Goucher College and Middlebury Language Schools announce new 4+1 programs

Goucher College and the Middlebury Language Schools have announced a partnership to offer four new 4+1 master’s degree programs, further strengthening both institutions' commitment to global education. These new undergraduate and graduate dual degrees include a master of arts in French, a master of arts in applied languages in French, a master of arts in Spanish, and a master of arts in applied languages in Spanish through the Middlebury Language Schools. All four programs will launch in fall 2022 and are open to Goucher undergraduate French Transnational Studies and Spanish majors. 

“As one of the first colleges in the country to require study abroad, Goucher College has made global education a distinguished pillar of its students' academic experience,” said Elaine Meyer-Lee, Goucher College provost and senior vice president of academic affairs. “With these new 4+1 Middlebury programs, our students will be able to build upon their transformational undergraduate experience at Goucher and expand their studies through immersive graduate experiences in France and Spain.”

Middlebury is a leader in global education with 13 Language Schools, the Middlebury C.V. Starr Schools Abroad­—with 37 sites in 16 countries—and the Middlebury Institute of International Studies in Monterey, California. "Middlebury and Goucher share a global orientation, so this partnership is a natural one," said Middlebury Provost Jeff Cason. “It is also the kind of collaboration that needs to happen in higher education as we confront a rapidly changing landscape, and we are happy to be a part of it." 

“This is an outstanding opportunity for our Goucher students interested in language and cultural studies,” said Jeanie Murphy, associate professor and director of the Center for Hispanic and Latinx Studies. “We look forward to an enriching partnership with our Middlebury colleagues.”

While studying abroad, students enrolled in the master of arts in applied languages in French and the master of arts in applied languages in Spanish will experience hands-on internships combined with academic coursework in traditional subjects, interdisciplinary areas, and pre-professional disciplines. In addition, students studying French may select one of five specializations, including language teaching, migration studies, development studies, cultural heritage studies, and tourism studies. Spanish students may choose from language teaching, social and community action, and cultural heritage and tourism studies.

The master of arts in French offers specializations in literature; civilization, culture, and society; or pedagogy and linguistics. Students pursuing the master of arts in Spanish may select from literature, teaching methodology, or linguistics specializations. Both offer a generalist specialization.

Students in the master of arts can complete the degree in 15 months or 12 months, while students in the master of arts in applied languages must complete the degree in 12 months. The 15-month option includes two summers at the Middlebury campus in Vermont and an academic year abroad in France or Spain. The accelerated 12-month program requires one summer at Middlebury and an academic year abroad. Local universities in Paris include the University Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne, University Paris 3 Sorbonne-Nouvelle, Sorbonne-Université, and the University de Paris-Paris Diderot, while, in Madrid, local universities include the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid and the Universidad Carlos III de Madrid.

The Middlebury dual degree programs are open to students from Goucher’s French Transnational Studies and Spanish majors and require graduate proficiency in languages. Students will apply in the first semester of their senior year, and Middlebury offers merit and need-based fellowships and scholarships.

In addition to the language programs at Middlebury, Goucher offers several other dual degree programs, including 4+1 bachelor and master's degree programs at Goucher in education. Goucher also partners with Johns Hopkins University for dual degrees in business, finance, marketing, information systems, health care management, and business analytics and risk management, and with Loyola University Maryland for an MBA program.