CMLL Highlighted InitiativeCritical Languages

What is a Critical Language?

 A critical language is a language the US Government considers vital to national security and prosperity.

Texas Tech offers five critical languages at the undergraduate level: Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, and Russian. If you are interested in a career with the government, including organizations such as the FBI, CIA, Department of State, or if you want your resume to stand out, having studied a critical language will make a difference. There are also competitive scholarships available through the US government to study a critical language abroad.

Sample list of US State organizations for which knowledge of a critical language is useful. (However, critical languages are important to all fields, not just governmental.)

• Department of Defense
• Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)
• Department of State
• Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
• National Security Agency (NSA)
• Defense Intelligence Agency
• National Virtual Translation Center
• Peace Corps

Contact

Arabic, Japanese:
Stephanie Santos
stephanie.santos@ttu.edu

Mandarin Chinese, Russian:
Carla Burrus
carla.burrus@ttu.edu

Faculty Advisor: 
Dr. Erin Collopy
erin.collopy@ttu.edu