The Italian program at UW–Madison offers students opportunities for growth in the language and for increased cultural fluency through dynamic, in-class learning experiences and multiple extracurricular components such as the Italian Club, Circolo della bella lingua (a regular language meet-up geared toward allowing students of all levels to practice their Italian speaking in an informal setting) and Cineteca Italiana, which organizes weekly screenings of Italian films.
Students intending to major in Italian or complete the certificate enter the program at the appropriate level depending on their language proficiency. If you have previous experience in the Italian language, please contact the undergraduate advisor for more information about the informal Italian placement test.
Students have the option to take a class for Honors at almost all levels. For more information, please see the department website and/or consult the undergraduate advisor.
For courses in Italian literature in translation, see the Literature in Translation course listing.
How to Get in
| Requirements | Details |
|---|---|
| How to get in | No application required. All students who meet the requirements listed below are eligible to declare. For information on how to declare, visit Advising & Careers. |
| Courses required to get in | None |
| GPA requirements to get in | None |
| Credits required to get in | None |
| Other | None |
Students declared in the Italian certificate may not be declared in the Italian major at the same time. Italian certificate students who want to switch to the Italian major, must cancel their Italian certificate.
University Requirements
All undergraduate students must complete both the following Core General Education (Core GenEd) and University Degree and Quality of Work requirements. The requirements below apply to students whose first term at UW-Madison or whose earliest post-high school college attendance at any institution is Summer 2026 or later.
Students whose first term at UW-Madison or whose earliest post-high school college attendance at any institution occurred before Summer 2026 should refer to the archived Guide for the requirements that apply to them.
Core General Education (Core GenEd) Requirements
| Civics & Perspectives | 3 credits of Civics & Perspectives coursework. |
| Communication & Literacy | 6 credits of Communication & Literacy coursework. This requirement may be partially satisfied by a qualifying placement test score. For more information see this tiny url: https://go.wisc.edu/qualifyingenglishplacement |
| Humanities & Arts | 6 credits of Humanities & Arts coursework. |
| Mathematics & Quantitative Reasoning | 6 credits of Mathematics & Quantitative Reasoning coursework. This requirement may be partially satisfied by a qualifying placement test score. For more information see this tiny url: https://go.wisc.edu/qualifyingmathplacement |
| Natural Science & Wellness | Complete both:
|
| Social & Behavioral Science | 3 credits of Social & Behavioral Science coursework. |
| Total Credits | 30 credits. |
For more information see the policy.
University Degree and Quality of Work Requirements
All undergraduate degree recipients must complete the following minimum requirements. Requirements for some programs will exceed these requirements; see program requirements for additional information.
| Total Degree | 120 degree credits. |
| Residency | Complete 30 credits in residence. A course is considered “in residence” if it is taken when in undergraduate degree-seeking status and:
|
| Quality of Work | Achieve at least the minimum grade point average specified by the school, college, and/or academic program. |
| Math | Demonstrate minimal mathematics competence by: |
| English Language | If required to take the UW-Madison English as a Second Language Assessment Test (MSN-ESLAT), demonstrate minimal English language competence by:
|
| Language | Complete one:
|
| Major Declaration | Declare and complete the requirements for at least one major. |
College of Letters & Science Degree Requirements: Bachelor of Arts (BA)
Students pursuing a Bachelor of Arts degree in the College of Letters & Science must complete all of the requirements below. Some courses satisfy more than one L&S degree requirement (visit College of Letters & Science: Requirements for details).
This major can be paired with either the Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science degree requirements.
Bachelor of Arts Degree Requirements
| Communication | Complete both:
|
| Quantitative Reasoning | Complete both:
|
| Ethnic Studies | one 3+ credit course with the Ethnic Studies designation |
| Language | Complete either:
|
| L&S Breadth: Humanities | Complete 12 credits with the Humanities or Literature designation, which must include at least 6 credits with the Literature designation. |
| L&S Breadth: Social Sciences | Complete 12 credits with the Social Science designation. |
| L&S Breadth: Natural Sciences | Complete 12 credits with the Natural Science, Biological Science, or Physical Science designations, which must include both:
|
| Liberal Arts and Science (LAS) Coursework | at least 108 credits |
| Depth of Intermediate/Advanced work | at least 60 credits at the Intermediate or Advanced level |
| Major | Declare and complete at least one major. |
| Total Credits | at least 120 credits |
| UW-Madison Experience |
|
| Quality of Work |
|
Non–L&S students pursuing an L&S major
Non–L&S students who have permission from their School/College to pursue an additional major within L&S only need to fulfill the major requirements. They do not need to complete the L&S Degree Requirements above.
