Language skills have been at the heart of the Monterey Institute’s educational philosophy since the beginning. There is an urgent need for people who are bilingual and multilingual and able to move easily between diverse cultures. Our graduates in the field tell us that the Institute’s emphasis on language learning and cultural understanding has prepared them unusually well to navigate this expanding global scene.

Supporting each of the master's programs are the languages in the graduate programs courses, taught by highly skilled language faculty, under the direction of the Graduate School of Language and Educational Linguistics.

The Monterey Institute has long been a leader in content-based language instruction. This is reflected in a variety of projects and offerings at the Institute. One of those long-standing features are the Monterey Model language courses for graduate students from the policy and business schools.

The GSLEL Dean refers to the Monterey Model as a "UN-style" arrangement. Throughout the semester individual language sections meet separately to discuss a central topic as it relates to their own geographic region. All sections meet together periodically for plenary sessions, where student presentations and subsequent debates involve students using their target languages. The Monterey Model experience serves also as the practicum for the interpreting students, who interpret the various language presentations of their classmates. Thus, they are not simply being taught about interpreting but are learning through doing it. 

Some recent Monterey Model courses topics covered Current Issues in Nonproliferation, European Union, and Contemporary Political and Economic Issues. 

For more information about languages in the graduate programs, click on one of the menu items to the left.