Persian Flagship
As the only Persian Flagship Program in the United States, the University of Maryland's Undergraduate Persian Flagship offers a state of the art language curriculum that aims to educate global professionals with superior command of Persian and a deep understanding of the life and cultures of the Persian-speaking countries of Iran, Afghanistan and Tajikistan.
Welcome to The Persian Flagship Program at The University of Maryland
Our program provides students with the opportunity to attain a professional level of proficiency (ILR 3 and above) while studying their major(s) of choice at UMD. At this level, students are able to use the language in most formal and informal conversations in practical, social, and professional settings. Highly sought-after language skills, cultural competence, and achievements in their own academic fields prepare our graduates for employment here in the U.S. and abroad.
Our program’s proximity to the national capital and its access to a sizable and vibrant Iranian-American community in the greater DC area provides students with internship opportunities to develop professional skills and allows for a rich calendar of cultural events.
In an exciting new development, the Persian Flagship Program is offering a Master of Professional Studies in Persian, open to students from any institution. Learn more about the M.P.S. in Persian.
Why Study Persian?
From a rich literary and artistic history to the growing need for global professionals with Persian proficiency, there are many reasons to study Persian at the University of Maryland.
- Connect with the rich cultural heritage of the Persian world, including literature, poetry, art, theater, dance and more
- Add an international dimension to your degree, setting yourself up for a global career
- Leverage language and cultural skills for competitive careers and public service
- Open doors to the Washington D.C job market, benefiting from a high demand for Persian proficiency in intelligence, federal service, non-profit organizations, contractors, think tanks and beyond
- Communicate with over 120 million Persian speakers worldwide, predominantly in Iran, Afghanistan and Tajikistan
Persian Flagship Program
Alumni Career Paths
About The Language Flagship
The Language Flagship is a national effort to change the way Americans learn languages. Flagship offers language programs at schools across the United States for undergraduate students in critical languages such as Arabic, Chinese, Korean, Persian, Portuguese and Russian. Designed as a network of programs, The Language Flagship seeks to graduate students who will take their place among the next generation of global professionals, commanding a professional level of proficiency in a language critical to U.S. national security and economic competitiveness.
The Language Flagship is a partnership between government and higher education,
sponsored by the Defense Language and National Security Education Office (DLNSEO) of the
Department of War and administered by the Institute of International Education (IIE). The
contents of this website do not necessarily reflect the position or policy of the Government
or IIE and no official Government or IIE endorsement should be inferred.
UMD Fellows
Persian Flagship Students are encouraged to pair their language and culture skills with the UMD Fellows programs, which allow them to put their knowledge into practice through a yearlong fellowship program that combines expert-led seminar courses in the fall with highly competitive internship placements in the spring.
The UMD Fellows programs combine with Flagship to give you comprehensive training and career preparation.
More information about Maryland Fellows
Persian Flagship News View All News
PFP Events View All Events
Contact Us
Anita Tharmarajah
School of Languages, Literatures, and Cultures
Persian Flagship Program Coordinator, Persian
3116 H.J. Patterson Hall
College Park
MD,
20742
We are always interested in meeting prospective students and their parents and are happy to schedule a zoom call or an in-person visit to our program. You can also find us at the many outreach events held on the University of Maryland's campus including Maryland Day, First Look Fair, Language Career Fair and more.
Email us: persian@umd.edu
Call us: 301-405-2181
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