Requirements for the Major
Students pursuing an Italian major must complete 24 credits beyond ITALIAN 204 or ITALIAN 205. Only one Literature in Translation (LITTRANS) course can count towards the Italian major.1
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Required Courses (complete three) | 9 | |
| Modern Italian Culture | ||
| Advanced Italian Language | ||
| Writing Workshop | ||
| Studies in Italian Literature and Culture I | ||
| Studies in Italian Literature and Culture II | ||
| Elective Courses | 15 | |
| Race, Ethnicity, and the Italian Americans | ||
| Study Abroad: Italian Studies in the Humanities I | ||
| Modern Italian Culture | ||
| Study Abroad: Italian Studies in the Humanities II | ||
| Advanced Italian Language | ||
| Writing Workshop | ||
| Studies in Italian Literature and Culture I | ||
| Studies in Italian Literature and Culture II | ||
| Structures of Italian | ||
| Rome: Lust for Glory | ||
| Machiavelli and His World | ||
| Italian American Cinema and TV | ||
| Study Abroad Topics in Italian | ||
| Introduction to the Romance Languages | ||
| Poverty, Ecology and the Arts: St. Francis of Assisi | ||
| Special Topics in Italian Literature | ||
| Special Topics in Italian Studies: Culture, Film, Language | ||
| Italian Film | ||
| The 18th Century | ||
| The 18th Century | ||
| Italian Theatre | ||
| Features in Italian Literature | ||
| Features in Italian Literature | ||
| The Italian Novel | ||
| Dante's Divina Commedia | ||
| The 13th Century | ||
| Senior Honors Thesis | ||
| Senior Honors Thesis | ||
| Senior Thesis | ||
| Senior Thesis | ||
| Directed Study | ||
| Directed Study | ||
| Food Cultures in Italian Literature 1 | ||
or LITTRANS 213 | Love and Sex in Italian Comedy | |
or LITTRANS 248 | National Identity in the Global World: The Italian Case | |
| Of Demons and Angels. Dante's Divine Comedy | ||
or LITTRANS 254 | In Translation: Lit of Modern Italy-Existentialism, Fascism, Resistance | |
| Black Death and Medieval Life Through Boccaccio's Decameron | ||
or LITTRANS 260 | Italy and the Invention of America: from Columbus to World War II | |
or LITTRANS 410 | In Translation: Special Topics in Italian Literature | |
| Total Credits | 24 | |
Residency and Quality of work
- 15 credits in ITALIAN taken on campus at UW–Madison.
- 2.000 GPA on at least 15 credits of upper-level work in the major, in residence (ITALIAN 300 and higher are considered upper-level in the major).
- 2.000 GPA in all ITALIAN and major courses.
Honors in the Major
Students may declare Honors in the Major in consultation with the Italian undergraduate advisor.
Honors in the Major Requirements
To earn Honors in the Major, students must satisfy both the requirements for the major (above) and the following additional requirements:
- Earn a 3.300 University GPA
- Earn a 3.500 GPA for all ITALIAN courses and courses counting toward the major
- Complete at least 15 credits, taken for Honors, beyond ITALIAN 204 or ITALIAN 205, earning individual grades of B or better in each course. Of these 15 credits, 6 must come from completing a two-semester Senior Honors Thesis in ITALIAN 681 and ITALIAN 682.2
- 1
Only one Literature in Translation course can count towards the Italian major.
- 2
Students may be allowed to substitute two semesters of literature course work numbered above 600 for the Senior Honors Thesis. Please consult the undergraduate advisor.
Learning Outcomes
- Demonstrate that they understand and can analyze literary and non-literary texts in Italian representing a broad spectrum of topics, time periods, and geographical regions (interpretive communication).
- Express themselves effectively in spoken and written Italian to inform, persuade, and narrate for different audiences of listeners, viewers, or readers (presentational communication).
- Express themselves effectively in spoken and written Italian to share information, reactions, and opinions related to a broad spectrum of topics and texts (interpersonal communication).
- Recognize and explain cultural artifacts, practices, and perspectives of the Italian-speaking world including how these cultural elements relate to literary and non-literary texts in Italian (cultural knowledge).
