The Portuguese Program at SAIS offers Novice to Advanced courses. Because the majority of students taking Portuguese at SAIS know Spanish, the first levels may be achieved in one semester. This allows students to pass the proficiency exam at the end of the third semester, depending on students’ previous knowledge of Spanish and their performance in the Portuguese language.

The program uses authentic materials taken from newspapers and magazines, plus videos and CDs, to help students acquire the four skills (listening, speaking, reading and writing) necessary to pass the proficiency exam. Topics covered include economics, politics, the environment and national security to prepare students for their professional fields.

Although the program emphasizes Brazil, African topics are also covered when requested.

To satisfy the language requirement in Portuguese, students are expected to achieve the following levels of proficiency: Intermediate High in listening, speaking and reading and Intermediate Mid in writing. Post-proficiency courses permit students to deepen their knowledge of the culture and raise their level of proficiency.