General Education Requirements

All undergraduate students must demonstrate proficiency in foreign language by fulfilling one of the following requirements:

• successful completion of a one-semester college-level foreign language course (101) or the equivalent, such as CLEP, the ACTFL Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI) or AP credits
  or
• having earned a final grade of 85 or higher in the third year of high school foreign language study or a passing grade in any subsequent year of high school foreign language study
  or
• having earned a score of 85 or higher on a foreign language Regents Exam or a local exam aligned with a discontinued Regents Exam (Checkpoint B Exam)

Additional Degree Requirements

Bachelor of Fine Arts and Bachelor of Science Candidates

Students enrolled in a B.F.A., B.S. or B.S.Ed. program in the School of Arts and Sciences or the School of Professional Studies need only one semester of a foreign language with the exception of Speech and Learning Disabilities majors (SLD/SLDW), who must successfully complete the fourth semester (202) of a college-level foreign language sequence.

Students enrolled in the B.S. program in early childhood, childhood, early childhood and childhood, adolescence education, inclusive special education, and, the B.S. in Speech and Hearing Science must

• successfully complete the second semester (102) of a college-level foreign language sequence 
  or
• confirm proficiency equivalent to successful completion of the second semester (102) of a college-level foreign language sequence through a testing program approved by the Modern Languages Department, such as the CLEP or OPI.

Note: Some departments require specified courses in foreign language in support of their major program requirements in addition to those described above.

Bachelor of Arts Candidates

Students enrolled in a B.A. program must

• successfully complete the fourth semester (202) of a college-level foreign language sequence 
  or
• confirm proficiency equivalent to successful completion of the fourth semester (202) of a college-level foreign language sequence through a testing program approved by the Modern Languages Department, such as the CLEP or OPI.

Students with no previous college-level credit who plan to meet the bachelor of arts foreign language requirements through course work in American Sign Language, Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Italian or Spanish will begin work at a level determined in consultation with an advisor according to guidelines established by the Modern Languages Department. The guidelines are based on criteria taking into account individual academic records.

Students who wish to begin foreign language study at a level below the level indicated by the guidelines may do so on an "audit" (no credit) basis. To begin foreign language study for credit either below or above the level indicated by the guidelines, students need the written consent of the Modern Languages Department chair.

Students with no previous college-level credit who believe they have achieved their required proficiency in a foreign language may arrange for assessment through CLEP or ACTFL OPI examination, following guidelines established by the Modern Languages Department. Any financial burden for such assessment must be assumed by the student. 

Students whose first language is not English may satisfy the foreign language requirement through successful CLEP or OPI examination or by presenting a transcript that attests to successful completion of secondary study in any language other than English. Contact the associate dean of arts and sciences for more information.

American Sign Language

American Sign Language can meet the SUNY Cortland foreign language requirement for the following programs only: