About our Program

Americans are currently learning Arabic for many reasons, among them to bridge the cultural and linguistic gap between these two civilizations, to negotiate for peace, or, in some cases, to collect intelligence.

The Arabic Language Program at the University of Mississippi works hand-in-hand with the Center for Intelligence and Security Studies to produce the most marketable graduate possible to ensure occupational security in the civilian and military sectors.

Where are they now?

Participants in our program have continued their success in various academic, government, and military capacities such as:

• Johns Hopkins University (School of Advanced International Studies = SAIS)
• National Guard
• Navy Seals
• The University of Texas at Austin
• West Point Military Academy

The Need for Arabic Specialists

The attacks on September 11th turned many people’s attention to the Middle East in general and the Arabic language in particular. Since 2002, Arabic has experienced and continues to experience the fastest growing enrollments among all languages taught in the United States.

2006 Ranking and Language		1998	2002	% Change 98-02	2006	% Change 02-06
1.	Spanish	656,590	746,267	+13.7%	822,985	+10.3%
2.	French	199,064	201,979	+1.5%	206,426	+2.2%
3.	German	89,020	91,100	+2.3%	94,264	+3.5%
4.	American Sign Language	11,420	60,781	+432.2%	78,829	+29.7%
5.	Italian	49,287	63,899	+29.6%	78,368	+22.6%
6.	Japanese	43,141	52,238	+21.1%	66,605	+27.5%
7.	Chinese	28,456	34,153	+20%	51,582	+51%
8.	Latin	26,145	29,841	+14.1%	32,191	+7.9%
9.	Russian	23,791	23,921	+0.5%	24,845	+3.9%
10.	Arabic	5,505	10,584	+92.3%	23,974	+126.5%

Source: Modern Language Association