The Department of Portuguese, created in 2000, provides a solid foundation in the Portuguese language and a comprehensive curriculum of undergraduate and graduate courses on the literatures and cultures of the Portuguese-speaking world. Besides offering the BA degree in Portuguese, the MA in Portuguese Studies and the Ph.D. in Luso-Afro-Brazilian Studies and Theory through regular academic year programs ( Graduate Studies in Portuguese at UMass Dartmouth), the Department is also associated with the annual Summer Program in Portuguese. Organized by the Center for Portuguese Studies & Culture, the Summer Program features intensive courses in language and Lusophone literatures and cultures.

Portuguese is the official language of approximately 200 million people in eight countries on four continents. After English and Spanish, it is the third most widely spoken European language, and the sixth most spoken language in the world. Situated in the heart of the region that boasts the largest concentration of Brazilian, Cape Verdean and Portuguese immigrants in the United States, the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth provides a unique environment to learn Portuguese in a richly varied immersion setting.

For information on Portuguese graduate and undergraduate courses, see the Academic Catalog.