Foreign Language

Some options for satisfying the language requirement once you are at Mount Holyoke:

1. In the spring semester, enroll in an intensive elementary course, such as German, Italian, or Spanish. (Intensive courses are not offered in all languages.)  These are “double courses,” fitting a full year’s study into one semester and should be treated as half of the semester’s course load. If languages are not your academic strength, you should consider other options (below).
2. In the fall, begin a year-long elementary course sequence in a language that you have not studied before (or for which you have had very little preparation).
3. Enroll (either semester) in a designated intermediate (or above) course in a language that you have already studied. To do so, you will need to take a placement test and/or fill out a questionnaire to determine the appropriate course. Not all intermediate courses are available both semesters, so you may have to wait until the fall to pursue this option.
4. If you are interested in continuing a language that you began in high school, but you do not feel particularly well-prepared, you should still take the placement test for that language. In some (although not all) cases it may be possible to enroll in the second semester of the regular elementary sequence in the spring and then complete your requirement with a second course (at the intermediate level) in the fall.

Students wanting to satisfy the language requirement before entering Mount Holyoke should keep in mind that:

• Instructors at different institutions may use different books and move at a different pace; consequently, one course in a language at the elementary level studied elsewhere is quite often not adequate preparation for taking the second semester of the elementary language at Mount Holyoke. We therefore strongly suggest you consult the chair or language coordinator of the relevant Mount Holyoke department before starting a language elsewhere, especially if you want to apply that course towards the language requirement.
• If you have taken a two semester sequence of appropriate courses (or an equivalent intensive course) in a foreign language at an accredited college or university before matriculation, the Registrar may determine that you have satisfied the language requirement; however, such courses may not prepare you to continue the study of the language at Mount Holyoke. As a consequence this option could affect your options for study abroad.

In general, you should consult the chair or language coordinator of the relevant Mount Holyoke department before taking any language course at another institution. Our goal would be to determine as early as possible whether the course you plan to take is likely to be transferable and how it might "count" towards the language requirement, prepare you for study abroad, and/or prepare you for continued language study at any level at Mount Holyoke.