The ability to communicate in Italian is an important asset in global business, the travel industry, fashion and design, scientific communities, and international aid organizations. When you graduate, you want to be confident in your ability to speak and understand Italian. At URI, our department places a high value on helping you become proficient, so that you will be able to use your language skills in whatever professional field you choose.<br><br>Knowledge of the Italian language gives you access to many of the West's most celebrated cultural achievements and connects you to a vital contemporary society. Italian is a primary language for art history, fashion, design, music, cinema, philosophy, literature, and archaeology. Italy is on the forefront of technological innovation in the field of infrastructure design, naval and aerospace engineering, and pharmaceutical and biomedical research.