Foreign Language Requirement

Students seeking a Bachelor of Arts degree in a CNS major must demonstrate proficiency in a foreign language at the intermediate level, by one of the following methods:

  • Completion of a foreign language course at the fourth semester level (Intermediate II or Intermediate Intensive courses numbered 240-249). Intermediate II courses may be graded on a Pass/Fail basis.
  • Degree credit equivalent to such a course earned through an appropriate score on a College Board Foreign Language Achievement Test (SAT II) or a College Board Advanced Placement Test.
  • Proficiency demonstrated in a test designed by a University of Massachusetts Amherst language department, or a test administered and validated by a local faculty member if the language is not one offered by a department at the university.
  • Satisfactory completion in high school or college of either a fourth-level foreign language course, or of a third-level course in one language and a second-level course in another language.
  • Successful completion of one year in a high school in which English is not the language of instruction.
  • Successful completion of a semester or year’s study abroad program that leads to foreign language proficiency at the fourth semester (Intermediate II) level as approved by the appropriate language department.

Students seeking a BA in a CNS major who have not yet satisfied the Foreign Language requirement should select a foreign language course each term in residence until the requirement has been satisfied. The university offers sequences that satisfy this requirement in the following languages: Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Italian, Japanese, Latin, Polish, Portuguese, and Spanish. Students who have not yet completed the Foreign Language requirement may not apply the Pass/Fail option to foreign language courses numbered below 240.

Students who are certified by the Disability Services Office as having a significant hearing impairment or documented learning disability that seriously limits the acquisition of foreign language skills may qualify for special accommodation. These students should meet with their academic dean in the CNS Advising Center.