Earning a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in the Italian language can provide good preparation for a career as a language teacher, professor, or translator. You may even find a need for your skills in a political position for which meetings with native Italian speakers are required. The first step you'll likely have to take in pursuit of an Italian PhD is earning a high school diploma, though you may also gain admittance to college after earning an equivalent credential instead. Next, you'll usually have to go to college and earn a bachelor's degree before furthering your education with a master's degree. Once you've earned your master's degree, or when you're close to earning it, you may then go on to apply for admittance to an Italian PhD program.
You'll usually first need to earn a high school diploma, though many colleges will accept individuals with equivalency diplomas as well. You may do well to begin your studies of the Italian language with high school, if not even earlier. Additionally, you may be better prepared for a PhD program, and eventually your career, if you take and do well in composition courses in your native language. Having a firm grasp of sentence structure and grammar rules for your own language can be vital when it comes to translating, and possibly even teaching, Italian later.
Once you've graduated from high school, you'll typically need to enroll in college and earn a bachelor's degree, which usually requires about four years of study. You may choose Italian as your major to further prepare for this degree program, though many master's degree programs also accept students from other majors, especially if they've completed a significant number of credits in Italian. Additionally, there are some Italian PhD programs that do not require applicants to hold master's degrees and accept four-year degrees instead. Regardless of the degree requirements at the school you choose, you will typically need an excellent command of the language, so working toward an advanced degree may serve you well.
The requirements you'll have to meet to enter an Italian PhD program depend on the school in question, but you'll likely have to submit college transcripts from each institution you've attended. You may also have to submit letters of recommendation, admission assessment test scores, and a written statement of your goals. An Italian PhD program may also require you to submit a writing sample in Italian.
Once you are admitted to an Italian PhD program, you may be able to complete your studies in about three to five years, depending on the program. Your PhD may include required and elective coursework, writing tutorials, and exams. You will typically have to write and defend a PhD dissertation as well.
