Second Language Proficiency

Arabic, Chinese, German, Greek, Japanese, Russian, and Latin are offered as 1 unit courses that meet 3-4 times a week. You will begin with the 101 course in any of these languages, and normally you will proceed through the 102, 201-202 levels to finish your language requirement (in four semesters).

French, Italian, and Spanish are intensive courses (7 hours of class time per week) that are worth 2 units. You will begin with the 121 (Intensive Elementary) course in any of these languages, and normally you will proceed to the 221 course (Intensive Intermediate) in the following semester. In this way, you will complete your language requirement in just two semesters.

Students interested in taking the 121 course in French and LALIS (Spanish) need advance approval to register. Have questions? Please contact the appropriate person as listed below:

Appropriate course placement is based on experience with a language. Computerized placement tests (available for some of the languages listed below) can provide additional guidance and results might move students up a level or qualify a student for exemption from the second language requirement. Students who have studied Spanish and plan to continue in that language must take the placement test before they register for a class. Students with 4 or more years of high school French or German language experience are strongly encouraged to take the placement test.

For specific information on your language of interest, please click on the relevant link below:

Arabic
Chinese
French
German
Greek
Italian
Japanese
Latin
Portuguese
Russian
Spanish/LAIS

The following scores fulfill the second language requirement:

• 630 or higher on the SAT II Subject Test - Language
• 3-5 on the Spanish Advanced Placement Test
• 4-5 on the French, German, Italian, Japanese, Chinese, or Latin Advanced Placement Test
• 5-7 on the IB Higher Level Subject Exam in a Modern or Classical Language

If you have fulfilled the second language requirement, you may register for a 300-level course in that language if you wish to continue your study. See the Credit By Exam Policy to determine units earned if you took the AP or IB tests.

If you are fluent in a language other than English, and you are an International student, you have already fulfilled the second langugage requirement; no additional language coursework is necessary. To confirm your exemption, you must submit a TOEFL score to the university. Your exemption will be indicated on your academic record once your TOEFL score is received.

If you are fluent in a language other than English, but you are not submitting a TOEFL Test score, contact the appropriate department for information on qualifying for a second language exemption: