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Pre-Fall 2018 Foreign Language Requirements

Students in Arts and Letters are required to reach intermediate proficiency in a foreign language. Normally 3 courses must be taken to fulfill this proficiency, but “intermediate proficiency” is defined differently in each of the languages, depending on the complexity of the language itself and the intensity of the course. Check with the specific language department or the assistant deans in 104 O’Shaughnessy Hall to determine which courses fulfill the requirements.

It is impossible for a student to completely test out of the language requirement for the College of Arts and Letters. Every student in the College must take at least one course at the appropriate level that deals with texts in the original language. For the specific details of a given language offering or program, check with the relevant department.

Students whose primary language is not English, or who have been educated in a language other than English, may request an exemption from the foreign language requirement. Students with disabilities that preclude the oral performance of a modern foreign language will be expected to take 3 semesters of a classical language.
 
Students without Advanced Placement or SAT II credit but who come with some background in the language they elect to study will be placed according to examinations given during Welcome Weekend and prior to spring preregistration. These departmental placement exams are not credit bearing. Students may receive up to 8 hours of credit based on their scores on the AP and SAT II tests. If more than 8 hours of credit appear on a transcript, the credits beyond eight will not be counted and will be manually subtracted from the total number of degree credits calculated for graduation.