site.btaBulgarian Language to Be Taught at US University for First Time in Decades

Bulgarian language, history, folklore and traditions will be taught in the Bulgarian Studies programme at the University of Illinois, one of the most prestigious in the United States, the Bulgarian Education Ministry said Thursday. This will be the first time Bulgarian language is taught at university level in the US in decades, as until now it was taught only in Sunday schools.

For two years, the Consulate General of Bulgaria in Chicago has been actively working for the restoration of Bulgarian language teaching at university level in the USA. The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, where the Bulgarian language was once taught, was chosen as a partner for the initiative. In addition, Illinois and Chicago are home to the largest Bulgarian community in the United States. Thus, after establishing contact with the University and with the assistance of the Consulate General of Bulgaria in Chicago, Memoranda of Understanding were signed with Sofia University and the University of Veliko Tarnovo.

It has been agreed that the programme will start in the 2025/2026 academic year, and the Bulgarian Education Ministry will announce a procedure for the selection of a guest lecturer who will work in cooperation with the Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures and the Russian, East European, and Eurasian Center at the University's College of Humanities and Social Sciences.