Arts and Sciences Division

World Languages

Aims Community College students in a classroom with computers

Welcome to the Aims World Languages Department

The World Languages Department at Aims offers the opportunity to build communication skills and cultural knowledge important in today’s world. Learning another language can open doors and enrich experiences for you both professionally and personally.

World language courses at Aims give you the opportunity to practice reading, writing, speaking and listening skills needed in real world scenarios such as work, travel, well-being and daily life. Along with these skills, you can learn about the history, traditions and social customs of the language studied.

Aims offers courses in the following languages:

American Sign Language (ASL)
French (FRE)
German (GER)
Japanese (JPN)
Spanish (SPA)

Currently, the Aims World Language Department offers associate degrees in French and Spanish.

Need to take a Spanish placement test?

If you’re a current Aims student with some Spanish experience but don’t know which class to take next, you can take a Spanish placement test to determine your next step. Take the Spanish placement test if you:

Know some Spanish from work or home
Took Spanish classes in high school before coming to Aims
Took Spanish classes in college a while ago (and might be a little rusty)

You can take this online test whenever and wherever you’d like; it takes about 15 minutes. Once you’re done, we’ll let you know which class is the best fit for you.

Click here to get started.

Need to test for another language? Email rebecca.sailor@aims.edu.

American Sign Language (ASL)

ASL classes will help you become a more effective and empathetic communicator. Many students take ASL as an elective out of curiosity, a desire to raise their awareness of the needs within the Deaf community, or to support a career path where having inclusive communication skills are an asset, including healthcare, education or social work. Whatever the reason, ASL classes at Aims are interactive, fun and engaging.

ASL applies across any degree or discipline. If you're interested in language, you can go on to earn a bachelor's degree in interpretation or linguistics.

Degrees and careers related to ASL

ASL is a visual language used by many members of the Deaf community in the U.S. and Canada. ASL is expressed using physical movements of the hands and face.

In ASL courses at Aims, you will learn about:

Culture and history of ASL
ASL grammar
ASL language skills
Linguistics
Grammatical structure

You'll also gain knowledge about the Deaf community in Northern Colorado. ASL is an expressive visual language that's fun to learn. Classes feature a lot of interaction with other students. Aims offers ASL classes both in person and online so you can learn according to your preferences.

Explore ASL classes at Aims

French and Spanish Classes and Degrees

Aims offers world language classes and associate degrees in both French and Spanish. You can take these language classes to fulfill foreign language or elective requirements for any associate degree at Aims.

Learn More About French and Spanish Classes at Aims

Earn a French or Spanish Associate Degree at Aims

Thanks to a statewide agreement between Colorado community colleges and universities, you can earn a French or Spanish associate degree at Aims and go on to transfer to any participating four-year public university in Colorado as a junior to earn your bachelor’s degree. Taking your general education degree requirements at Aims instead of a four-year institution can save substantial costs.

Students engaged in discussion during a lecture

Earn a French Associate Degree at Aims

Learn more about the French liberal arts transfer degree

Earn a Spanish associate degree at Aims

Learn more about the Spanish liberal arts transfer degree

Aims World Languages Faculty

The World Languages faculty at Aims come from diverse backgrounds and language expertise. They have all gone through the process of learning a non-native language and understand the challenges that students like you face. Faculty use this knowledge and experience to guide you to be a successful language learner.