Fulfilling the Language Requirement

Current students who entered MHC in the fall or spring of 2005, 2006, 2007, or the spring of 2008

STUDENTS ENTERING MHC IN FALL 2008 AND THEREAFTER: GUIDELINES FOR SATISFYING THE LANGUAGE REQUIREMENT

A degree-seeking student at Mount Holyoke is expected to study a language other than English while matriculated at the College. She can satisfy the language requirement in a number of ways. Preferably by the end of the sophomore year she should either:

1. complete a formal two-semester elementary course sequence in a foreign language new to her or for which she has little or inadequate preparation. (The self-instructional and mentored language courses offered through the Five College Center for World Languages cannot be used to meet the Mount Holyoke language requirement.)

2. complete a designated one-semester foreign language course or foreign literature course taught in the foreign language at the intermediate level or above.

Note: international students are not exempted automatically from the language requirement.  However, a student whose first language is not English can satisfy the language requirement if:

• she can document that she attended a secondary school for at least one year at which instruction was conducted in a language other than English. 
• she can document that she attended a secondary school outside of the U.S. where the language of instruction was English, but she elected a language or literature course taught in her native language.
• she has an O-level, A-level, or GSCE language result (for students from India, this would be a Grade X or Grade XII) or has an official record of a college-level course in her native language.

If a student meets at least one of the criteria listed immediately above and wishes to be exempted from the language requirement, she must contact Dean of International Students, Donna Van Handle (dvanhand@mtholyoke.edu), who will review the student’s records and inform the Registrar's Office if she determines that the language requirement has been fulfilled.

The policies as stated above are in effect only for students entering the College in or after September 2008.

Once a student matriculates at Mount Holyoke, if she takes a formal course at another institution in one of the languages taught at Mount Holyoke, and wants to apply credits from this course towards the language requirement or towards requirements for her major or minor, she must receive permission from the relevant department or program, even if the registrar allows the credits to be applied towards total credits for graduation. Departments and programs usually ask to see a syllabus, textbook, and coursework; they may also ask a student to take an examination that includes written, oral, and/or aural components. Languages currently taught at Mount Holyoke are Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Ancient Greek, Hebrew, Italian, Japanese, Latin, Russian, Sanskrit, and Spanish.

A student may receive credit toward the language requirement for courses in a language not taught at Mount Holyoke only if she has taken those courses in an accredited institution or study-abroad program.  In this case she must complete either a formal two-semester elementary course sequence in a foreign language new to her, or a one-semester course at the intermediate level or above. 

For transfer students, including Frances Perkins Scholars, the registrar will determine whether a course or courses on her transcript(s) from institution(s) at which she studied prior to matriculation at Mount Holyoke may be used to satisfy the Mount Holyoke language requirement. 

CURRENT STUDENTS WHO ENTERED MHC IN THE SPRING OR FALL OF 2005, 2006, 2007, OR THE SPRING OF 2008

An international student (a student who has a foreign passport and is not a permanent resident of the U.S.) can fulfill the language requirement if:

• she attended a secondary school where instruction was conducted in her native language.
• she attended a secondary school abroad or at home where the language of instruction was English, but she elected a language or literature course(s) taught in her native language.
• she has an O-level or A-level language result (for students from India, this would be a Grade X or Grade XII) in a language other than English which is NOT taught at Mount Holyoke.

If you meet at least one of the criteria listed above and wish to be exempted from the language requirement, you must contact Donna Van Handle, Dean of International Students (dvanhand). She will review your records and inform the Registrar's Office that you have fulfilled the language requirement. You will not be exempted automatically.

International students who wish to fulfill the language requirement based on their knowledge of a language taught at Mount Holyoke (Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Hebrew, Italian, Japanese, Russian, Sanskrit) must speak to the department or program chair (who is the only one with the authority to exempt you from the language requirement), or take the exemption exam offered by that department/program.  Note that the language departments at Mount Holyoke no longer give exemption exams.