment. Previous internship sites include the Embassies of France, Argentina, Canada, Germany, and Italy, the Organization of American States, CNN, the National Gallery of Art, and the Smithsonian Institution. In some instances, internships have led to full-time permanent positions.

An increasing number of students accept positions in various areas of private industry every year. Graduates are now working in personnel, marketing, electronic commerce, and management of companies which deal extensively with overseas markets. Banking and investment concerns have also attracted some graduates, as has the publishing world and the fashion/cosmetics industry. Students interested in these fields are encouraged to minor in business.

Various branches of the federal government need linguists, both at home and abroad. Some positions involve translation and/or data analysis for the protection of our national security. Others may require some knowledge of politics or economics along with language ability. In addition, government agencies, private industry, and many universities are pursuing linguistic research in areas such as psycholinguistics, sociolinguistics, communications engineering, speech pathology, and child language acquisition.

Students are encouraged to pursue post graduation studies in the areas of world literature and linguistics. A number of graduates have also achieved rewarding careers in the art world. The FLL works closely with its alumni and has established a successful network of alumni who have formed an Alumni Council and assist students with their postgraduation plans.

Undergraduate Bulletin 2009-2010 Table of Contents
Copyright 2009, Georgetown University.