Romance Studies at Jena is special in the sense that the institute is one of only a few in Germany offering the entire spectrum of major Romance languages (Portuguese, Spanish, French, Italian, and Romanian). The language courses offered at the Institute (French, Italian, Portuguese, Romanian, Spanish) are generally taught by native speakers. The courses offered are regularly supplemented by international guest lecturers. The Institute offers interdisciplinary master profiles.

The Jena Romance Studies department maintains contact with approximately 40 partner universities in seven countries; These include Latin American universities and the École Normale Supérieure Paris. Jena is the only university in Germany where the internationally recognised language diploma CELPE-Bras of the Brazilian Ministry of Education can be pursued. For Italian, the CELI awarded by the Università per stranieri di Perugia can be acquired in cooperation with the Language Centre. The courses offered are regularly supplemented by international guest lecturers.

The University of Jena has a multimedia centre that can be used in courses and, if necessary, in course preparation as well.

Interdisciplinary and transnational "Thematic network" on transnational transformation using the example of Patagonia; Social inequality, cross-cultural exchange and aesthetic forms of expression (supported by the German Academic Exchange Service); Leopoldo Marechal and literary modernism in Argentina (supported by the German Research Foundation); "Model Romanticism" graduate school (supported by the German Research Foundation); The "Laboratory of Enlightenment" research centre (FZLA) at the Friedrich-Schiller-Universität