- Demonstrate a good degree of understanding of lexical, grammatical, syntactic, and stylistic features of the Italian language (linguistic knowledge).
- Demonstrate awareness of difference and diversity by comparing and contrasting culturally situated beliefs, behaviors, and norms of the Italian-speaking world with those found in their own culture (cross-cultural awareness).
- Engage in a sustained fashion with the Italian language, its users, and cultural artifacts in and beyond the classroom, e.g., in their own community, virtual communities, and study abroad (engagement with the Italian language and culture).
Four-Year Plan
This Four-Year Plan is only one way a student may complete an L&S degree with this major. Many factors can affect student degree planning, including placement scores, credit for transferred courses, credits earned by examination, and individual scholarly interests. In addition, many students have commitments (e.g., athletics, honors, research, student organizations, study abroad, work and volunteer experiences) that necessitate they adjust their plans accordingly. Informed students engage in their own unique Wisconsin Experience by consulting their academic advisors, Guide, DARS, and Course Search & Enroll for assistance making and adjusting their plan.
| Freshman | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| ITALIAN 101 | 4 | ITALIAN 102 | 4 |
| Communication A | 3 | Ethnic Studies | 3 |
| Quantitative Reasoning A | 3 | Biological Science Breadth | 3 |
| Social Science Breadth | 4 | Social Science Breadth | 3 |
| Electives | 3 | ||
| 14 | 16 | ||
| Sophomore | |||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| ITALIAN 203 | 4 | ITALIAN 204 | 4 |
| Quantitative Reasoning B | 4 | Communication B | 4 |
| Social Science Breadth | 3 | Social Science Breadth | 3 |
| INTER-LS 210 | 1 | Physical Science Breadth | 3 |
| Electives | 4 | ||
| 16 | 14 | ||
| Junior | |||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| ITALIAN 230 | 3 | ITALIAN 312 | 3 |
| ITALIAN 311 | 3 | ITALIAN 321 | 3 |
| Science Breadth | 3 | Science Breadth | 3 |
| Electives | 6 | Electives | 6 |
| 15 | 15 | ||
| Senior | |||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| ITALIAN 322 | 3 | ITALIAN/COM ARTS 460 | 3 |
| ITALIAN 340 | 3 | ITALIAN 450 | 3 |
| Electives | 9 | Electives | 9 |
| 15 | 15 | ||
| Total Credits 120 | |||
Advising and Careers
Declare or Cancel This Major
Please follow the process described on the French & Italian webpage.
For information about academic advising including language proficiency, language placement, and retrocredits, please visit our website or schedule an appointment with the undergraduate advisor.
Study Abroad
Learning in Letters & Science emphasizes discovery, growth, understanding different perspectives, and challenging yourself, which makes studying abroad an excellent fit for many L&S students: studyabroad.wisc.edu
As a university with global influence, we have more than 300 study abroad programs in over 80 countries. These vary in length, academic focus, teaching format, language requirements, cost, and level of independence. There are many programs to complement every major and any year of college (including the final semester)—and all meet UW–Madison’s high academic standards. Students admitted into Letters & Science can even choose a short program in the summer before they start college or their whole first year: studyabroad.wisc.edu/launch. Talk with your academic advisor about how studying abroad might fit with your academic plan.
SuccessWorks
SuccessWorks at the College of Letters & Science helps you turn the academic skills learned in your classes into a fulfilling life, guiding you every step of the way to securing jobs, internships, or admission to graduate school.
Through one-on-one career advising, events, and resources, you can explore career options, build valuable internship and research experience, and connect with supportive alumni and employers who open doors of opportunity.
- What you can do with your major (Major Skills & Outcomes Sheets)
- Make a career advising appointment
- Learn about internships and internship funding
- Try “Jobs, Internships, & How to Get Them,” an interactive guide in Canvas for enrolled UW–Madison students
Resources and Scholarships
Clubs and Other Activities
The Italian Club is a registered student organization run by students involved in the Italian program and open to any and all UW community members who have an interest in Italian culture. Club members are encouraged to organize and participate in cultural events on campus and in the community, including our annual Cena italiana in the spring. Members of the Italian Club and Italian Ambassadors also organize the Circolo della bella lingua, a regular language meet-up geared toward allowing students of all levels to practice their Italian speaking in an informal setting. Finally, the Cineteca Italiana organizes weekly screenings of Italian films. Undergraduates are also welcome at scholarly talks and department events on an array of subjects (see department website for event details).