DLI Awards First Baccalaureate Degrees After Legislation Passed by Rep. Panetta

SALINAS, CA – Today, the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center (DLIFLC) awarded its first ever baccalaureate degrees in foreign language to two of its students. The bestowing of this type of higher educational degree was made possible due to the Defense Language Improvement (DLI) Act that was authored by Rep. Jimmy Panetta and included in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for 2022. That legislation officially authorized DLIFLC to confer a Bachelor of Arts degree in foreign language to any graduate who fulfills the degree requirements. In writing this legislation and advocating for it to become law, Rep. Panetta worked with his colleagues on the House Armed Services Committee to highlight the DLIFLC and its training of 2,500 military linguists each year in 17 different languages to improve our national security.

"As our nation's premier foreign language institution for our young men and women in uniform, DLI now has the option to reward full academic accreditation for their intense language training that its students complete," said Rep. Jimmy Panetta. "I'm proud of the bipartisan work that we did on the Armed Services Committee to ensure that bachelor's degrees now can be awarded to the students at DLI. As they learn languages to further the security of our nation, the students at DLI now can also receive a college degree and secure opportunities for their own professional future."

For the past 18 years, DLIFLC has been able to award Associate degrees in foreign language but not a Bachelor of Arts. In March 2021, Rep. Jimmy Panetta announced the introduction of the Defense Language Improvement (DLI) Act. This bill was included in the 2022 NDAA, which was signed into law by the President in December 2021. To receive a baccalaureate degree, students must satisfy their foreign language major coursework through the DLIFLC Basic Course and either the Intermediate or Advanced Courses offered in-residence in Monterey or at an accredited satellite campus. Service members must fulfill general education and elective requirements through outside coursework, earning a total of 120 credits for the degree.

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