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Second Language Acquisition Institute

Foreign Language Requirement; A.B. and B.A.S. Degrees

(from the College of Letters and Science Requirements section of the 2006-2008 UC Davis General Catalog)

The Foreign Language requirement may be satisfied in any language offered at UC Davis, or for which transfer credit is allowed from another academic institution (including American Sign Language).

You may also satisfy this requirement by examination in a language not offered on the Davis campus. In this case, the Dean’s Office will assist you in making arrangements to take an examination on another University of California campus, with a faculty member who teaches the language in question.

Satisfaction of the Requirement. Plan to complete the Foreign Language Requirement by the end of your first or second year, as program priorities permit. This is particularly important if you plan to apply for the university’s Education Abroad Program. The Foreign Language requirement may be satisfied by examination or completion of language courses as follows:

  1. Foreign Language Placement Test. This test does not yield unit credit—it only determines whether the Foreign Language requirement has been met, or at which point in the language sequence you should enroll.

    You may validate your knowledge of a language learned in high school by taking this test. A test may not be taken, however, in a language for which you have already received degree credit. If you are a transfer student, consult your Graduation Requirement Degree Check, which is issued by the Dean’s Office within a quarter after enrollment.
  2. College Board SAT II: Subject Test. Earning a qualifying score of at least 550 on a College Board Foreign Language Subject Test satisfies the requirement. This test may be taken at any time during your high school career. Once your score is on file at Undergraduate Admissions and Outreach Services, notify the Letters and Science Dean’s Office so that satisfaction of the College requirement can be noted on your record.
  3. College Board Advanced Placement Examination. A score of 5, 4, or 3 on any foreign language College Board Advanced Placement Examination, with the exception of Latin, taken in high school will satisfy the Foreign Language requirement.
  4. International Baccalaureate Higher Level Examination. A score of 7, 6, or 5 on the French A1, A2 or B Examination, or the Latin A1 Examination taken in high school will satisfy the Foreign Language requirement.
  5. Course Completion in College; or the equivalent. A.B. and B.A.S. degrees—equivalent of 15-unit level of proficiency in one language at UC Davis (e.g., Spanish 3 or Japanese 3). B.S degree—none, but as is required in the major program.

    If you have successfully completed the second or third year of a language in the tenth or higher grade in high school you may receive unit credit for course 1 of that language when taken at UC Davis, but the grading mode will be P/NP only. Although a Passed or Not Passed grade will be charged to your P/NP option, no petition is required; see Passed/Not Passed (P/NP) Grading in the Academic Information chapter.
  6. Proficiency Examination. If you have not completed the required level language course, but assume you have attained equivalent knowledge, you may satisfy the language requirement by passing a proficiency examination. For more information, consult the appropriate foreign language department.