Department of English

• Friday, April 15, 2022 - 8:00am to 2:00pm

Virtual

The Foreign Language Requirement for Ph.D. Students

Doctoral students fulfill the language requirement by passing translation examinations (with a dictionary) in two languages relevant to literary scholarship.   Masters students need pass just one exam. The examinations are administered only in mid-fall (usually October) and mid-spring (usually early April).

Students taking the French, German, Spanish, or Latin summer classes that the Grad School offers for free to PhD students may request a similar exam from their summer language professors. Ultimately, the class is an enrichment course so, it is up to the individual professors. Students not enrolled in a summer language class cannot take a summer exam.

The exam consists of two translation passages using a dictionary, generally one critical or philosophical and the other from a poem or novel. Neither passage should exceed 300 words, and the total for both should be less than 500 words. Students have a maximum of two hours to complete the exam using a dictionary.

The Graduate Coordinator will announce the exact date of the exam and will see if the chosen language is available via e-mail.