Winter 2013 – University of Michigan (UM) students now have the opportunity to minor in Portuguese in RLL.  UM is one of only three universities in the state of Michigan that offer Portuguese and one of only two that offer the Portuguese minor. This gives UM students a unique advantage over students at universities without such a program.

The seventh most widely spoken language in the world, fluency in Portuguese opens multiple professional opportunities in a variety of industries, including business, biotechnologies, development, education, energy, environment, tourism, international relations, medicine, and NGOs.

The Mercosur, which promotes free trade and movement of goods, capital, services, and people among member states, has increased the demand for Portuguese speakers in countries throughout South America, including Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Paraguay, and Uruguay. Moreover, with the intensified world focus on Brazil’s emerging economy and the approaching 2014 FIFA World Cup and 2016 Summer Olympics set in Rio De Janeiro, the demand for Portuguese-speaking professionals will continue to grow in the future.

Equally important, the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) stated that Portuguese has the potential to become an international language in southern Africa. In addition to Portugal and Brazil, Portuguese is the official language of Angola, Mozambique, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, São Tomé and Príncipe, and East Timor. This makes a minor in Portuguese an attractive skill in setting a professional apart in an internationally competitive marketplace. 

Complete information about minoring in Portuguese is found on the RLL website: http://www.lsa.umich.edu/rll/undergraduate/concentrationsandminors/portuguese.

Interested students are also encouraged to set up an advising appointment: http://www.lsa.umich.edu/rll/undergraduate/concentrationsandminors/advising.

In addition to the minor in Portuguese, RLL offers majors in French, Italian, Romance Languages and Literatures, and Spanish, and minors in French, Italian, and Spanish.