Foreign Language Requirements

M.A. Students

Students must demonstrate evidence of a competent knowledge of a natural language other than modern English, to be selected by the student, subject to the approval of the chair of the thesis committee. This requirement may be met by:

• Earning a “B” (3.00) or higher in a 400- or 500-level course in an appropriate (approved) language. (This includes GER 494 German for Reading Knowledge.)
• Demonstrating comparable proficiency by taking a language examination, administered by the School of International Letters and Cultures, in a language approved by the student’s supervisory committee.
• Demonstrating native speaker proficiency, as determined by the School of International Letters and Cultures, in a language approved by the student’s supervisory committee.
• Earning a “B” (3.00) or higher in both ENG 530 Old English and ENG 531 Old English Literature or their equivalent.
• Holding a bachelor’s degree in an approved foreign language.

Ph.D. Students

Students must demonstrate evidence of a competent knowledge of a natural language other than modern English, to be selected by the student, subject to the approval of the chair of the dissertation committee. The language requirement must be completed before the student is eligible to take the Ph.D. examinations. This requirement may be met by:

• Earning a “B” (3.00) or higher in a 400- or 500-level course in an appropriate (approved) language.(This includes GER 494 German for Reading Knowledge.)
• Demonstrating comparable proficiency by taking a language examination, administered by the School of International Letters and Cultures, in a language approved by the student’s supervisory committee.
• Demonstrating native-speaker proficiency, as determined by the School of International Letters and Cultures, in a language approved by the student’s supervisory committee.
• Earning a “B” (3.00) or higher in both ENG 530 Old English and ENG 531 Old English Literature or their equivalent.
• Holding a bachelor’s degree in an approved foreign language.
• Having fulfilled a foreign language requirement towards a previously awarded master’s degree that has been completed within five years of the semester for which the student has been admitted to the Ph.D. program. This foreign language must be in a language approved by the student’s doctoral supervisory committee.

MTESOL Students

Students must demonstrate evidence of a competent knowledge of a natural language other than modern English, to be selected by the student, subject to approval of the chair of the supervisory committee. (This does not apply to students whose native language is not English.) The requirement can be met by:

• Earning a “B” (3.00) or better in a 400 or 500-level course in an appropriate language. (This includes GER 494 German for Reading Knowledge.)
• Demonstrating comparable proficiency by taking a language examination approved by the student's supervisory committee; Language competency is administered by the School of International Letters and Cultures.
• Demonstrating native-speaker proficiency in a language approved by the student's supervisory committee. Language competency is administered by the School of International Letters and Cultures.
• Holding a bachelor’s degree (or equivalent) from a regionally-accredited college or university of recognized standing in an approved foreign language.

Language Examination Procedure

Language competency is certified by the School of International Letters and Cultures upon satisfactory performance on a foreign language examination. The student, in consultation with the advisor or committee chair, will select for translation a book of at least 200 pages (other than fiction or poetry), complete the Application for Graduate Foreign Language Examination at least one month prior to the examination, and deliver the form plus the approved book to the testing supervisor, who will make a copy of the passages you will be translating on the day of the examination and will return the book to you for study. For further information about the examination and test dates, visit the School of International Letters and Cultures.

Things to Remember

Students should fulfill their language requirement early in the program so it does not delay graduation. Those students wishing to graduate in May should take the exam offered in the fall or before. Those who want to graduate in December should take the exam in the spring or before. In other words, students who take the exam in the fall will not be able to graduate that December. Students who take the exam in the spring will not be able to graduate that May.

Students must be enrolled in at least one graduate-level English credit during the semester or summer session in which they take the examination.

Students must have an approved iPOS on file before registering to take the foreign language examination. Language examination results must be posted before the student can schedule a defense.

It can take six to eight weeks for exam results to be reported.

Petitions to Retake the Exam

Students who fail the exam may petition the Graduate College to retake the exam. The petition should include why the student failed, what the student will do to prepare for the next exam (i.e., new book, dictionary, tutoring, etc.), and why the exam is needed. Note: Only two petitions to retake the exam are allowed. Normally, the student should allow three months to study for the next exam.