Why Italian at Iowa?

Pair Italian with any major to boost your global career potential in business, law, media, and more.

Explore undergraduate programs in Italian

Enrich your academic journey

Discover Italy’s global influence through Iowa’s Italian program—where language meets literature, fashion, and film. You'll learn from expert faculty and explore Italy’s culture, language, and history both in the classroom and abroad.

Research and scholarship

Explore articles and books published by Italian faculty at the University of Iowa.

Honors

Earn honors in your major while studying Italian at the University of Iowa.

Study abroad

Practice your language skills, expose yourself to world cultures, and expand your worldview.

Internships

Apply what you learn in the program, gain real world experience, and pursue your future career path.

Connect with an ambassador

Embrace your potential as a student

Become a student ambassador

Share your passion and lead others to success

Why study Italian at Iowa?

Experience the language of culture, innovation, and global opportunity.

Italian is more than a language—it’s a gateway to art, history, design, and technology. As the birthplace of the Roman Empire and the Renaissance, Italy holds more UNESCO World Heritage sites than any other country. From classical music and cinema to fashion, cuisine, and advanced industries like robotics and space engineering, Italian culture has a global impact that continues to shape the world today.

At the University of Iowa, the Italian BA and minor offer a rich, interdisciplinary learning experience led by expert and passionate faculty. Students develop both language fluency and cultural literacy through engaging courses in literature, film, fashion, food, Italian American studies, and more. Small classes, vibrant extracurriculars, and study abroad programs in Italy provide immersive opportunities for academic growth, cultural exploration, and personal connection.

Whether you’re passionate about Italian culture or looking to complement another field of study, an Italian degree from Iowa equips you with the global perspective and communication skills that employers value. Graduates pursue careers in business, law, diplomacy, journalism, translation, hospitality, and the arts—anywhere language and culture meet opportunity.

Italian cultural activities and events

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"Learning Italian is a beautiful experience. Through all the Italian courses I've taken, I've discovered that the language is both beautiful and useful. There is culture in the language that is great fun to learn."

- William

Italian language and culture resources

Study in Italy

We encourage you to study abroad to develop your linguistic and intercultural competencies. The university has several opportunities to select from.

Discover Italy

Discover Italy online! Travel to the northern, southern, or the islands part of Italy. Look at amazing images of beautiful scenery and more.

Try a virtual game to practice your Italian

Italy has so many gastronomic masterpieces that there are always discoveries to be made. In each region, each individual area and even each city. Want to try all the pasta and other recipes? Use this resource.

Learn songs in Italian

A new list of over 100 exercises and didactic activities concerning learning Italian to students through songs. Try them out, listen, and add your favorites to your playlist!

Love podcasts? Try this one.

Learn real Italian online with News in Slow Italian! In our course we emphasize all aspects of language learning from listening comprehension, rapid vocabulary expansion, exposure to Italian grammar, and more!

Text in Italian

Texting and chatting in Italian means learning new grammar rules, a new vocabulary, and a peculiar system of signs—all of which are necessary to convey the rhythms of conversation to this new hybrid language. Try it out with your friends!

Write your story

Build knowledge. Conduct research. Create new work. Stand out among your peers. You're going places, and it all starts here.

Italian faculty

Portrait of Irene Lottini, Director of Italian Studies

Irene Lottini, PhD

Title/Position
Associate Professor of Instruction, Italian
Portrait of Claudia Sartini-Rideout

Claudia Sartini-Rideout, PhD

Title/Position
Assistant Professor of Instruction, Italian
Portrait of Diana Thow

Diana Thow, PhD, MFA

Title/Position
Assistant Professor, Italian
Assistant Professor, Translation